Finnish society to extensively support reconstruction of Ukraine

Finnish society to extensively support reconstruction of Ukraine

On 12 December, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs published the second part of Finland's national plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Finland will provide support including development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and material assistance. Rebuilding Ukraine will take several years and require extensive international support and participation. Finland is strongly involved in this work.

Finland's national plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine describes how the central government and stakeholders, including businesses, municipalities and civil society organisations, will extensively participate in the reconstruction efforts. The plan gives an overview of the various forms of support to Ukraine, including development cooperation, humanitarian assistance, other cooperation between the authorities, and materiel assistance from the public and private sectors. An annual appropriation of EUR 58 million has been reserved for the budget item Humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

"In addition to humanitarian aid, Finland is also committed to supporting Ukraine by building a sustainable foundation for reconstruction and the participation of Finnish operators. Reconstruction will be a years-long undertaking in which Finland is already taking part alongside international partners. Finland's long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine indicates that rebuilding the country is an important part of building a sustainable and stable Europe," says Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

"Finland strongly incorporates gender considerations into its support for the reconstruction of Ukraine. It is important to ensure that Ukrainian women and girls also benefit from the support provided to the country and extensively participate in planning how to use it. Attention will also be paid to improving the position of sexual and gender minorities. Finland promotes Ukraine's convergence with the EU by participating in the development of the country's equality and non-discrimination legislation," says Finnish Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who was involved in preparing the reconstruction plan.

Finland will target its support at both immediate needs and long-term development. As part of the European Union, Finland supports Ukraine's reforms and aspirations to become an EU member state.

After February 2022, Ukraine has become Finland's biggest partner country in development cooperation. Finland operates in several areas, including the development of the rule of law, education, the environment and climate, and civil defence. In Ukraine, Finland will continue its long-term policy to support the rights of women and girls, gender equality and the rights of gender and sexual minorities. Humanitarian assistance is a key element of Finland's national plan to support Ukraine.

The first part of Finland's national plan was published in December 2023. It focuses on improving the conditions for Finnish businesses in rebuilding Ukraine.