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“You can only rebuild a city in close collaboration with the local authorities”

On 5 June 2023, the conference “What reconstruction for Ukraine? What has been lost and achieved in one year?” was organized by the Geneva Cities Hub and the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) with the participation of the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv as main concerned parties and stakeholders.

When war-thorn Ukrainian cities are destroyed, infrastructure is broken, and the energy crisis is acute, some of their needs require immediate action, so that the population can continue to live and have minimal adequate living conditions. But beyond these immediate problems, when cities need to be rebuilt from the ground up, they should be built back better. Experiences of and norms by the European Union can already be taken into account in the planning process. In order to adapt to a human-centric environment, the UN Sustainable Development Goals can serve as guiding principles.

Many questions related to urban issues, but through humanitarian and human security angles thus came into the discussion.  The read-thread discussion during the conference was the following:  currently, local governments have the double task to deliver solutions for the daily survival of the residents – water, electricity, heating, etc – and to offer a vision for the future through planning the post-war reconstruction. Speakers compared the situation to the preparatory works for reconstruction in London during WWII. By building a bridge from immediately needed humanitarian intervention to a future-conscious, long-term development program, the international community can not only help the local communities but demonstrates hope for a prosperous future. It is also a way of translating and adapting the UN concept of ‘building back better’ to tangible reality on the ground.

While in peacetime Ukraine’s urban challenges have been less heat-efficient buildings, insufficient waste recycling mechanisms, or lack of green spaces, the war has shifted the focus to de-escalation, testing the limits of peacebuilding, reconstruction, and development approaches. The conference gathered renowned speakers to develop the different aspects of this challenging situation.

In Ukraine, a middle-income country, crisis response at the local level requires specific approaches in damage assessment, temporary housing, maintaining public services and preserving the social fabric. The footprint of development projects should be there at every humanitarian assistance step. Local needs, national planning and international assistance should be aligned as much as possible.

The UN4Kharkiv and UN4Mykolaiv projects coordinated by the UNECE served as the prime examples of this new approach. They prove that with a coordinated multi-stakeholder collaboration, the United Nations system is best suited to provide tangible assistance to local and regional governments and generate real impact on the ground. The UN4Kharkiv and UN4Mykolaiv Task Forces comprise more than sixteen UN agencies and international organizations. They offer joint responses and assistance from the international community to launch a future-oriented, human-centric development. They support the national and local governments in their efforts to plan a staged urban recovery following a participatory approach that links emergency and long-term strategic objectives.

It was also underlined that new emerging threats have shifted to become more prominent at local level: from climate adaptation and digital technologies to the ability of healthcare systems to tackle pandemics. Addressing these threats require policy makers to consider protection, empowerment, and solidarity alongside one another so that human security and human development work together and not despite each other. The population is traumatized, and it should be a long-term commitment from the international community to assist the treatment of this exceptional post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Speakers emphasized the need to ensure inclusive development of the cities and greater involvement of local communities in the management process, creating sustainable economic opportunities and increased social engagement:

  • Recovery requires long-term vision and the need to guide investment in a planned and coordinated way. Leveraging risks for businesses and other private sector actors should be considered and creating a conducive environment for businesses was also pointed out. An investment tracker is to be developed to avoid duplications and maximize synergies.
  • Repairing infrastructure and re-establishing institutions is necessary but not sufficient. Soft-projects are also important to avoid – or minimize – capacity gaps. Capacity-building is key for the people, especially the youth, to stay or return. Collaboration with the young generation can help foresee the future they want. Strengthening the civil society can help re-sewing the social fabric.

As rightly put during the panel discussion: “You can only rebuild a city in close collaboration with the local authorities.” Therefore, more room for cities in international cooperation and targeted foreign direct investment was argued for. The UN4Kharkiv and UN4Mykolaiv projects are two examples of how the relevant UN entities can help member states through cooperation with local and regional governments on concrete development projects. Collaboration among international stakeholders is ongoing and needs to be strengthened to maximize the effectiveness of their assistance on the ground. The GCH will remain seize with the issue and continue to support UNECE and cities in their endeavor.

The Cities Hub thanks the distinguished speakers of the conference for their valuable contribution:

  • H.E. Mr. Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, Permanent Representative of Denmark
  • Ms. Anna Brach, Head of Human Security, GCSP
  • Ms. Olga Demianenko, Mayor’s Office of Kharkiv
  • Mr. Alexander Mundt, Senior Policy Advisor, UNHCR
  • Ms. Christina Orisich, Deputy Director, GCSP
  • Ms. Gulnara Roll, Secretary of CUDHLUM, UNECE
  • Mr. Lukasz Rosycki, Deputy Permanent Representative of Poland
  • Ms. Maud Roure, Deputy Director, Kofi Annan Foundation
  • Mr. Oleksandr Senkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv
  • Ms. Alevtyna Serdiuk, Bern University of Applied Sciences
  • Ms. Agi Veres, Director, UNDP Geneva Office
  • Moderated by Mr. Eden Cole, Executive Fellow, GCSP
  • Mr. Andras Szorenyi, Senior policy Advisor, GCH
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