Similar to the conference in Lugano, which was attended by 39 heads of state and government, ministers and senior officials and senior representatives of the Council of Europe, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as a large number of business and civil society representatives; at the conference in London, no less qualitative and quantitative representation of states is expected.
The main programme of the event will focus on discussing the scale of the recovery challenge; how to manage the main instruments and solutions of the private sector, recognising their crucial role in Ukraine's recovery and long-term reconstruction. Special attention will be paid to presenting the energy needs and the reform agenda in this context, which is based on Ukraine's Energy Strategy until 2050 as an opportunity to demonstrate a better vision of the energy system to the international community and investors. A wide range of opportunities for building partnerships is expected between Ukraine and international business.
The main program will be accompanied by number of side events:
- “Strategic rollout of renewable energy in Ukraine: its role for economic recovery and potential for international investment”, a side event on renewable energy, organized by Razom We Stand in collaboration with the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 20 June 2023. At the event representatives from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IEA and Energy Community Secretariat along with business associations and experts from renowned analytical centers Ember and Carbon Tracker, will share their insights on energy decarbonization in the context of Ukraine’s economic recovery.
- “Building back greener is building back stronger: Ukraine’s transition from coal to clean”, organized by the PPCA and Ukrainian Ministry of Energy on 20 June 2023. An event aimed to present Ukraine’s ambitious goals to build a coal-free, decentralized, renewable energy system and to increase international support and collaboration required to achieve them.
- Shaping the new Ukraine. Delivering resilient recovery, organized by Chatham House on 20 June 2023. On the agenda of the event: recovery ecosystem; ensuring integrity; human capital; unblocking FDI & private sector; rebuilding from ground up.
As a step towards URC in London, on 25 May 2023, the European Committee of Regions, the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine held a Joint Workshop "Putting the Lugano Principles into Action: Strengthening the Role of Local and Regional Governments in Ukraine's Recovery and Reconstruction Process, and on the road to EU Membership". The event with parallel break-up sessions focused on linking recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine with decentralised reform and strong involvement of local and regional levels in Ukraine in this process. Sessions were focused on the topic of reconstruction and infrastructure investments across all levels of government, guiding principles, coordination and institutional capacity and trust-building.
It is worth noting that Europe has unequivocally expressed its desire and support for Ukraine's recovery. For example, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that after Britain in 2023, Germany will host another Lugano follow-up conference in 2024. Later, Italian Prime Minister Meloni announced that Italy is a candidate to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2025.
Ukraine and the world are looking forward to the upcoming conference as a symbol of the fight against fossil fuels, war and investment in a better, greener future.
Dr. Iryna Ptashnyk
Research and Policy Expert, Razom We Stand
