International experts come together to support Ukraine's recovery. The Community Recovery Academy is helping cities like Mariupol bounce back from destruction.
 |
| Building a better future for Ukraine's communities. Ukraine's future depends on effective community restoration. Symbolic Image |
Kyiv, Ukraine – September 30, 2024:
Ukraine's new Community Recovery Academy played a pivotal role in last week's "Doing Business in Ukraine 2024 Conference: Building Ukraine's Security through a Modernized Economy" held in Washington, DC. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko, a key figure in the academy's development, spoke at the conference about creating restoration and development strategies for affected communities.
Boichenko, who also chairs the Association of Ukrainian Cities' section for developing de-occupied and temporarily occupied communities, emphasized the importance of equipping municipal managers with the skills to rebuild their communities. "We need to create plans for the restoration of affected communities and teach people to respond to modern challenges," he said. "Therefore, we are using our experience of attracting finances and creating reconstruction projects to train municipal managers to restore their communities. Timely solutions are our opportunity to live and build the future."
The conference, organized by The Center for Strategic & International Studies, brought together Ukrainian leaders from both the private sector and municipal administrations, alongside representatives from multinational corporations, the Biden Administration, and the
The Community Recovery Academy is based on Mariupol Reborn's experience of planning the city's regeneration, utilizing international expertise in post-war reconstruction. The academy's primary objective is to exchange expert knowledge and implement best practices to restore Ukrainian cities impacted by Russia's aggression.
At the conference, the delegation from the Association of Ukrainian Cities discussed deepening cooperation between Ukrainian and American communities. They also addressed the need for greater transparency in financing recovery processes, given Ukraine's efforts to attract funding and the world community's response.
The Community Recovery Academy is supported by the UK government, the International Republican Institute (IRI UKRAINE), Rinat Akhmetov's Metinvest Group, and SCM. The National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and the Metinvest Polytechnic serve as educational partners.
Mariupol Reborn developed Ukraine's first comprehensive city-wide post-war reconstruction plan. International experts in various fields, including urban planning, architecture, and desovietization, contributed to the plan, addressing key questions such as the focus of post-war Mariupol, encouraging people to return, and rebuilding the city in a financially and environmentally sustainable manner. The expertise gained through this process has informed the Community Recovery Academy's professional program, which will train municipal teams from across Ukraine.
Ukrainians, particularly young people, have made it clear that creating decent living conditions, including restoring housing and economic potential, is a top priority for any reconstruction plan. This necessitates a comprehensive community restoration process.