Ukraine Conference in Lugano: First Steps for Reconstruction

The course for reconstruction was set at the Ukraine conference in Lugano. In a “Lugan Declaration”, more than 40 states and international organizations pledged their support – and agreed on seven principles.

In Lugano, delegates from Ukraine spent two days discussing the reconstruction of their country – a kind of Marshall Plan – with numerous international partners. At the conference, more than 40 states and international organizations declared their support for the reconstruction of Ukraine in a “Lugan Declaration”.

Representatives of Germany, the USA, Great Britain and France, among others, signed the document in the city in Ticino, Switzerland. “Rebuilding a free and democratic Ukraine is our common goal,” said German Development Minister Svenja Schulze. The Lugano Declaration was “an important first step on the long road to Ukraine’s recovery,” said Swiss President Iganzio Cassis, the host country.

Agreement on seven basic principles

In the “Lugano Declaration”, the participants of the conference agree on seven basic principles: It is about the commitment to a democratic process in which the whole of society participates, the involvement of private companies, a green transformation towards a CO2-free one Society, a digitized administration and construction projects free from nepotism and enrichment. “The reconstruction process must be transparent,” it says. “The rule of law must be systematically strengthened and corruption eradicated.”

“Fighting corruption important issue”

“Fighting corruption is a very important issue,” Schulze told the dpa news agency in Lugano. The Ukrainian government wants to do everything to fight corruption.

Despite major reform efforts, Ukraine was ranked 122nd out of 180 in Transparency International’s corruption index before the war. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal said the Ukrainian government had already set up digital platforms for government services to make corruption impossible. This expansion continues. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, who was connected via video, promised “maximum transparency” in all projects.

Schulze: Germany 2024 host of the Ukraine conference

At the conference, the dimensions of the destruction in the war-torn Ukraine became clear to her again, Schulze said: “This is not a project for a year or two.”

After Great Britain next year, Germany wants to host the 2024 reconstruction conference, as Schulze announced. “Every day that Russia continues its hideous war against Ukraine is one day too many,” Schulze said. The world community is united in the goal of “rebuilding a free and democratic Ukraine”.

Ukraine estimates the cost to be at least $750 billion

The Ukrainian government estimates the need for reconstruction at at least 720 billion euros. The 300 to 500 billion dollars in Russian assets that are frozen worldwide should be used for this, Schmyhal demanded: “Russia and other possible aggressors must be aware that they have to pay for groundless and unjustified attacks.”

Selenskyj had previously urged the international community to support the reconstruction. Rebuilding his destroyed country is not the task of a single nation, but the “common task of the entire democratic world”.