Ukraine's reconstruction project one of the most ambitious, expensive since World War II - Simmons
Melinda Simmons, the British Ambassador to Ukraine, emphasized this in a blog post for Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukrinform reports.
She said that while talking to community representatives, she saw the determination of people to rebuild their country and return life to normal, both during the war and after it ended. At the same time, Ukrainians realize that rebuilding will require a lot of effort and resources.
The British ambassador cites World Bank estimates that the cost of rebuilding Ukraine has already exceeded $411 billion - and is growing daily.
Simmons noted that this makes the project to rebuild Ukraine one of the most ambitious and expensive since World War II. For its successful implementation, Ukraine will need cooperation not only with other governments, but also with business. Only the private sector can mobilize investments on the scale needed to meet Ukraine's recovery needs. And that we need to join forces and create the conditions for large-scale investment by the private sector to rebuild what has been destroyed.
At the same time, she emphasizes that winning the war is not enough to create conditions for reconstruction - reforms are the key to attracting investment.
The British representative points out that principles such as the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, zero tolerance for corruption, transparency of public administration, and others are crucial for investors and critical to Ukraine's future.
Still, Simmons admits, continuing reforms in the face of air attacks or energy system imbalances caused by Russian strikes is "a daunting task."
Simmons said she knows Ukraine will win. She sees Ukraine winning every day. People have shown her that. And she is confident that Ukraine will demonstrate this to investors around the world at the Conference (on Ukraine's recovery - ed.).
As reported, an international conference on Ukraine's recovery, Ukraine Recovery Conference - 2023, will be held in London on June 21-22.
The conference will focus on mobilizing international support for Ukraine's economic and social stabilization and recovery process.
