KYIV, 20 September 2022 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine to strengthen the capacity of local and municipal governments to assess, plan and implement recovery strategies based on evidence-based damage assessment, mapping and data monitoring.

Under the terms of the agreement, UNDP agrees to conduct assessments of war damage to housing, as well as administrative and social infrastructure facilities and to help develop a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) that will visualize, monitor and provide basic analysis related to recovery sequencing and prioritization. This will enhance the Government’s capacity to map damage assessments in part through remote sensing and drone image analysis integrated with government data. The system complements the World Banks’s Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) by providing more detail at the local and municipal levels. The RDNA estimates the current cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine to be $349 billion.

Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Chernyshov said the memorandum of understanding should consolidate and strengthen cooperation with UNDP. “Our task is rapid and efficient reconstruction, and the implementation of an effective regional policy,” said Chernyshov. “This requires comprehensive monitoring of regional development indicators. The geoinformation system will be a platform for monitoring the development of communities and a means of interaction between the central authorities and local government."

"Interim UNDP Resident Representative Manal Fouani said the goal is to leverage the latest technology together with international best practices to design the best solution for Ukraine’s current context. “UNDP is able to tap into the best GIS-based technologies from around the world and apply them to our work with the Government here in Ukraine,” she said. “The GIS-based system we are developing will enable government authorities to monitor and update the damage assessments at central, regional and local levels.”

UNDP will compile the damage assessment data and maps using remote sensing and drone image analysis, and existing damage assessment data collated by each Oblast Regional State Administration, based on inputs from local administration authorities – including relevant damage data collected by other line ministries and self-reporting through the Diia application. This process will produce effective response and recovery plans, maximizing value from limited recovery resources.

UNDP has been supporting central, regional and local government in Ukraine for almost 30 years. Throughout the war, UNDP has remained on the ground in Ukraine with some 380 staff, helping authorities plan their emergency responses and ensure continuity of public service delivery, including to war-affected populations. The organization is working closely with the Government to put in place the foundations for recovery and reconstruction – prioritizing approaches that are green, just, inclusive and digital.

Media enquiries:  Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications at UNDP Ukraine; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org