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On 3 and 4 November 2026, around 300 representatives of government, municipalities, donors, international financial institutions, humanitarian organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector will gather in Kyiv for the First Ukraine Housing Annual Conference. Under the theme Rebuilding Homes, Restoring Communities: Scaling Housing Solutions for Recovery and Growth, the conference aims to bring greater coherence to a sector facing unprecedented challenges.The conference is led by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Unity, and the Ministry of Veteran Affairs. It is financed by the World Bank Group, through the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF), and the Government of Austria.“Support to housing happens both in our humanitarian response and recovery work. Repairing a roof helps a family get through the winter, and it can also be the first step in rebuilding a community. This conference is an opportunity to discuss how all housing support initiatives contribute to one national strategy and its implementation,” said Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. A sector at a turning pointRussia’s full-scale invasion has caused large-scale destruction and displacement, and has put severe pressure on how housing is financed and delivered. But many of the sector’s constraints predate 2022: an ageing and energy-inefficient housing stock, chronic underinvestment in maintenance and repairs, a limited supply of affordable housing, and shallow housing finance markets.As Ukraine moves from emergency response towards structured recovery, housing is increasingly recognized as a central pillar of resilience, economic recovery and social stability. With many actors working in parallel, the conference is designed as a national platform to align priorities, coordinate investment pipelines and share practical lessons in support of Ukraine’s housing strategy. It builds on the Memorandum of Understanding on housing sector reform signed by the Government of Ukraine and the World Bank Group in June 2024.The first day will be a high-level plenary, open to in-person and online participants. The second day, in person only, will turn to technical sessions in which state agencies, donors, humanitarian organizations, cities and NGOs present their programmes, tools and case studies. Keeping families in their homesSince the start of the full-scale invasion, UN agencies have worked with national and local authorities to repair war-damaged homes, so that families can stay in, or return to, their communities.UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has durably repaired more than 61,000 homes, focusing on making the best possible use of the existing housing stock and complementing the Government’s compensation programme. Repairs are tailored to each family: carried out by local contractors, through construction materials for homeowners who prefer to do the work themselves, or through cash assistance. By repairing common areas in damaged multi-storey buildings, UNHCR also enables residents to apply for the Government’s compensation programme to fix their individual apartments. As aerial attacks intensified in 2026, UNHCR has remained the largest humanitarian provider of emergency assistance after strikes. Since the start of the full-scale war, it has helped more than 680,000 people carry out urgent repairs and protect their homes from harsh weather.Since 2022, IOM has repaired more than 5,000 individual apartments, 21,000 individual homes, and common spaces such as roofs, stairwells and entrances that serve more than 18,000 households. These repairs help families stay in their homes and communities, particularly as they seek protection from winter temperatures.UNOPS has repaired more than 780 apartments in Kharkiv, with funding from the Government of Japan, and more than 1,300 apartments in Mykolaiv, with funding from the Government of Denmark. The repairs, focused mainly on light interior works and replacing damaged windows and balconies, improved living conditions for more than 7,000 residents. Housing at the centre of recoveryFor UN agencies, housing is more than a building: it is about location, access to jobs, infrastructure, public services and opportunities.“A home is more than four walls. Having one makes it easier to access school, a job, a doctor and a community. That is why we support municipalities to connect housing with services and livelihoods, so that people do not just survive the war, but can rebuild their lives,” said Matthias Schmale.This is the idea behind UN-Habitat’s “Housing at the Centre” approach, which places housing within the broader framework of urban development, spatial planning and sustainable recovery. UN-Habitat provides technical assistance for recovery planning and policy development, including support to the National Housing Strategy and urban planning reform. Together with Ukrainian institutions, municipalities, academia, civil society and service providers, it has supported 11 hromadas through urban recovery planning, capacity development, improved water management, project preparation and digital tools for evidence-based decision-making.IOM’s Housing Unit is implementing permanent housing solutions at 19 sites across Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Five are prefabricated housing sites, nine are rehabilitation or renovation sites, and at five more IOM provides municipalities with completed design documentation so they can implement their own housing solutions. The model combines social and affordable housing for internally displaced people with local economic development. It works through a revolving fund: displaced people gain access to affordable rental housing, while municipalities receive a modest but sustainable rental income that is reinvested exclusively in housing. Durable solutions for displaced peopleFor millions of internally displaced people, a safe and affordable home is a precondition for rebuilding their lives. On 10 June 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted the State Strategy on Internal Displacement for 2026–2030 and its Operational Action Plan for 2026–2028, which aim to establish a comprehensive, state-led approach to internal displacement, from evacuation to durable solutions.Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, UNHCR, IOM and UNDP are combining their capacities to support the implementation of the Strategy. Housing is central to this work: from integrated housing and protection programmes for the most vulnerable displaced people, to supporting local authorities to establish and expand municipally managed affordable housing.UNHCR is working with national and local authorities to expand longer-term housing solutions, by renovating unused buildings, adapting public premises for accommodation and helping communities set up the legal and administrative mechanisms to manage social housing for displaced families. With its NGO partners, UNHCR has also rehabilitated more than 2,700 houses in rural communities that displaced people rented or purchased, and helped close to 3,000 displaced families access six-month rental packages.Some groups face additional barriers. In Odesa, UN Women, with the support of the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), supports the Roma civil society organization Romani Zbora to run the “Contribution to the Future” Temporary Stay Center for internally displaced and Roma women. The centre offers temporary housing, hygiene kits, meals, psychological consultations, legal advice and individual case management. Building on what worksOver two days, the conference will seek to turn strategic priorities into practical solutions, linking global good practice with Ukraine’s realities of large-scale destruction, displacement and fiscal constraints.The experience of the UN system in Ukraine points in a clear direction: housing recovery works best when it is led by national and local authorities, puts people’s needs and choices at the centre, and connects homes with the services, jobs and communities that make them places to live.“No single actor can meet Ukraine’s housing needs alone. When the Government, municipalities, donors and the UN pull in the same direction, homes become more than shelter: they become the foundation of recovery,” Matthias Schmale added.