Oleksandr Kubrakov: Ukraine and the UN will create a Community Recovery Fund

On the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, and Denise Brown, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, discussed the implementation of a joint community-based approach to the recovery of Ukraine.

It envisages the establishment of a Community Recovery Fund, which is a key step towards long-term recovery and community resilience. Its priorities will include the restoration of housing, critical and social infrastructure, as well as humanitarian demining and support for local businesses.

It is planned to mobilize USD 300 million over the next 5 years. The initial seed funding is USD 50 million.

"Successful recovery is impossible without continuing the decentralization reform. We understand that today many communities do not have the capacity to cope with the challenges on their own. Our task is to provide all the necessary institutional, financial and advisory support to strengthen communities. To this end, we are already creating a regional structure of support teams that will help communities cope with the challenges of recovery," said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development.

According to Denise Brown, the United Nations and the Government of Ukraine have already demonstrated the success of the community-centered approach in the recovery of Kharkiv and the de-occupied town of Izyum in Kharkiv region, where central and local authorities, the UN and the public are jointly restoring damaged infrastructure.

In particular, the UN is helping communities to clear mines, deal with the consequences of the destruction, and rebuild housing, schools, and medical facilities. The Organization is also working with the Government to provide basic services to those who remain in the affected communities.

The Ministry and the UN will also work together to prioritize projects initiated by communities and agreed upon in public consultations with their residents.

As a reminder, in 2024, the UN plans to allocate more than USD 1 billion for the restoration of Ukraine.