Switzerland to provide funding and engage the private sector in Ukraine's recovery projects

This was agreed upon during a meeting between Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, and Felix Baumann, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Swiss Confederation Embassy to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

“I thank Switzerland for its constant and systematic support, which gives us the feeling that we are not alone with the enemy. For my part, I can say that the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development now has additional responsibility and this is important in our cooperation. We have added the sphere of support for internally displaced persons, of whom there are currently more than 4.5 million in Ukraine. Therefore, one of the focuses of cooperation is the construction of housing for these categories. We are interested in intensifying regional programs and we could expand our cooperation within the framework of the funding offered by Switzerland,” said Oleksii Kuleba.

Felix Baumann, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, noted that during his tenure as Ambassador, he had visited the regions on numerous occasions, which allowed him to assess Ukraine's needs on his own.

He also emphasized that Switzerland has been implementing support programs for our country for a long time. These include decentralization and reconstruction programs, as well as joint projects with Ukrzaliznytsia and assistance in preparing for the heating season. The Swiss Government is currently offering additional assistance programs to Ukraine.

“Another important focus of our cooperation remains the Early Recovery projects, under which the Swiss Government plans to allocate CHF 1.5 billion for reconstruction projects in Ukraine over the next 4 years. Of this amount, CHF 1 billion will be allocated, as before, to the sectors of self-government, demining, and humanitarian aid. The remaining amount will be used for reconstruction programs involving the Swiss private sector. To emphasize the seriousness of our intentions, our representative will be working here and will be responsible for the implementation of this project. Right now, a private sector delegation is working in Kyiv to explore Ukraine's needs in the areas for which the Ministry is responsible in the medium and long term,” said Felix Baumann.

The assistance of Swiss partners will help create new jobs in the regions.

The parties also discussed cooperation between the Ministry and the Government of Switzerland within the framework of the sectoral working group on decentralization and regional policy. They focused on the thematic content of the group's work, which should increase the efficiency of regional policy-making.

The Ministry also hosted a meeting with a delegation from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation (SECO), which had come to Ukraine to hold the 14th meeting of the Ukrainian-Swiss Joint Committee. At the Ministry, SECO representatives presented an action plan to support Ukraine's recovery with the involvement of the Swiss private sector.