We invite you to read the sixteenth Ukraine Rebuilding Digest with an overview of the recovery news from the Ukraine Rebuilding Alliance for 1-14 July.
Ukraine’s Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strelets discussed the launch of the International Action Platform for the Green Recovery of Ukraine and Germany’s further support for the environment with Jürgen Reimund Keinhorst, representative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment. Mr Strelets thanked the German government and Minister Steffi Lemke for hosting the URC2024 conference in Berlin and for the first contribution of EUR 5 million to support the platform.
The meeting discussed the priority steps for the platform’s work, including support from UNECE, OECD, UNEP in the prevention of industrial pollution, environmental taxation reform, management of demolition waste, biodiversity conservation, climate change resilience, wastewater management, environmental assessment and monitoring, and analysis of the potential of green jobs for the reintegration of veterans and IDPs. Strelets stressed the importance of careful work for the platform to function effectively for the benefit of Ukraine’s recovery.
Czech companies are actively implementing projects for Ukraine’s economic and energy recovery
Czech companies, including railway, construction, mining, energy, and transport companies, are actively implementing projects in Ukraine and are looking for new opportunities to participate in the country’s recovery. This issue was discussed by the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko and the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic Josef Sikela during their working visit to the Czech Republic. Svyrydenko noted that the government will support Czech companies in opening representative offices and production facilities in Ukraine, emphasising the growing desire of Czech companies to operate in the Ukrainian market. She also noted that the Czech Republic financially supports its companies through the Ukrainian Fund and the export credit agency EGAP, which insures contracts worth up to EUR 5 million.
The main topic of the meeting was the restoration of Ukraine’s energy system, which was damaged by Russian shelling. The Czech side expressed its readiness to help restore and protect Ukraine’s energy capacities, in particular through renewable energy projects. The parties also discussed attracting investment under the Ukraine Investment Framework and deepening trade relations between the two countries. Svyrydenko noted that the Czech Republic had removed barriers to trade in military and technical products and thanked Ukraine for its comprehensive support, including shelter for Ukrainian migrants and humanitarian and military assistance.
Government allocates ₴2.4 billion to restore roads used by the Armed Forces
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has allocated ₴2.386 billion to regional state administrations to restore roads used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This decision was made following a government meeting, as reported by the Permanent Representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk on his Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports.
These funds were allocated on a non-refundable basis from the state budget reserve fund and are intended to restore public roads of local importance used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. To this end, the government has reallocated funds to the reserve fund by reducing expenditures under the programme ‘Additional subsidy from the state budget to local budgets for the exercise of powers of local self-government bodies in the de-occupied, temporarily occupied and other territories of Ukraine that have been negatively affected by the full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation’.
UNDP and the Japanese city of Yokohama launch cooperation to restore social infrastructure in Odesa
The city of Yokohama and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a cooperation agreement to restore social infrastructure in Ukraine, including a kindergarten in Odesa that was damaged during the full-scale war.
UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Jaco Silier stressed the importance of the new partnership: ‘This is a groundbreaking collaboration in which UNDP will work together with a municipal authority outside of Ukraine to support local recovery. By joining forces with the city of Yokohama, we aim to promote recovery in Odesa and support children in the city.’
Switzerland allocates more than five billion euros for Ukraine’s recovery
Switzerland is allocating CHF 5 billion (over EUR 5 billion) for the reconstruction of Ukraine. This decision was made by the Federal Council on 10 April.
Preliminarily, this amount should be spent by 2036, the Swiss government’s press service reports. In this way, Switzerland is sending a ‘strong signal of solidarity’ with the victims and contributing to stability throughout Europe. Bern believes that the money will help prevent migration flows. According to the Swiss government, the total cost of the reconstruction work is estimated at around 440 billion Swiss francs.
Switzerland is already supporting projects in Ukraine aimed at rebuilding the destroyed civilian infrastructure in the energy, road, and healthcare sectors. Since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion, Switzerland has provided financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine, but not defence support. This is due to the fact that since 1815, Switzerland has been adhering to a policy of neutrality – it does not supply its weapons for warfare, does not provide other military assistance, and does not allow the re-export of its weapons to third countries.
Ukraine to receive up to €100 million from the EIB for community recovery
Ukraine will soon be able to raise €100 million to support communities, especially those affected by Russia’s military aggression. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure. The relevant financial agreement between Ukraine and the European Investment Bank (EIB) was signed at the Recovery Conference and is in the process of ratification.
The EIB continues to assist Ukraine in the process of rebuilding and restoring infrastructure in the liberated territories and areas with a large number of internally displaced persons.
Since 2014, €540 million of loan funds have been mobilised under two financing agreements between Ukraine and the EIB to support Ukraine’s recovery capacity. These funds are being used to implement more than 400 social projects: the rehabilitation of schools, kindergartens, healthcare facilities, critical infrastructure, and housing projects for internally displaced persons.
