Dace Melbārde from the Chernihiv region, “Every restored centimetre is part of the victory of Ukraine”

“We believe in Ukraine's victory, and every restored centimetre is part of Ukraine's victory. The start of the new school year is almost here. It is a great pleasure that children in Chernihiv will be able to resume their schooling in renovated and insulated buildings,” said Dace Melbārde, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the opening of three educational institutions in the Chernihiv Region.

The buildings suffered severely from Russian attacks already in the first days of the war. In 2023, the Latvian government allocated EUR 2 million for the reconstruction of these and two other social infrastructure facilities to be carried out by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Dace Melbārde is on a working visit to Ukraine on 21 and 22 August 2024.

The opening of the reconstructed facilities was attended by the Ambassador of Latvia to Ukraine, Ilgvars Kļava, the Acting Minister of Infrastructure, Vasyl Shkurakov, the Governor of the Military Administration of the Chernihiv Region, Vyacheslav Chaus, representatives of the Village Councils of Talalaivka, Kyinka and Novija Bilousa, representatives of the UNDP, as well as a representative from Latvia’s Central Finance and Contracting Agency.

Chernihiv is one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine, and the Chernihiv Region borders both Russia and Belarus. On 4 April 2022, Chernihiv Region was abandoned by the Russian army after occupation. The City of Chernihiv was under siege and constantly subjected to rocket and artillery attacks.

Three reconstructed social infrastructure projects opened today, on 22 August 2024:

• The Talalaivka Lyceum of the Talalaivka Village Council has had its facade restored and insulated, as well as an overhaul of the building's canteen. The damage to the school building came from waves and shrapnel of various explosions. The lyceum consists of two buildings. It is the only 11-grade school in the parish with 6 villages. Children of the City of Nizhyn are also studying at the lyceum.
• Kyinka Village Preschool "Malyatko" has a renovated and insulated facade, windows have been installed and the roof replaced, as well as the interior of the building has been renovated. This is the only preschool in the parish with 6 villages. A Russian projectile had fallen on the playground a couple of metres from the building.
• The Staryi Bilous Lyceum of the Novya Bilous Village Council has had its roof replaced and water systems improved. A projectile had hit the school grounds; some shrapnel had also damaged the wall of the main building.

In cooperation with representatives of the UNDP, in addition to the three renovated educational institutions, two more facilities are planned to be completely renovated by the end of this year – the catering block of the Chernihiv Regional Children's Hospital and the 19th Preschool Educational Institution of the City of Chernihiv.

All five reconstruction sites were selected by the administration of the Chernihiv Region, assessing the critical needs of the region. Reconstruction work is carried out in accordance with EU standards, which is essential in the process of Ukraine's integration into the EU.

The purpose of the working visit is to discuss Ukraine's future needs and priorities in person with government and other representatives.

"During my visit with Vyacheslav Nepop, the Deputy Mayor of Kyiv, I visited residential houses bombed with drones and missiles on 8 July this year as a result of Russian attacks – the scenes and the stories of the local population are scary, and this is only a small part of everything that has been destroyed since the beginning of the war. Each renovated site is a great support for the local population and a contribution to the economy and growth of Ukraine. As a priority, it is necessary to reconstruct social infrastructure facilities so that the local population can support their basic needs – to provide schooling and medical care," says Dace Melbārde.

She also stresses that "the reconstruction of Ukraine is also a fight against Russia's war of aggression, so Latvia also helps to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainians themselves to rebuild their country, including by providing support for regional planning and management of reconstruction processes".

The Latvian government agreed on Chernihiv as Latvia's priority reconstruction region already in September 2022. Close cooperation (economic relations, town twinning, bilateral visits) had already been established before the war. In parallel with the reconstruction, Latvia also supports the region’s administration in strengthening capacity and euro-integration, in which municipalities will play an important role. The priorities for the reconstruction in the Chernihiv Region are social infrastructure and housing, rehabilitation and psychological support, as well as integration into the EU.

The Parliamentary Secretary also visited the women's support centre in Chernihiv, whose establishment has been supported by Latvia. In cooperation with MARTA Centre, Latvia has been taking care of the rehabilitation and provision of psycho-emotional support for women and children of the Chernihiv Region for the second year. For this project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated funding of EUR 400 000 for the second year.

During her working visit, Dace Melbārde met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, and with the Administration of the President of Ukraine, with whom she discussed issues related to reconstruction and development. With representatives of the Office of the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Secretary discussed EU integration support programmes and plans, and also she met with the Governor of the Chernihiv Region.

On the Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNDP

The cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNDP on the reconstruction of social infrastructure projects in the Chernihiv Region was concluded on 7 September 2023. It is part of Latvia's total support for the reconstruction of the Chernihiv Region, for which EUR 5.1 million was allocated in the state budget in 2023.

Reconstruction of Ukraine: funding granted by Latvia and achievements so far

The first Latvian project for the reconstruction of the Chernihiv Region was implemented in autumn 2022 in cooperation with "Entrepreneurs for Peace". As part of the project, a social enterprise has had its windows and doors installed, and building materials have been delivered for the renovation of seven dwellings in the Village of Yahidne.

In 2023, Latvia launched structured support for the reconstruction of Ukraine, for which the government allocated EUR 5.1 million – EUR 3.1 million for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EUR 2 million for the Ministry of Economics.

1. "Entrepreneurs for Peace" in cooperation with the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine continued to rebuild the Village of Yahidne.
2. The MARTA Centre in cooperation with partners in Ukraine implemented projects for the establishment of rehabilitation centres for women in the City and Region of Chernihiv.
3. The Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development supported the planning and supervision of the reconstruction of the Chernihiv Region.
4. To support the reconstruction of Ukraine a Latvian expert was seconded to the European Commission.
5. The Ministry of Economics supplied the Chernihiv Region with modular houses, furniture and equipment of children's playgrounds for pre-school educational institutions, as well as generators for ensuring the continuity of the activities of educational institutions.

In 2024, EUR 3 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With this funding and in cooperation with "Entrepreneurs for Peace" and "Your Friends" organisation, Latvia is renovating health and educational facilities in the Chernihiv Region and concluding the construction and improvement of houses in the Village of Yahidne. MARTA Centre, on the other hand, ensures the operation of the women's support centre in Chernihiv, reconstructed in 2023, and carries out improvements of their territory. Work is ongoing on planning the reconstruction of the Chernihiv Region, on building the professional capacity of the region’s experts, especially on issues related to EU accession. For the first time, project implementation takes place through the new Latvian Development Cooperation Agency – CFLA. The CFLA will also provide an independent assessment of the execution of construction works at these reconstruction sites.

Information about the reconstruction of Ukraine

Bilateral development cooperation with Ukraine

In 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports 13 grant projects for the total amount of about EUR 650 000. This is done within the framework of bilateral development cooperation with Ukraine and it forms about a third of the entire bilateral development cooperation budget of the Ministry.

Main areas of support: promoting the competitiveness of agriculture and business, management of EU financial resources, financial audits and their quality control at the national supreme audit institution, psychological and practical support for victims of war crimes, including treatment and rehabilitation of the wounded, assistance to women and girls who are victims of sexual violence, documentation of evidence of war crimes, strengthening of the rehabilitation system of Ukraine, human rights, as well as training for young professionals. 

Latvian state and public support for Ukraine

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, state and public support for Ukraine is around 1% of GDP, or about EUR 770 million (as of June 2024).

At the end of 2024, the support provided by Latvia to Ukraine is expected to reach EUR 850 million.

Latvia’s aid to Ukraine (June 2024)

The Ukraine Facility

Significant support for the reconstruction of Ukraine and the EU integration process is the EU’s Ukraine Facility – EUR 50 billion of EU funding, which includes direct payments to the Ukrainian government, support for attracting investments and business development in Ukraine, and technical support. The funding available through the Ukraine Facility is one of the ways for promoting opportunities for companies to engage in the reconstruction of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continuously invites Latvian entrepreneurs to take advantage of opportunities and engage in development cooperation projects for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine: coordinationplatformukraine.com

Parliamentary cooperation

Members of parliament in both countries have established groups for cooperation with the other country’s parliament. On the Latvian side, the parliament’s largest such cooperation group consists of 33 members. On 10 July 2023, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, visited Latvia.

Cover photo: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)