New programme will train specialists to rebuild and regenerate Ukraine’s communities

Kyiv, 20 September 2024 – Ukraine’s new Community Recovery Academy was launched this week during an international conference about post-war recovery, “Create tomorrow: post-war reconstruction and restoration of communities”. The Academy, financed by the UK government through UK International Development and the International Republican Institute of Ukraine (IRI), is aimed at training municipal managers to rebuild Ukraine.

The Kyiv School of Economics has estimated that the cost of the damage caused by the russians to Ukrainian infrastructure is at least $155 billion, starting with over 250,000 buildings being destroyed or damaged, particularly in the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kherson regions. This provides some illustration of the scale of the restoration work required and, therefore, the importance of training specialists.

Lucy Bakland, First secretary of the UK Embassy in Ukraine said, “This project coincides with our values. This is evidence of a decentralised and local approach to recovery and reconstruction, initiatives that are led by those who know the communities and the people living in them best. We can see the passion with which local leaders and community representatives at all levels approach the challenges of recovery and reconstruction. Let’s be frank, those challenges are multiple and highly complex in a context of Russia’s unfathomable destruction and the suffering that has caused. The UK is steadfast in its support of Ukraine’s victory and we will continue supporting Ukraine after its victory.”

The Community Recovery Academy was founded by the Association of Cities of Ukraine and NGO Mariupol Reborn as a response to the requests from communities about the plans and resources needed for effective post-war reconstruction and restoration, the involvement of international assistance, and coordination between state and non-state structures.

The programme, which will run until March 2025, aims to prepare municipal managers for the recovery period.  The result will be developed recovery visions for each of the municipal teams. The best graduates will continue training at the academic level, studying for diplomas. Representatives of more than 100 Ukrainian communities have already submitted applications for participation.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko, Head of the Section for the Development of Temporarily Occupied and De-Occupied communities of AUC, said, “The Community Recovery Academy was born from the development of our common vision for regeneration of Mariupol. The best teachers, professors and candidates have prepared this programme, transforming our development plans into the educational process. We want to give communities across Ukraine the benefit of the work we have done, so together we can rebuild the Ukraine we all deserve.”

The course will consist of four practical expert modules:

1. a strategy for the community – state and international level
2. economic modeling, restoration of cities and territories
3. preserving the community, returning people and overcoming social conflicts
4. projects, resource support, investment attraction

The educational materials have been developed by the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy,  one of the leading Ukrainian universities, with the Metinvest Polytechnic.

Ukrainian businesses are also involved in the implementation of the project. Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest and the SCM Group are systematically investing in the restoration of destroyed cities and infrastructure.

Natalia Yemchenko & Mariupol Reborn

Natalia Yemchenko, member of the Supervisory Board of Mariupol Reborn and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of the SCM Group, said, “This Academy is about a chance to rebuild Ukraine on the basis of new principles. It is a chance to jump over old problems and make Ukrainian cities competitive for many years ahead. And we need partners to make it happen: our educational partners and our city partners. It is impossible to rebuild a plant if no one can do the work.. It is impossible to compete if we do not have the specialists to provide the ideas and expertise. People must always be at the centre of everything we do and we should always maintain a sharp focus on building and maintaining community capacity.”

Cooperation between the state, local authorities, business and international partners in the restoration of Ukraine is essential both for Ukraines’ regeneration and integration of the processes with the EU and the Council of Europe.

Maciej Janczak,head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, said,”The Projects of the Council of Europe provide assistance to central and local partners, as well as civil society, in strengthening their capacities, including on such issues as internally displaced persons, representatives of minority groups, local media, veterans and their families, and other issues. Potentially, experience and knowledge gained through implementation of those initiatives can also be integrated in the curriculum of the Community Recovery Academy. Local authorities have shown incredible resilience and have a key role to play in the recovery, reconstruction and transformation of Ukraine”.

Andriy Yurchenko, head of the Rubizhne city military administration, said, “This is about communication between all community leaders, both occupied and de-occupied. The most important purpose of the Academy is to save people and to restore our communities for those people. And for the Rubizhan community it’s important to participate in the Community Recovery Academy.”