The International Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine took place in Berlin, where education and science were considered as one of the strategic areas. Which countries were present and what agreements were reached?
On 11-12 June 2024, Germany and Ukraine jointly held the International Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine in Berlin under the slogan "United in Defence. United in Recovery. Stronger together". The main goal of URC2024 is to unite international efforts for sustainable support for the recovery, reconstruction, reform and modernisation of Ukraine.
Conference results in figures
The Ukraine Recovery Conference (#URC2024), held in 2024, was the largest in its history.
- 60 countries were represented.
- More than 3,400 participants, including 700 business representatives, more than 100 representatives of cities and municipalities, think tanks and NGOs, and more than 300 media representatives.
- More than 20 panel discussions, 4 plenary sessions, 7 investment roundtables and bilateral meetings were held.
- 60 business stands and a Recovery Forum for communities and businesses were organised.
- 110 agreements were signed.
- EUR 16.8 billion was raised.
As part of the government delegation, the event was attended by First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Yevhen Kudriavets, who presented strategic initiatives to ensure continuous education, modernise educational infrastructure and reform the research and innovation sector. Several bilateral meetings were also held.
What partnership and assistance agreements were signed?
Strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Belgium
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Belgian agency Enabel.
What does the memorandum provide for?
- Ensuring continuity of education for Ukrainian youth.
- Expanding public-private partnerships in education.
- Exchange of experience between Ukrainian and Belgian educational institutions.
- Implementation of retraining programmes for veterans, ATO participants, youth and women.
Belgium has also committed itself to helping restore a number of educational institutions in different regions of Ukraine. Reconstruction projects for schools, lyceums, gymnasiums and vocational institutions in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions are estimated at more than EUR 21 million.
German assistance in the development of vocational education
The German government is providing a €20.5 million grant through KfW Bank. The money will be used to establish Centres of Vocational Education and Excellence in Ukraine.
What are the grant funds allocated for?
- Upgrading the infrastructure of vocational schools.
- Providing training workshops with modern equipment.
- Implementation of advanced vocational training programmes.
These measures and their implementation will help to improve the quality and prestige of vocational education, train highly qualified personnel to meet the needs of the labour market, and contribute to the economic development of Ukraine in the post-war period.
Plans of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has certain plans to rebuild human capital. The comprehensive solutions were presented by Yevhen Kudriavets during the discussion "Education, Science and Innovation during the War and After".
These solutions include:
- development and construction of safe infrastructure for pre-school, school and vocational educational institutions;
- introduction of flexible individual educational trajectories and state grants in higher education;
- comprehensive modernisation of the university network and research institutions;
- reforming the science funding system based on the principles of objective evaluation.
With the support of international partners, Ukraine's education and science system will not only recover, but will also undergo significant modernisation and integration into the European space. This will contribute to the development of a competitive, innovative economy of the future.
