US State Department and Marshall Fund partner to restore cities in Ukraine
The US State Department and the Marshall Fund establish a partnership for the restoration of cities in Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
On Wednesday, March 6, the US State Department, in conjunction with the German Marshall Fund, announced the establishment of the Ukraine Cities Partnership (UCP) aimed at sustainable infrastructure restoration. This new public-private partnership will assist Ukrainians in redesigning and rebuilding resilient, inclusive, and strong cities, according to the official website of the US State Department.
They plan to involve key stakeholders, technical experts, and funding partners in the UCP effort, capitalizing on the energy and ingenuity of businesses and the private sector, universities, non-governmental organizations, and foundations.
Serving as the UCP Secretariat, GMF will forge new transatlantic partnerships, programs, and alliances between European and American entities to aid the recovery and redevelopment of up to three Ukrainian cities. In the process, UCP will help empower a new generation of Ukrainian city officials, urban planners, architects, engineers, and construction teams to build back better using sustainable methods.
Additionally, the German Foundation will collaborate with the Ukrainian government, the EU and its member states, multilateral development banks, and bilateral donors to help Ukrainian cities find resources for recovery. The initiative is expected to be officially presented in June at the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Berlin and will conclude when the cities are ready to begin work.
The number of communities in Ukraine that have started developing comprehensive recovery programs is increasing. These programs are essential for ensuring recovery at the local level. Currently, there are already 151 Ukrainian territorial communities out of 1469 doing so.
To implement them, funding can be obtained not only from the state budget but also through donor assistance and grants. According to the head of the Committee on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning, Olena Shuliak, the number of communities participating in such processes is constantly growing, as local authorities increasingly understand that recovery means not only rebuilding individual buildings and structures but also a systemic approach, new planning, and a complete transformation of settlements.
This year, DTEK (the largest private investor in the energy industry in Ukraine) is also investing 4 billion hryvnias in the restoration of power grids. According to the CEO of DTEK Networks, Oleksandr Fomenko, the system operators continue to take necessary measures to ensure reliable and high-quality electricity supply.
In Kyiv, DTEK plans to reconstruct 4 large high-voltage substations for over 73,000 families in the Sviatoshynskyi, Holosiivskyi, and Solomianskyi districts of the capital.
In the Kyiv region, the company will start construction of a new cable line for backup power supply to 7 substations, which will reduce the duration of outages for over 17,000 families in the Obukhiv region.
In the Odesa region, the reconstruction of three 110 kV high-voltage substations will continue, reducing the risk of accidents for 110,000 clients and 20 socially important facilities.
In Dnipro, the reconstruction of one of the key substations is planned, which will ensure a reliable power supply for over 15,000 families and industrial enterprises in the city, and create a reserve capacity for connecting new clients.
