Oleksandr Sushko and Inna Pidluska / Jun 2026
Photo: Shutterstock
According to the UN, May in Ukraine saw more civilian casualties than any other month since April 2022. The human toll is immense. But while it fights back on the battlefield, Ukraine is busy preparing for the largest reconstruction effort in modern European history. From building dignified housing for internally displaced people, training legions of veterans’ support specialists, to developing microgrid technology that sustains hospitals during power outages - Ukraine is already planning for a just and sustainable peace even while at war.
This year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference brings together heads of state and government, financial institutions, business leaders, local authorities, and civil society organizations to help mobilise aid, attract investment and rebuild Ukraine’s economy. Co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine in the Polish city of Gdansk, the summit focuses on several crucial aspects of Ukraine’s recovery; long-term financing, war-risk insurance, defence capacity and the EU accession process. But civil society groups are hoping to shine a spotlight on an often-overlooked dimension - rebuilding the country’s human capital.
Civil society organizations are calling on donors and policymakers to place local leadership at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery. The ‘Gdansk Common Message’ is a set of principles and a practical roadmap designed by those with frontline experience - local communities, women’s and environmental groups, disability advocates, veterans’ organizations – who have seen Ukraine’s wartime reality up close. With their lived experience and knowledge, local actors are the key to a thriving postwar Ukraine. Recovery is not only about repairing buildings but strengthening communities and reinforcing institutions that will support Ukraine’s future in Europe and ensuring that reconstruction remains fair, sustainable and locally driven.
Ukrainians are under no illusions that Russia will continue to pose an existential threat long after the war’s end. But security is not only achieved through military prowess. The danger of depopulation and the loss of social capital is profound. To meet the inevitable political and social challenges of the postwar future, Ukraine needs to maintain the robust social fabric that has bound communities throughout the war. Ukraine’s recovery must involve local ownership and participation, alongside large-scale reconstruction projects. The opposite would be a technocratic, top-down process that gives undue power to unaccountable outsiders and leaves the local community resentful of a recovery process that does not belong to them.
People who have suffered the most unimaginable terror and hardship together should have their voices heard and participate on how to adapt and move forward together and build strong defences for the future. This means breaking down existing obstacles. Too often local actors are sidelined and only asked to implement projects after decisions have been made, when they can and should be an equal partner in shaping the process from the planning to the evaluation. Funding has been too rigid and short-term, without corresponding to Ukraine’s reality. Those working to integrate the rights of women, veterans, IDPs and people with disabilities into holistic recovery plans need flexible, multi-year support.
The scale of the mission is daunting. According to the UN, eleven million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. When the war ends, Ukraine will need to reintegrate up to five million veterans and their families and provide them with jobs, housing, and financial support. Not only does this mean coordinating employment assistance, access to services and improving accessibility, but ensuring that employers are incentivised to adapt to veterans’ needs and that veterans have a stake in the country’s direction. Ukraine should harness the potential of the millions of refugees and diaspora communities to stimulate demographic and economic recovery. Donors should ensure that they embed a human-centric, rights-based, holistic approach in their investment decisions.
A successful recovery will address the needs of today while preparing for long-term development and innovation in the future. Veteran reintegration, mental health services and social cohesion projects need multi-year commitments so that communities can build strong bonds and institutional resilience. Those most impacted by the war must not just have a seat at the table but be active co-authors of the country’s renewal. We cannot wait for peace to break out before we supply people with shelter, electricity or water. Neither can we wait to lay the groundwork for the largest reconstruction project since the end of World War Two. Just as in 1945, the scale and sums of money are immense but the cost of failure is unthinkable.
Recovery cannot be delivered by civil society alone, it needs strong state institutions to provide an atmosphere conducive for all stakeholders to work collaboratively. With a strong social contract, and sense of ownership over their future, citizens can be the architects of a new Ukraine. Even today, despite the punishing wartime economic conditions, more than two thirds of Ukrainians donate their time or money to charitable causes. The seeds of Ukraine’s renewal have already been sown long ago. Throughout history, the country has repeatedly stood up against attempts to dismantle democracy. Now our allies need to support us in securing a lasting and sustainable peace for Ukraine and for wider Europe.
