Latvia has been involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine since 2022. Latvia intends to contribute to reconstruction Ukraine in the long term by allocating EUR 5,000,000 annually from the State budget for this purpose.
Latvia’s involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine is based on the needs of Ukraine, in particular of the Chernihiv region, as well as taking into account Latvia’s capabilities, existing contacts and groundwork, and priority directions for development cooperation:
- digitalisation;
- good governance;
- gender equality;
- education;
- economic growth;
- climate change.
The goal of the aid effort is to ensure basic services to the population, to help overcome the trauma caused by the war, and facilitate the socio-economic development of the Chernihiv district.
More than 20,000 buildings and structures, including critical and social infrastructure facilities, have been destroyed in the Chernihiv region as a result of Russian aggression. Likewise, the war has made a significant psychological impact on people, causing trauma that requires immediate support. Latvia’s involvement in reconstruction Ukraine contributes to increase in the quality of life of the population: this directly improves resilience and offers hope for a better tomorrow, which is highly important during the war.
Latvia’s current input to reconstruction efforts is based on two documents: the Informational Report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Involvement of Latvia in the Reconstruction of Ukraine”, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 6 September 2022, which determined that Latvia will participate as a matter of priority in the reconstruction of Chernihiv region in Ukraine; and the Informational Report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “On Latvia's Involvement in the Reconstruction of Ukraine, the Chernihiv Region in Particular”, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 1 June 2023, which laid down priority directions.
In 2023, Latvia launched structured support for the reconstruction of Ukraine, to which EUR 5,100,000 has been earmarked in the budget (EUR 3,100,000 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and EUR 2,000,000 for the Ministry of Economics).
In the implementation of reconstruction projects, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cooperated with the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP) on the restoration of social infrastructure facilities in the Chernihiv region, with a Latvian NGO “Entrepreneurs for Peace” – on the restoration of housing in the village of Yahidne, and with the “Centre MARTA” – on the establishment of support centres for women in Chernihiv. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also worked together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development to provide methodological support for drawing up of a spatial development plan for the Chernihiv region.