USD 4.6 million will be provided to support communities in Sumy region to develop agriculture and economic resilience. As the next step, UN entities will work directly with the Sumy Regional Development Agency and community leaders to develop project proposals. Implementation is expected to begin in March 2024.
This decision was made by the Steering Committee of the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund at its first meeting on 22 December.
The Fund is managed by the UN in Ukraine, and priorities are set in cooperation with the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine. The Committee is co-chaired by Denise Brown, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, and Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.
“We presented the Fund’s concept back in July this year at the London Conference. International partners responded to our call to support the restoration of Ukrainian communities, and this is evidence of their trust and confidence in the future of Ukraine. Together we continue to establish the conditions for Ukrainians to return to their communities and restore their lives, even during war,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine.
The function of Fund Secretariat is carried out by the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Ukraine, with administrative support from the UN’s Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office. Projects supported by the fund will be implemented by relevant UN agencies on the ground in cooperation with local partners.
“The UN is not losing sight of humanitarian needs, wintertime challenges, and daily attacks that significantly affect the civilian population. At the same time, we are seeing that people want to return to their communities where that is possible. This is why the Recovery Fund has been launched – to provide an important push for housing and infrastructure reconstruction and demining, along with new livelihoods and support for the economic development of communities affected by the full-scale Russian invasion,” said UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine Denise Brown. “I am grateful to the governments that have already contributed to the Fund, and I call on others to join this critical initiative.”
Apart from Denmark, who became the Fund's first mover in November 2023, funding has also been provided by Luxembourg. The Fund currently has USD 5.85 million available. It aims to raise USD 300 million over the next five years.