Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO)
Connecting experience. Shaping Housing. Building change.
We connect and shape sustainable urban development in Europe.
EU-funded
Projects
25 years IWO!
IWO has been operating for 25 years as a non-profit association dedicated to promoting professional exchange and cooperation within the housing sector between Germany and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
Read more about IWO´s work of the last 25 years!
Eastern Europe – key region for climate protection
For a successful European and global energy transition and climate policy in the direction of the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the building sector is undoubtedly of the greatest relevance. There is immense potential for energy savings and efficiency in this sector, the exploitation of which also promotes environmental protection and decarbonisation. This is particularly true for the building stock in Eastern Europe due to the historical developments in the region in the residential building sector.
In questions of climate protection and sustainability, the countries of the Eastern European region have committed themselves to the same goals as their Western European neighbours and the international community of states. Their conditions and challenges, however, sometimes differ considerably.
Connect and understand
Based in the heart of Berlin, the Initiative Wohnungswirtschaft Osteuropa (IWO) e.V. – Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe brings together private and public partners from Germany and many other countries. Our common goal is to support a market-based, sustainable, ecologically and socially compatible development of the housing and building sectors in Eastern Europe (also beyond the EU), the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The NGO was founded in 2001 on the initiative of the then Federal Ministry of Construction and has since pursued exclusively and directly charitable purposes. Our work and topics concern a social interest that is not immediately apparent: But without increased efforts for more climate protection, higher energy-efficient (residential) building renovation rates and improved living and housing standards, also in the Eastern European region, whose derelict building stock currently represents a large and increasing burden on the climate, the achievement of European and global climate protection and sustainability goals is not possible.
News
Launch of a Coalition for Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Housing in Kazakhstan
The partners of the EU-funded ENABLE project have initiated the formation of a coalition bringing together civil society organisations, homeowners’ associations (HOAs), charitable foundations, and professional and educational institutions to promote energy efficiency,...
Berlin’s experience in renovating the housing stock for the city of Aktobe
Cooperation with the Maslikhats The study visit by a delegation from Aktobe to Berlin represented a practical continuation of the systematic cooperation between the Fund for the Development of Parliamentarism in Kazakhstan (Astana, Kazakhstan), a partner of the EU...
IWO at the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku
On May 17-22, 2026, IWO took part in the World Urban Forum (WUF) 13, which was hold in Baku, Azerbaijan. WUF is one of the most important global conferences on sustainable urban development, convened by UN‑Habitat. This year’s theme, “Housing the World: Safe and...
Workshop on strengthening resilience in the municipal housing sector in Ukraine
Together with partner organisations, the Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO e.V.) held a two-day workshop in Zhytomyr in April, bringing together representatives from six Ukrainian pilot cities: Zhytomyr, Poltava, Kremenchuk, Bila Tserkva, Mykolaiv and Kalush....
Energy-efficient modernisation of the housing stock in Kazakhstan – strategic objectives and practical implementation
Larissa Schreckenbach, NGO “Housing Initiative for Eastern Europe (IWO)”, Berlin, Germany Zauresh Battalova, Public Foundation “Fund for the Development of Parliamentarism in Kazakhstan”, Astana, KazakhstanFrom maintenance to comprehensive modernisation: comfort,...
Experiences with housing market monitoring in Germany for sharing with Ukraine
Last week, IWO launched a series of online webinars in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Ukraine to support the Ukrainian Ministry for the Development of Communities and Territories to develop a national housing strategy. The first webinar familiarized the...