EDF representatives – led by Thorkild Olesen, EDF Executive Committee Member – participated in the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 which was held in Berlin on 11 and 12 June 2024.
This event, co-organised by the governments of Germany and Ukraine, continues the series of high-level meetings aimed at the swift recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression.
The primary goal of the Conference was to mobilise international support for Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, reform, and modernisation. This includes providing emergency assistance for immediate needs, implementing rapid recovery projects, and creating favourable conditions for businesses to unlock private sector investments in Ukraine. It also aimed to engage civil society in the reconstruction process.
It had four thematic dimensions:
- Business Dimension – mobilising the private sector for reconstruction and economic growth
- Human Dimension – social recovery and human capital for the future of Ukraine
- Local and Regional Dimension – recovery of municipalities and regions
- EU Dimension – EU Accession and related reforms
Civil society not heard
Over 3400 participants attended the conference, with one-third representing civil society. Among them were EDF representatives and representatives from Ukrainian organisations of persons with disabilities, such as the National Assembly of People with Disabilities in Ukraine, the League of the Strong, and Fight for Rights.
Unfortunately, the perspective of civil society’s perspectives was not sufficiently included. During their speeches, Ukrainian State and municipal representatives did not mention the contributions of volunteers and NGOs in the recovery and survival processes. Very few representatives of civil society were involved as panellists, and panels on the EU Dimension explicitly prioritised economic growth over respect to fundamental human rights.
The exclusion of human rights and civil society topics was evident in the conference outcomes, which focused predominantly on economic growth, energy system rescue, and investments.
The sole exception was the creation of the Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery for Ukraine, which aims to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment. Our member League of the Strong is a member of this alliance.
Human rights priorities
Similarly, none of the panels directly addressed the rights and interests of people with disabilities. Nevertheless, EDF representatives used the opportunity to emphasise the importance of a disability-inclusive agenda. Thorkild Olesen’s intervention during the panel “Social recovery and human capital for Ukraine’s future” highlighted that: “Persons with disabilities must be included and participate in the recovery phase. That goes for war veterans and civilians harmed by the war, but we must also remember the preexisting disability population of 2.7 million persons who are among the hardest hit by the conflict.”
During this and other panels, EDF representatives consistently raised the question of how to build back better in the reconstruction process. They highlighted the need to increase accessibility, strengthen social services, and improve independent living in the community. These and other issues of the Ukrainian disability movement were brought up by our organisations during a meeting with the UK Minister of State (Europe), Nusrat Ghani.
Remarks from civil society
Daria Sydorenko, Chief Executive of the League of the Strong, said:
Such a conference is a vital advocacy tool for civil society. Unfortunately, this time, compared to the previous conference in London, civil society representation, although broader, became more formal: fewer official speeches, fewer relevant topics in the agenda…
Viktoria Nazarenko, General Secretary of the National Assembly of People with Disabilities in Ukraine, stated:
The voice of people with disabilities must be heard. We will strive to include a platform for discussing the challenges in the field of disability rights at the next conference in Italy in 2025.
More information
Details of the Conference and its main results can be found on the conference website – URC International.