The Third Meeting of the UfM Thematic Working Group on Affordable Housing showcases successful policy measures to boost housing affordability

• Comprising over 70 per cent of land use in most cities, housing is evidently central to future cities and urban development.
• Housing is central to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11: ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
• Access to dignified housing is recognized in various fundamental human rights texts, and by several national constitutions.

Dublin, 15-16 May 2024. The Third Meeting of the UfM Thematic Working Group on Affordable and Sustainable Housing held in Dublin, Ireland on 15-16 May 2024, shared successful policy measures to boost housing affordability and ensured a comprehensive overview of national housing policies, which served to reinforce peer-to-peer exchange and mutual learning and to reflect collectively on the next steps.

Hosted by the Irish Housing Agency, the meeting was co-chaired by the European Commission (DG REGIO) and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Housing and Urban Development Corporation), with the support of Housing Europe. It brought together delegates from Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Ireland, Morocco, Czech Republic, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

Participants had the opportunity to exchange their respective policies and learn the details of recent housing programmes. The content was arranged through a participatory process ahead of the event to reflect the inputs and suggestions from the meetings’ delegates. The Irish Housing Agency ensured an extensive overview of challenges and solutions currently tested and implemented in Ireland as the hosting country. The presentations from DG REGIO of the European Commission, Housing Europe and Eurofound focused on the European dimension and relevant EU initiatives in the field of housing. As part of the meeting programme, participants participating in a study visit to two affordable housing projects in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

Policy background

The UfM Working Group on Affordable and Sustainable Housing focuses on the implementation of the UfM Housing Action Plan, endorsed by UfM Member States during the Third UfM Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development (Zagreb, Croatia, 4 May 2023). The first and second meetings of the Working Group took place respectively in Brussels, Belgium on 20-21 September 2018 and in Paris, France on 28 February and 1 March 2019.