How the need for a people-centred reconstruction approach translates into concrete projects in Ukraine

Local communities face devastating situations caused by conflicts and disasters. Wars fracture relationships within and between communities and undermine social cohesion. They reconfigure the political economy and exacerbate challenges. Building a bridge from immediate humanitarian interventions to people-centred development programmes that build back better is key.

The workshop aims to introduce the UN4Kharkiv and UN4Mykolaiv projects, in presence of the Mayors of these two cities. These projects coordinated by UNECE serve as prime examples of a potential new approach. They prove that with a multistakeholder collaboration, the UN system is best suited to provide assistance and generate real impact on the ground.

Speakers will debate how the international system can most efficiently assist in rebuilding cities, in collaboration with local and regional governments. The workshop will enlighten the different aspects of this complex exercise from inter-agency cooperation to SDG localization, from human security to development projects. The recommendations of the workshop will be published in a policy paper.

Programme

14:30 - 15:00 Opening speeches by GCH, GCSP, UNECE and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine

• Andras Szorenyi, Senior Policy Advisor, GCH
• Christina Orisich, Deputy Director, GCSP
• Paola Deda, Director, UNECE

15:00 - 15:50 Panel discussion on UN4Mykolaiv and UN4Kharkiv

• H.E. Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, Permanent Representative of Denmark
• Oleksandr Senkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv
• Olga Damianenko, Mayor’s Office of Kharkiv
• Anna Brach, Head of Human Security, GCSP
• Gulnara Roll, Secretary of CUDHLM, UNECE
• Moderated by Andras Szorenyi, Senior Policy Advisor, GCH

15:50 - 16:10 Coffee break

16:10 - 17:00 Panel discussion on the engagement of the international community

• H.E. Zbigniew Czech, Permanent Representative of Poland
• Agi Veres, Director, UNDP Geneva Office
• Maud Roure, Deputy Director, Kofi Annan Foundation
• Alexander Mundt, Senior Policy Advisor, Regional Bureau for Europe, UNHCR
• Alevtyna Serdiuk, CAS Rebuild Ukraine Program
• Moderated by Eden Cole, Executive Fellow, GCSP

17:00 - 18:00 Networking