A place called home - Recovery that lasts

The session aims to examine the underlying mechanisms and drivers in the provision of adequate housing as an element of recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine. With at least 13% of the total housing stock being damaged or destroyed (RDNA4), affecting more than 2.5 million households, calls for effective instruments and frameworks for a targeted and sustainable recovery and reconstruction.
Integrated approaches to spatial recovery planning offer possibilities to harness synergies in recovery efforts while maximizing social, environmental and economic outcomes that benefit all. Housing provision in Ukraine also implies the provision of relevant infrastructure, services and economic opportunities for transformative impacts in the creation of a place called home.
Integrated recovery planning ideally results in strategies and frameworks that guide the definition of interventions and projects of priority for recovery and reconstruction. Such interventions need to respond to identified needs and be financially viable. The session will examine the conditions for financing, delivery models and other requirements for implementation.
Building a place called home implies local owner- and stewardship, guided by locally anchored strategies and plans for recovery. Ukrainian local governments (Hromadas) are instrumental in ensuring that the voices of communities, stakeholders and Internally Displaced Persons are heard in recovery processes, but also in directing national recovery efforts and initiatives in the local context. A sustainable provision of housing and infrastructure calls for strong horizontal and vertical coordination and clear division of responsibilities among actors and stakeholders from national, regional to local levels. Transparent and accountable systems for multi-level governance enhance recovery processes and in ensuring sustainable outcomes. Scaling up and replicating best practices in recovery efforts can help advance towards a green transition and an adaptation towards EU integration.
As a continuation on the discussions on recovery from WUF 11 and 12, the session will draw from experiences and learnings from recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine to date, including voices from national, regional and local Ukrainian authorities, finance institutions and international organisations.