Ukraine requires 5.4 mln people to begin country’s reconstruction

The authorities plan to establish a multinational Alliance for workforce development in Ukraine and beyond to motivate young people to return and help rebuild Ukraine.

The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, Andrii Chesnokov, stated this, according to Ukrinform.

"The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine estimated that the labor force deficit is 5.4 million people," the official noted.

As Chesnokov explained, these people are essential for the reconstruction to begin today.

The ministry representative emphasized the need to consider how to return Ukrainians home and what should be done by local authorities and the government. According to him, for this, it is important to hear the voices of Ukrainians who are currently abroad.

Towards the end of last week, the deputy minister, who participated in the conference "Diaspora and the global Ukrainian community – strong partners in the restoration of Ukraine" in Berlin, emphasized the significance of hearing the perspective of young people. According to him, they are currently shaping their viewpoints.

Chesnokov participated in several panels and spoke before the event participants, who included Ukrainian representatives from a dozen countries.

According to Chesnokov, the conference itself is crucial because it is the first meeting of the diaspora and the global Ukrainian community as a preparatory event for the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which Berlin will host in June this year.

As the deputy minister mentioned, the conference outcomes, especially regarding youth, will be showcased in Berlin at the June 11–12 event.

He also mentioned that another preliminary event for the Recovery Conference will take place in Berlin this week, specifically focusing on the topic of human capital.

Business representatives, scientists, and members of Ukrainian government structures will convene to discuss the actions businesses can take to prevent a "lost generation" in Ukraine.

"Actually, we could find ourselves in a situation where the war continues, and there is a large group of young Ukrainian men and women who cannot fully realize their potential either in the countries where they have temporarily sought refuge or in Ukraine.

Therefore, we want to join forces with the Ukrainian diaspora and the international community. There is an idea to create a multilateral Alliance for the development of the workforce in Ukraine and beyond so that young people can get the professional skills and knowledge that will be used later in the process of rebuilding our state," the official emphasized.

It should be noted that the International Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine (Ukraine Recovery Conference – URC2024) will be held on June 11-12, 2024, in Berlin. This will be the third such conference since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

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It should be added that on March 15, the "Window of Recovery" media network held the first Recovery Media Conference. Network partners and other media persons, as well as representatives of the public sector, authorities, and international and donor organizations, took part in the event.

For all those interested in Ukraine's restoration and looking to delve deeper into this discussion – if you couldn't attend the conference, Rubryka has compiled the most crucial takeaways. Check out our article: "Recovery Media Conference held in Kyiv: event highlights."