Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC)

Architect Norman Foster, Mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, Svenja Schulze, and the Ministry's State Secretary, Jochen Flasbarth.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023 was co-chaired by the UK and Ukraine in London on 21-22 June 2023. The conference was a continuation of the cycle of annual events, with URC 2022 conducted jointly with Switzerland in Lugano.

Background

URC 2022, held for the first time during the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, launched the Lugano Principles, which laid the foundation for the reconstruction process of Ukraine and united the world in this effort. Ukraine has already undertaken initiatives to move forward with reconstruction in line with these principles and commitments, despite the circumstances of war.

Since Lugano, the international community has pledged significant emergency assistance, but a broader mobilisation of public and private sectors is needed to meet the scale of Ukraine’s stabilisation and recovery needs following Russian attacks.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference is dedicated to Ukraine's transformation and was symbolically launched in London in 2017 as the Ukraine Reform Conference.

URC 2023 Goal

The conference focussed on mobilising international support for Ukraine's economic and social stabilisation and recovery from the effects of war, including through emergency assistance for immediate needs and financing private sector participation in the reconstruction process.

URC 2023 showcased the strength and potential of the private sector in supporting Ukraine to “build back better”, working alongside a broad coalition of governments, international organisations and civil society.

Participants

URC 2023 brought together Leaders, Ministers, and representatives of 59 states, 32 international organisations and international financial institutions, over 500 businesses, and 130 civil society organisations.

Discussions focussed on how the private sector can play a leading role by applying its expertise and supporting Ukraine's recovery, and invited investors to consider specific sectors and opportunities. To support this, Ukraine set out how it continues to implement an ambitious reform agenda and look for ways to support investment in Ukraine and reduce risk.

UN4Ukrainian Cities

UNECE recently redoubled support to help the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv build back better through a project worth USD 5 million, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
This was the focus of discussion at the URC in London. UNECE was joined by Architect Norman Foster, the Mayor of Kharkiv Ihor Terekhov, the Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany Svenja Schulze, and the Ministry's State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth.