On 6 March, the US Department of State and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) revealed the establishment of the Ukraine Cities Partnership (UCP) for Sustainable Urban Recovery. This public-private partnership aims to assist Ukraine in redesigning and reconstructing its cities amid Russia’s war.
As of fall 2023, Russian troops destroyed nearly 150,000 houses and 19,000 residential buildings, over 500 education facilities, and over 860 cultural heritage objects, according to Slovo i Dilo. Some cities in eastern Ukraine have been completely destroyed in combat actions.
With the creation of the partnership, the US State Department and the GMF plan to bring key stakeholders, technical experts, and funding partners to the projects for the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities.
“Serving as the UCP Secretariat, GMF will forge new transatlantic partnerships, programs, and alliances between European and American entities in order to aid the recovery and redevelopment of up to three Ukrainian cities,” said the US State Department in a statement.
In addition, the UCP will coordinate with the Ukrainian government, the European Union, development banks, and bilateral donors to help the beneficiary cities find the funds they need for the reconstruction.
The three-year partnership will be formally launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin in June 2024.
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