Since the start of the hostilities in the east of Ukraine in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022, UNDP has maintained a strong presence on the ground through its network of offices across the country, supporting regional and local authorities as well as resident populations with emergency response and crisis management.

Lessons learned over these years have informed the development of UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2025-2029) and the scaling up of its Area-Based Recovery (ABR) approach, which focuses on supporting recovery and development where decisions are made — at community level — ensuring that local actions are aligned with national standards and priorities, while placing community engagement at the core of all interventions.

Structured around the recovery eco-system of Reconstruction, Returns, Resilience and Reforms, UNDP’s ABR approach involves sequenced and layered interventions, across early recovery, longer-term recovery and development.

Addressing Ukraine’s complex recovery challenges requires a holistic, systems-based response that empowers all parts of society, including government institutions, local authorities, the private sector and citizens.

The ABR approach is an integrated, participatory and inclusive methodology, and is used in the communities most affected by the war. These interventions not only respond to immediate and long-term recovery needs at sub-national level but also generate evidence, lessons learned and data that feed into national policymaking and reform processes.

Using the Area-Based Recovery Approach, local authorities are better positioned to align with the European Union’s regional development agenda and access future financing opportunities from international financial institutions and the EU. These efforts are contributing to rebuilding infrastructure, fostering inclusive economic growth, reducing regional disparities and advancing Ukraine’s path toward EU integration.

In this context, UNDP is implementing a multi-donor initiative financed by the governments of Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Switzerland, aimed at advancing integrated recovery and resilience in war-affected regions. These projects build on the Area-Based Recovery approach, and focus on strengthening local governance, restoring essential services and enabling inclusive socio-economic recovery through coordinated, community-driven interventions.

These three development partners — together with the flagship EU4Recovery partnership between the European Union and UNDP — are contributing to a common results framework, ensuring coherence, complementarity and a unified strategic direction across interventions.

The broader portfolio also encompasses a key partnership with Denmark, which provides targeted support in Mykolaiv Oblast, complementing the wider geographic scope of the programme. Since 2019, Canada has been contributing targeted support to service delivery in war-affected communities, ensuring continuity and institutional memory in recovery programming. Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea supports key infrastructure-focused interventions, addressing critical reconstruction needs and enhancing the resilience of key public assets.

Together, this multi-partner collaboration reflects a strong commitment to a coordinated, area-based approach to recovery, maximizing impact on the ground while reinforcing national systems, supporting Ukraine’s reform agenda and advancing the country’s path toward European integration.