Co-chair of UA House Roman Sheremeta participated in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano

A Ukraine Recovery Conference was held in Lugano, where the entire world is discussing a plan to rebuild Ukraine.

The world is fully united to help Ukraine. The opening by the President of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, was very clear - people gathered here to lay the foundation for the recovery plan of Ukraine. The Commission President of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, said that although European countries can never match the sacrifices, Ukrainians make every day, they will do everything needed to rebuild Ukraine, starting with this platform. The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Peter Fiale, pointed out that the Czech Republic was one of the first countries to help Ukraine and will continue to do so even after Ukraine wins the war. He said that the Ukrainian recovery would be a symbol of democracy and unity in the democratic world.

President Zelenskiy’s address was very strong and to the point. Then the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, again showed everyone the reality. During his entire presentation, we could see the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine on a massive background screen. It was difficult but a very needed reminder. The message of the Prime Minister was loud and clear - Ukraine needs $750 billion dollars for recovery, and most of it should be paid by Russia.

Then it was the turn of all major world organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, EBRD, EIB, WTO, and others. They expressed their full support for the Ukrainian plan, stating that the reconstruction of Ukraine should start now and that Ukraine should take leadership and have ownership of the recovery process.

There was a clear unity among all countries. As always, true friends of Ukraine were strong and decisive, committing a lot of resources to rebuild Ukraine. A pleasant surprise was Norway committing one billion dollars. A Canadian representative shared part of her message in Ukrainian.

The delegation has agreed on the number of principles on which the reconstruction of Ukraine will be based. They called it the Lugano Declaration. These principles include: 1) partnership, 2) focus on reforms, 3) transparency, accountability, and the rule of law, 4) democratic participation, 5) multi-stakeholder engagement, 6) equality, and 7) sustainability.

At this forum, the whole world once again unanimously declared that they support Ukraine and that Russia is evil and needs to be stopped.