The Government of Ukraine is committed to rebuilding its infrastructure with a focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and pursuing a resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery.  

However, the reconstruction and recovery needs of Ukraine are enormous and were estimated by the World Bank at about US$411 billion. In this regard, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can be a key mechanism for financing the reconstruction of Ukraine, by mobilising private funds into infrastructure development.  

However, mobilizing infrastructure financing through PPPs is not an easy task, and in the past, PPPs have been fraught with challenges. To ensure that PPPs create value for society and the environment, the UNECE, in 2015, developed a ‘PPPs for the SDGs’ approach, which puts people’s interest at the core of infrastructure projects. In 2021, UNECE also launched the PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS), which provides a platform for scoring infrastructure projects against the SDGs by using a set of specially designed criteria and indicators. PIERS helps policy makers to identify and prioritise infrastructure projects that are aligned with the SDGs, and to showcase their environmental and social impact.  

UNECE recently organized an online training seminar for public sector PPP experts in Ukraine, entitled “Practical tools for aligning PPP and infrastructure projects in the post-war recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine with the SDGs”. This event was co-organized with the PPP Agency of Ukraine, and was attended by more than 30 participants from various ministries, agencies and local authorities involved in PPPs and infrastructure development in Ukraine. The objective of the seminar was to familiarize public officials in Ukraine with the practical implementation of the UNECE ‘PPP for the SDGs’ approach and the PIERS methodology, and to discuss the evaluation of pilot reconstruction projects in Ukraine carried out in 2023 by UNECE using the PIERS methodology.  

“Ukraine has made mandatory the alignment of its PPP and infrastructure projects with the SDGs, and I thank UNECE for its valuable guidance and assistance in this regard. Building Back Better is critical for Ukraine and the UNECE PIERS methodology is a useful tool for assessing the impact and potential of our infrastructure projects, and for attracting the interest and confidence of investors in our post-war reconstruction efforts”, said Mr. Niko Gachechiladze, Director of the PPP Agency of Ukraine, in his opening remarks.  

The seminar concluded with a summary of the main findings and recommendations, and an outline of the next steps. In line with the decision by the Government of Ukraine to fast-track PPP and infrastructure projects in the reconstruction phase, UNECE will continue to support Ukraine in applying the PIERS methodology in developing and implementing reconstruction projects that are aligned with the SDGs. UNECE will also facilitate the dissemination and promotion of the PIERS methodology and the projects evaluated in Ukraine using the PIERS methodology among the international PPP community, and in particular at the 8th UNECE International PPP Forum, which will be held on 8 to 10 May 2024 in Istanbul, Türkiye.