A working meeting was held between the Ministry of Development and representatives of the World Bank, attended by First Deputy Minister Alona Shkrum and Deputy Minister Maryna Denysiuk. During the meeting, the parties discussed support for frontline regions and the comprehensive restoration of destroyed settlements.
The program to support frontline regions provides comprehensive assistance to community residents aimed at increasing their resilience. This includes, in particular, the construction of shelters, affordable housing through preferential mortgage programs and compensation for the restoration of damaged property, subsidies for utilities and direct payments, expanded access to quality medical services, and incentives for job creation and entrepreneurship development.
“The program to support frontline regions helps preserve human capital and economic potential. Every hryvnia invested in the construction of safe shelters, compensation for housing, or grants for small businesses has a double effect: it restores the livelihoods of citizens and supports the economy,” Alona Shkrum emphasized.
In order to properly and effectively plan needs and investments, particularly in frontline regions, it is necessary to update the RDNA. The parties discussed the need to take into account the principle of public investment management and the principle of comprehensive recovery, which is currently being implemented in the reconstruction of settlements destroyed as a result of hostilities.
Unlike project-based recovery, comprehensive recovery covers several areas at once — housing, infrastructure, and utilities are being restored, and comfortable and accessible spaces are being created with barrier-free access and energy efficiency in mind. This is reconstruction based on the “Build Back Better” principle, i.e., better than it was before.
“The comprehensive reconstruction of Borodianka and other settlements, which is currently being implemented, allows us to assess the potential for scaling this program to the whole country. We are counting on expert support from the World Bank, which will allow us to properly validate the need for financing this component and effectively communicate it to the international community,” said Marina Denisyuk.
