Starting in 2022, the Agency for Restoration together with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine and with the support of JICA will implement a number of grant-funded projects in Ukraine. The projects are being implemented with the support of the Japanese government and cover critical sectors. The most important of these are energy, transport, health care, education, water supply, humanitarian demining, the agricultural sector and municipal infrastructure. The total amount of grant assistance coordinated by JICA exceeds $700 million.
Four sets of modular temporary bridge structures have already been purchased for the rapid restoration of transport links and will be installed shortly. Specialists have undergone appropriate training in the installation and operation of such structures. In addition, JICA has provided vehicles and surveying equipment to assess the condition of the road surface. Twenty-two vehicles have already been transferred to regional services for restoration to form transport laboratories and survey roads.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the further implementation of joint projects and plans for future cooperation. In particular they discussed support for the implementation of energy-efficient solutions for local communities.
Serhii Sukhomlyn thanked the partners for their support and presented to the Senior Vice President of JICA Kenichi Kawamura a souvenir called “Light of Home”, it is a pot with a plant that illuminates the house. The souvenir symbolizes that Ukraine will recover, and something new and even better will grow in place of the ruins. The art object is made from recycled materials obtained from war-damaged buildings in Ukrainian cities. It was obtained thanks to the work of construction waste recycling lines for reuse, which were provided and installed with the assistance of JICA.
“Thank you for your comprehensive assistance to Ukraine. It is thanks to the construction waste recycling equipment provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency that we obtained the raw materials for the production of souvenirs, which we presented to our partners at the URC. These art objects carry an important meaning and were initiated jointly with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories and UNDP in Ukraine,” added the Head of the Agency for Restoration.