UNECE redoubles support to Kharkiv and Mykolaiv reconstruction planning through German-funded USD 5 million project

Local housing destroyed in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo credits: Kharkiv City.

UNECE boosts support to Kharkiv and Mykolaiv reconstruction planning through German-funded USD 5 million project.

Overall damage to the housing sector alone following the Russian invasion of Ukraine is estimated at over US$50 billion.

On the ground

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, some 3367 apartment buildings and 1823 single apartment buildings have been destroyed and damaged, according to the City Council. In the Southern city of Mykolaiv, damage is estimated to affect over 650,000 square metres, with housing stock accounting for 77% of overall damage, according to a One Works assessment.

Building back better

To support the local and national governments for the reconstruction of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is embarking on a new phase in its assistance for the preparation and implementation of urban development Master Plans.

Scaled-up under the broader UN4UkrainianCities initiative, the support to be rolled out between June 2023 and the end of 2024 will take this work forward with a view to “operationalize” the reconstruction efforts after the end of the war and to facilitate investment in sustainable urban infrastructure. This will be supported by USD 5 million funding by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. These efforts will help the cities to “build back better” following a balanced, evidence-based, participatory approach that links emergency and long-term strategic objectives.