On 4–5 July 2022, in Lugano, Switzerland, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, participates in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2022). The focus of the conference is the reconstruction process of Ukraine, its priorities and the coordination of international support. The goal of the conference is to ensure a sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine and to strengthen the country’s resilience in the long term.
The conference was opened by President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who joined the conference remotely from Kyiv. President Zelenskyy gave an insight into the current situation in Ukraine, and also thanked international partners for their support to Ukraine and its people, especially since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
During the plenary session of the first day, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, presented the reconstruction and development plan of Ukraine entitled "United24.” This was then followed by several sessions during which the reconstruction of Ukraine was discussed in five specific areas – society, economy, environment, infrastructure and digitalization.
"We must all support the process of reconstruction and further reforms of Ukraine. Latvia is ready to share its experience in public administration and economic transformation to help Ukraine, as well as to provide immediate support in ensuring economic reconstruction and reconstruction of infrastructure," the Parliamentary Secretary emphasized.
Latvia's total support – financial, military and bilateral – to Ukraine currently amounts to at least 220 million euros. Z. Kalniņa-Lukaševica states: "Ukrainian people need shelter, communications and basic infrastructure to be built and repaired right now and especially in preparation for the upcoming winter, and Latvia is ready to provide immediate support."
This year, representatives of the public administration, private and NGO sectors of Latvia, using the development cooperation funding granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will help Ukraine in strengthening the capacity and resilience of Ukraine's public administration, including the judiciary, border guards and educational establishments, provide psychological and medical support to victims of the war, as well as contribute to the reconstruction of Ukrainian businesses, Z. Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasized.
Additionally, the Parliamentary Secretary highlighted that the Ukrainian government is continuing to work on reforms despite the ongoing war, showing Ukraine’s determination for a better future. This work has helped Ukraine on its path to becoming an EU candidate country, and it will be continued on its path to full EU membership.
Z. Kalniņa-Lukaševica also participated in a discussion on Ukraine's security. During the discussion, Prime Minister D. Shmyhal gave a comprehensive overview of the current security situation in Ukraine and outlined the main challenges.
In the course of the conference, it is expected that the participants will agree on a joint document that will outline the basic principles of how the international community – both countries and organizations – can best support the process of Ukraine's reconstruction and cooperate in the process.
Background information
The Ukrainian Reform Conference, which would have been held for the fifth time this year, has been revamped into the Ukrainian Reconstruction Conference as a result of Russia's aggression in Ukraine and its devastating consequences. It is a high-level conference taking place annually that previously focused on the progress of reforms in Ukraine. This year, the main focus of the conference is the reconstruction process of Ukraine.
Prior to this conference, conferences were held in London (2017), Copenhagen (2018), Toronto (2019) and Vilnius (2021).
In 2022, the conference is organized by Switzerland in close cooperation with Ukraine.