As the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2022 in Lugano concludes, WWF-Ukraine and the Centre for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction” are concerned about the lack of a cohesive plan for implementing solutions that could make Ukraine a leader in sustainability as it begins its recovery from the war.
While the concepts of “building back better” and “green recovery” were touched upon by nearly every leader who took the floor at the conference, which Ukraine hosted jointly with Switzerland on 4-5 July, there was little presented in terms of concrete plans for achieving these aims. The critical importance of restoring a healthy natural environment for the people of Ukraine was not mentioned at all.
Bohdan Vykhor, CEO of WWF-Ukraine, said: “While we applaud the Ukrainian Ministry of Environment for planning investments in new protected areas and wildlife bridges, we were disappointed to see no mention at this week’s conference of the importance of avoiding any negative impact of development projects on nature. For a successful post-war recovery, governments will need to work closely with local civil society to design interventions that allow nature to serve as a cornerstone for peace and sustainability for all Ukrainians. Right now we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make Ukraine a global leader in sustainability and show the world how nature can help speed up recovery from the war and improve lives and livelihoods. Nature provides us with a range of critical ecosystem services that the well-being of Ukrainian citizens depends on – from the provision of clean water and air to the prevention of soil erosion and water resources of agricultural lands. These aspects of sustainability have to be mainstreamed in Ukraine´s recovery plan. It is also critically important that the plan includes a full range of impact assessments, so we can assess the economic, social, and environmental effects of public policy.”
Natalia Kozak, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”, said: “Together with many other organizations we had a chance to propose our ideas for the National Reconstruction Plan. And even though the process was rather inclusive, we see that the Ukrainian government perceives “environmental recovery” as a way to promote the expansion of the nuclear sector and fossil fuel projects (such as gas exports), with an additional focus on hydrogen and bioenergy without saying what it’s made of. We can’t afford to continue our dependency on unsustainable energy solutions. Instead, we should be thinking in the longer term, making sure that Ukraine develops as a modern economy based on sustainable renewables and energy efficiency.”
WWF-Ukraine and Ecoaction saw conference speakers highlight the importance of good governance, which entails adequate public participation, transparency, accountability, and conditionality principles. This is what more than 50 Ukrainian NGOs called for previously in the green reconstruction principles.
Both NGOs call on decision-makers and donors investing in Ukraine’s recovery to include civil society throughout the development of recovery plans.