Support worth EUR 20 million will be available to internally displaced persons, Ukrainians who have returned home, and host communities in Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. The support is provided within the framework of the project “Viability+: Economic Integration of IDPs and Conflict-Affected Persons”, implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the German Development Bank (KfW) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

“The border regions that have been partially occupied and are constantly subjected to enemy rocket attacks require special attention from the state. We have a number of government programmes to support and stimulate business development in these regions, help residents and internally displaced persons find jobs, retrain and improve their professional skills so that they can become more competitive in the labour market and provide for themselves and their families. We are grateful to our partners for their help and willingness to expand our capabilities in providing support to residents of the war-affected regions, entrepreneurs who continue to work there or restore their businesses, save and create new jobs, pay taxes, and rebuild what the enemy has destroyed,” said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna.

In particular, the project will provide grants for restarting and supporting businesses in Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions:

• 150 grants of up to EUR 7,000 for micro businesses;
• 90 grants of up to EUR 20,000 for small businesses;
• 45 grants of up to EUR 15,000 for micro businesses to launch start-ups.

In addition, 4 economic clusters will receive grants of up to EUR 80,000 to improve the competitiveness of their products, promote exports, and contribute to the economic development of the regions.

The project will also support IDPs and Ukrainians who have returned home, youth, women and other community members in the three regions in training to improve their professional skills and increase their chances of finding employment – 500 people will receive vouchers worth up to EUR 1,000 for educational/vocational training courses.

A number of activities will be aimed at restoring and strengthening the social resilience of communities in Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions, including the restoration of economic infrastructure and the creation of a network of hubs and sub-hubs.