On 11-12 June 2024, representatives of the Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners took part in the Ukrainian Recovery Conference 2024, an annual high-level international event on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which took place this year in Berlin. The event was attended by Natalia Bezkhlibna, Head of the Secretariat of UCoDP and Alyona Gorova, Head of the Board of the Institute for Peace and Common Ground.
The key goal of the URC 2024 is to consolidate sustainable international support for the restoration, reconstruction, reform and modernisation of Ukraine.
The URC 2024 focuses on four thematic dimensions: the business dimension - engaging the private sector for recovery and economic growth; the human dimension - social recovery and human capital for Ukraine's future; the local and regional dimension - rebuilding communities and regions; and European integration and related reforms.
The human dimension was seen as key to recovery, including the mobilisation of human capital for reconstruction and social cohesion and inclusiveness to unlock the potential of all citizens in Ukraine and abroad. The task of recovery in this dimension is to ensure that Ukraine is a country worth living in for all: promoting education, healthcare and the provision of social services and infrastructure, as well as advancing mine action and the integration of veterans, internally displaced people and returnees.
The Community looks at the human dimension through the lens of social cohesion: this is the focus of UCoDP's activities after the full-scale invasion. Nataliia notes that social cohesion should be one of the mainstays of the civil society agenda in the coming years.
One of the conclusions of the URC 2024 in Berlin is the need for the organisers to pay sustained attention to civil society representatives and involve them in the main programme. The invitation of Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners was another confirmation of the importance of the topic of social cohesion for recovery.
Participation in conferences of this level gives the Community access to first-hand information, the opportunity to use it in its activities and to be heard by foreign and domestic colleagues.
The increased focus on human capital development is not a fad, it is one of the core focuses that will guarantee stability and, in the future, sustainable peace for Ukraine.
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