Representatives of more than four dozen countries and two dozen international organizations, such as the European Investment Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), signed after two days of consultations that happened in the city of Lugano in the south of Switzerland - the "Declaration of Lugano".
In conclusion documents the participants of the Conference laid out seven criteria for the revival of Ukraine, including the fight against corruption, commitment to democratic values, ensuring a transparent and accountable style of governing the country, and the development of basic human and citizen rights and freedoms.
The summit was organized by the President of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis and the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen participated in its work personally, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the conference online.
In his closing speech, Ignazio Cassis noted that the conference in Lugano is “the beginning of a long process.
"The Lugano Declaration lays a foundation that will not only start the reconstruction of the war-torn country, but also give people in Ukraine hope and confidence that they are not alone in the world." The Swiss politician added that the recovery process will begin immediately, but it will take time and patience, and all parties to this process must understand each other.
Denys Shmyhal agreed that if Ukraine is to be restored, it must be made better than before, and action must be taken now, immediately. He thanked all the states and all international organizations that sent their representatives to Switzerland for their willingness to provide assistance to Ukraine. He also welcomed the intentions of Great Britain and Germany to organize further conferences on the reconstruction of Ukraine within the next two years.
"I am convinced that in a year we will no longer talk about planned projects, but about results and successful projects," said the Ukrainian politician. According to the estimates of the government of Ukraine, the restoration of the infrastructure damaged or destroyed as a result of the Russian invasion will cost 750 billion dollars. Shmyhal also noted that Ukraine is now seeking the adoption of international norms and rules that would allow it to use Russian sanctioned assets confiscated around the world for reconstruction work in Ukraine, the total value of which, according to him, reaches 500 billion dollars. "Russia and other potential aggressors should know that they will have to pay dearly for their unprovoked and unjustified attacks," he said.
Several countries and a number of companies have already made specific financial commitments to help Ukraine. Switzerland has announced that it will double its aid to Ukraine to 100 million Swiss francs by the end of 2023. The United States has also announced that it will allocate $6,2 billion over the next few months for recovery. On the sidelines of the Conference, the Swiss Minister of Transport, Environment and Communications, Simonetta Sommaruga, signed an agreement with Ukraine on the implementation of the norms and goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
For the past 15 years, Ukraine has been a key country in the framework of Swiss foreign policy activities in the field of development assistance. Switzerland was the fifth largest donor to Ukraine. On Monday, July 4, representatives of the Swiss, Ukrainian and European parliaments also discussed the legislative priorities of the recovery process. The conference on the recovery of Ukraine, which took place on July 4-5, 2022 in Lugano, was planned even before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. It would be another conference in a whole series of international conferences held in different countries since 2014 to support the efforts of the Ukrainian governments in the field of fundamental socio-political reforms and transformations in the country.
