Real Estate Market Advisory Group (REM)
The Real Estate Market Advisory Group (REM) , an advisory group of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Housing and Land Management (CHLM), was established by the Executive Committee of UNECE on 7 December 2007. Following a decision by is an advisory body to the Committee on Housing and Land Management and the Working Party on Land Administration, the name, the composition, the mission and the terms of reference of this advisory group were officially defined (ECE/EX/2007/L.I5).
According to a founding document approved by the Bureau of the Working Party on 24 April 2008 in Bergen(Norway), six members were nominated to form the advisory group. The proposed elements for a program of work of REM for the period 2012-2013 programme are available online.
REM organized two major events in the 2008-2009 biennium, as reported during the sixth session of the Working Party (Geneva, 18 and 19 June 2009):
- A seminar in New Yorkon 16 December 2008 on “Real Estate and the Financial Crisis” (press release).
- A forum in Romeon 3 to 4 June 2009 on “Rethinking the Real Estate Markets” (press release).
REM has organized several activities during the 2010-2011 biennium, as reported during the seventh session of the Working Party (Geneva, 30 June and 1 July 2011):
- The publication of Policy Framework for Sustainable Real Estate Markets, which was jointly published in April 2010 by UNECE and REM with the support of Tecnoborsa. This work has been translated into several languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Russian.
- The promotion of Policy Framework through roundtable discussions organized inKiev (17 June 2010),Lisbon (27 January 2011), andRome (12 May 2011).
- An international workshop on “Greening real Estate Markets: A Multi-stakeholder Perspective”, held inDessau,Germany(November 2010).
The Policy Framework has also been promoted in a roundtable discussion inMoscow (27 January 2012).
Upcoming REM events and activities include:
- A roundtable discussion to discuss the Policy Framework in association with the 63rd FIABCI World Congress inSt. Petersburg (15 to 16 May 2012).
- “Greening the Real Estate Market”, a side event to the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Development (Rio+20) inRio de Janeiro(21 June 2012).
- “Recovery, Sustainability, and Evolution: Perspectives on the Real Estate Economy”, an academic conference inGeneva(26 June 2012).
- Participation in the WPLA workshops “How can land registration authorities support recovery in the global property market and wider economy?” inLondon(11 to 13 October 2012) and “Informal Development, Property and Housing: Legalization and Progress” inAthens(10 to 14 December 2012).
Publication: Policy Framework for Sustainable Real Estate Markets: Principles and guidance for the development of a country's real estate sector PDF
. It consists of experts from:
- The private sector;
- Financial institutions;
- Non-governmental organizations;
- Professional associations dealing with the promotion of the real estate market, financial services and land administration.
The goals of the Real Estate Market Advisory group were set by Member States and through decisions taken by the Committee, and are to:
- Provide practical advice on the challenges linked to improving the environment for real estate investments, real estate markets and housing development;
- Develop and promote policy frameworks that support sustainable real estate markets including best practices in promoting investment in national real estate sectors in individual countries;
- Undertake relevant studies and advisory missions, organize seminars and training workshops, draft policy models and guidelines, collect data, and provide information and training kits;
- Assist countries in training and capacity-building within the real estate and land administration sectors
The Advisory Group operates in accordance with the guidelines for the establishment and functioning of teams of specialists within UNECE (ECE/EX/2/Rev.1).Draft revised Terms of Reference: ENG FRE RUS