Fri. Sep 13th, 2024

Berlin, 7 June 2024

On 11 and 12 June, Germany and Ukraine are jointly hosting this year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin. More than 2,000 participants from over 60 countries will discuss how to provide even better support for Ukraine’s recovery.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: 

“Every day, Ukrainian men and women defend their country against brutal Russian attacks that target the country’s lifelines. Whether in the trenches and barracks, in Parliament, in the workplace or in football clubs: the courage and resilience shown by the Ukrainian people are impressive. They are rebuilding their country stone by stone despite the constant Russian missile attacks.

Ukraine, with great determination, is also defending our free European way of life. As it does, we continue to provide Ukraine with extensive support: economic, humanitarian, and political assistance, as well as delivering urgently needed weapons. We are pulling out all the stops so that Ukraine can soon take a seat at the table of the European Union. Because, in addition to our military support, that’s the best protection there is. Together with numerous partners from politics, business, civil society and municipalities, we want to use the Ukraine Recovery Conference to do everything we can to support Ukraine on its path of reform and reconstruction. Our joint message is clear: we stand firmly by Ukraine and are supporting it with all our strength – for as long as it needs us. For a Ukraine in peace and freedom, within our European Union.”

German Development Minister Svenja Schulze said: 

“Even during the current times of war, Ukraine needs to continually rebuild houses, water pipelines, hospitals and power grids. Giving up is not an option. People want to keep on living in their country, and to do so they need electricity, water and a roof over their heads.

The Recovery Conference in Berlin sends a strong message of solidarity. Partners from around the world are joining forces to support the recovery of Ukraine. This task is too big to be tackled by governments alone – which is why we are expressly inviting companies, civil society and municipalities to the conference. The conference aims to combine this broad spectrum of activities and channel them in a targeted way towards meeting Ukraine’s short- and long-term recovery needs.”

Further information

By bringing together over 2,000 participants from politics, business, civil society and municipalities, the aim is to facilitate long-term agreements and international initiatives in areas such as business development and training skilled workers. For example, the conference marks the launch of a new initiative for skilled workers, the Skills Alliance for Ukraine, and an alliance for small and medium-sized enterprises. Numerous other cooperation agreements are expected to be signed.

The private sector plays a particularly important role in the recovery process. Over 600 representatives from Ukrainian, German and international companies in sectors such as energy, healthcare, logistics and arms, alongside representatives from municipalities and civil society, will present their work during the event as part of the Recovery Forum. For the first time, the Ukraine Recovery Conference will put an emphasis on social and societal recovery – addressing areas such as education, health and participation – and on the recovery of municipalities and regions. As co-host, Germany is thus introducing a new focus. To ensure Ukraine’s swift accession to theEU, emphasis is also being put on the necessary reforms in Ukraine. In around 30 panels, the participants will explore this wide range of topics under the heading “United in Defence. United in Recovery. Stronger Together.”

The Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin is the third Recovery Conference to take place since Russia began its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022. In July 2022 in Lugano, conference participants agreed on the guiding principles for Ukraine’s recovery. These principles state that the recovery process should be reform-focused, transparent, democratic and sustainable. The Ukraine Recovery Conference in London in 2023 focused on mobilising the private sector. In 2025, Italy will organise the conference together with Ukraine. The more than 2,000 conference participants are composed of roughly equal parts of three groups: governments and international organisations, business and civil society, and municipalities and regions. The conference is jointly organised by Germany and Ukraine.

The conference can be followed online here:www.urc-international.com.

Source – Joint press release of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Foreign Office

 


On June 10, 2024, Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey R. Pyatt will travel to Berlin, Germany for the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC). On June 12, he will travel to Luanda, Angola for the third U.S.-Angola Energy Security Dialogue (ESD), a deliverable from President Biden’s meeting with Angolan President Lourenco in the Oval Office last year.

In Berlin, Assistant Secretary Pyatt will join Under Secretary Jose W. Fernandez on the U.S. delegation led by Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker. He will convene, with URC hosts, a G7+ Ukraine energy coordination group meeting and hold bilateral discussions with private sector and government partners focused on marshalling emergency assistance for Ukraine’s energy sector following Russia’s escalation of attacks beginning March 22. Alongside Ukrainian and other international partners, Assistant Secretary Pyatt will also join a panel on Ukraine’s new national energy and climate plan and support American companies looking to develop Ukraine opportunities.

On June 13, Assistant Secretary Pyatt will travel to Luanda and open the ESD with Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Angola Diamantino Pedro Azevedo and Minister for Energy and Water João Baptista Borges, the heads of the Angolan delegation. Their conversations will cover Angola’s energy security, energy transition, and decarbonization goals, including critical minerals, and supporting Angola’s ambitions for increased energy access and power generation.

This dialogue reflects the United States’ and Angola’s deep historical cooperation on energy issues, bolstered by $900 million in U.S. clean energy investment finalized at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas, and builds on high-level travel to Angola by Secretary Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma, and EXIM Chair Reta Jo Lewis.

Source – U.S. State Department

 


Johan Forssell takes part in Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin

On 10–11 June, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell will travel to Berlin to take part in the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference together with Business Sweden’s CEO Jan Larsson and Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) Jakob Granit. This year’s conference will focus in particular on the important role of the private sector in reconstruction, the importance of international cooperation and the human dimension. During his visit to Berlin, Mr Forssell will also meet with the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze. He will also visit the German Vattenfall office.

“I am proud to present Sweden’s strong support for Ukraine’s reconstruction at this year’s conference. In light of Russia’s latest escalation, it is of utmost importance that the international community come together to show its joint support for Ukraine. We must continue to collaborate internationally and make it easier for private companies that wish to support Ukraine’s resilience,” says Mr Forssell.

On Monday, Mr Forssell will have a bilateral meeting with Ms Schulze. He will also take part in a lunch together with representatives of Swedish and German industry and business, where the topic of long-term European competitiveness will be addressed. He will also visit the German Vattenfall office.

During the Conference, Sweden will take part in several meetings with other donors on various topics, such as human capital and sustainable regional cooperation. More than 1 500 participants in total are expected to participate: politicians, diplomats, UN bodies, banks, international financial institutions, civil society organisations and companies.

In addition, Sweden is part of the G7+ Ukraine Coordination Group and the Clean Energy Partnership for Ukraine. Volvo Group and Scania Ukraine are among the Swedish companies invited to take part in the business fair.

The tenth meeting of the international donor coordination platform for Ukraine is also being held in conjunction with the Conference. The main event will be a ministerial meeting with international high-level participants on 11 June hosted by the donor coordination platform.

Source – View the full press release on government.se

 

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