UNDP has helped Ukraine clear 1 million tonnes of debris, supporting safe reconstruction of the country

Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported Ukraine in clearing 1 million tonnes of debris – a vital step towards safe reconstruction.

According to the fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4), conducted by the World Bank Group, the Government of Ukraine, the European Commission and the United Nations with the support of other partners, direct physical damage to Ukraine’s housing stock and infrastructure had reached approximately USD 176 billion by the end of 2024.

Debris from destruction has been one of the most pressing obstacles to reconstruction and the return of residents.

In response to this challenge, UNDP supported early recovery efforts in 26 war-affected communities in Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions.

As of the beginning of 2026, a volume of debris equivalent in weight to three Empire State Buildings has been safely removed and sorted. This has restored safe access to more than 200 public-use facilities and enabled reconstruction works to begin on over 1,600 heavily damaged sites, including homes, schools, hospitals and industrial facilities.

Priority was given to community involvement during these works: more than 400 local workers were engaged in clearance and demolition processes across the country.

Debris clearance operations were carried out in strict compliance with protocols for the early detection and handling of hazardous waste, including asbestos-containing materials, as well as systematic sorting to facilitate subsequent recycling. This approach enabled UNDP to supply local waste-processing enterprises with verified secondary raw materials, while allowing communities to transform destruction debris into resources for reconstruction. These materials are already being used across Ukraine for landfill capping, creating isolation layers, and surfacing roads and footpaths.

Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba emphasised the strategic importance of supporting communities in managing debris from destruction.

“We are systematically changing the approach to build a modern waste management system in Ukraine – one that is more environmentally friendly, efficient and beneficial for communities. Today we view waste as a resource. New legislation and European rules are already in place, clearly distinguishing hazardous from non-hazardous waste and bringing order to the system. The updated National Waste Management Plan to 2033 focuses on infrastructure, modern standards and incentives for recycling. For us this is not a formality. It is about practical results: materials from destruction can and should be used in reconstruction. A separate priority is safety. We must know precisely how such waste is collected, transported, stored and disposed of. Without this, recovery cannot be either safe or sustainable,” Oleksii Kuleba noted.

UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Auke Lootsma highlighted the organisation’s commitment to supporting communities in their recovery efforts, particularly through the management of debris from destruction.

According to him, in 2026, UNDP will build on these achievements, working side by side with the Government of Ukraine to create a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable national system for managing debris from destruction. Efforts will focus on strengthening the legislative framework for debris waste management, promoting increased recycling and reuse of waste, ensuring the detection, safe handling and disposal of asbestos-containing materials, and building the capacity of local and regional authorities.

Background

UNDP’s activities on managing debris from destruction in Ukraine began in 2022 as an emergency response measure in communities of Kyiv region that had experienced occupation. By 2025, these efforts had evolved into a systematic programme supporting 26 communities in eight regions, making it one of the largest such initiatives in UNDP’s global practice.

The UNDP initiative on managing debris from destruction has been made possible thanks to the support of international partners – the governments of Japan, the Republic of Korea and Sweden, the European Union through the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, and the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF) – as well as close cooperation with local authorities, regional state administrations and the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.