Odesa, 8 September 2021 – The second annual conference of the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme was held on 8-9 September in Odesa.

The purpose of the conference was to present the results of the implementation of projects to restore social infrastructure, and present awards to the best of them in the following categories:

Advanced hospital

Overhaul of the building and landscaping of the territory of the Left Bank Centre for Social Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities (20a Meotydy Blvd., Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast)

The total cost of the work performed was UAH 31.9 million.

Repair works were performed using energy-efficient technologies to insulate external walls, the bases of walls, and foundations, replacing doors and windows, reconstructing and insulating the roof, reconstructing internal engineering networks, and so on.

Innovative school

Overhaul of comprehensive school No. 15 (primary, secondary and high school)

(54 Gryzodubova St., Melitopol, Zaporizhia Oblast)

The total cost of the work performed was UAH 67.6 million.

Windows and doors replaced with energy-saving ones; roof completely repaired; replacement of engineering networks, electrical networks, water supply and sewerage; replacement of heating and ventilation systems; interior completely renovated, new furniture and equipment purchased. Comfortable learning conditions created for schoolchildren.

Childcare

Reconstruction of the buildings of the Sonechko nursery-kindergarten of the combined type (8 Tsvitna St., Hulyaipole, Hulyaipole District, Zaporizhia Oblast)

The total cost of the work performed was UAH 19.2 million.

Work was carried out with the use of energy-efficient technologies to insulate external walls, partially replace doorways, insulate the bases of walls and foundations, replace the roof with an insulated beamed roof, reconstruct internal engineering networks, replace heating systems, electrical networks, water supply and sewerage systems, ventilation systems and fire alarms. Furniture and other equipment were purchased.

Culture – the basis of traditions

Two winners out of three nominees:

• Overhaul of Railway Workers’ Palace of Culture (61 Chaikovsky St., Melitopol, Zaporizhia Oblast)

The total cost of the work performed was UAH 43.5 million.

Roof, windows and doors replaced and insulated; the domed stage overhauled; internal premises repaired; the building’s internal water supply and drainage networks, electricity supply and lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems reconstructed; finishing work done.

• Overhaul of the Korolenko Central Library (93-b Myru Lane, Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast)

The total cost of the work performed was UAH 6.6 million.

Roofing renovated and thermally insulated, the facade and wall bases thermally insulated, windows and doors replaced, interiors decorated, heating networks, electrical networks, water supply and sewerage systems renovated, ventilation and fire-fighting equipment installed, and so on.

Today, the library has become a modern hub and co-working space for urban youth.

Provision of housing

Reconstruction of non-residential building into housing for internally displaced persons and setting up sports and children's playgrounds. (4 Abaya St., Bilenke township, Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast)

The total cost of the work performed was UAH 24.6 million.

Facades renovated, walls and partitions installed, monolithic reinforced concrete floors, metal supporting beams, roofing, windows, doors, stairs, interior finishing work, exterior decoration, heating system, ventilation, water supply, sewerage, landscaping, interior renovation, plumbing equipment and furniture.

The premises have been effectively reconstructed into a new residential building with 23 apartments, fully equipped for living.

The infrastructure repairs were carried out as part of  the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme of the European Investment Bank (EIB). The programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development of Ukraine together with local governments, with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine.

The conference was attended by representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, the European Investment Bank, the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development of Ukraine, Transtec, and UNDP in Ukraine, as well as representatives from communities in the programme’s target areas from all over Ukraine.

The agenda of the conference also included a presentation of the results of the annual sociological study of the impact of the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme by the InfoSapiens research agency, and exchanges of experience in implementing projects by final beneficiaries, representatives of local governments, NGOs and IDPs, and presentations by experts from the UNDP Technical Support Group on the technical and financial aspects of the programme, as well as the application of anti-corruption practices and social management tools in the implementation of subprojects.

Background

About the EIB:

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union. It is owned by EU member states. The bank provides access to long-term financing for prudent investments to implement European Union policies.

About the EIB in Ukraine:

The European Investment Bank has been operating  in Ukraine  since 2007. Ukraine is the main recipient country for EIB investment among the Eastern Partnership countries, accounting for more than 60 percent of EIB lending in the region. The Bank focuses on the areas of social and economic infrastructure, transport and communications, local private sector development, energy efficiency, innovation and climate change. Today, the EIB is one of the largest investors in Ukraine, with a portfolio of loans and guarantees totalling more than EUR 7 billion.

About the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme (UERP):

The Ukraine Early Recovery Programme is being implemented in accordance with a financing agreement between Ukraine and the European Investment Bank. Through the programme, the EIB has provided EUR 200 million in multi-sectoral framework loans to local authorities to rehabilitate important utilities and transport infrastructure, and to improve living conditions for internally displaced persons and their host communities in nine oblasts of Ukraine: the Ukrainian government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Poltava, Odesa, Kherson, and Kyiv oblasts.

About UNDP in Ukraine:

The  United Nations Development Programme  (UNDP) partners with governments, businesses, and communities to promote the development of countries, enhancing their resilience to crises, and supporting economic growth to improve the quality of each person’s life. In Ukraine, UNDP’s work focuses on three programme areas: inclusive development, recovery and peacebuilding; democratic governance; and energy and environmental protection. Today, Ukraine has one of the largest UNDP programmes in Europe.