Penny Pritzker, the US special envoy for the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine, called for "whole-of-government reconstruction planning" in Ukraine to prepare for a surge of works to rebuild after the war.
"The Ukrainian government has pieces of what is required to implement this type of whole-of-government planning, but it needs a surge capacity of technical experts – engineers, planners, program managers," Pritzker said in a speech in Washington DC after her visit this week to Kyiv.
She said the technical experts must "work alongside Ukraine’s own civil servants to establish national standards in line with EU-accession requirements, allocate limited resources to the most important efforts, enhance transparency, and ultimately prioritize projects."
"Frankly, this type of master planning, modeled after the Marshall Plan, is a 'missing link, in Ukraine’s current approach to reconstruction," she said in the speech held at the Brookings Institution for Economic Research and Foreign Policy.
Pritzker also recommended Ukraine appoint a "senior, globally respected figure" to work with to help attract private capital and "to help bridge Ukraine’s needs with those of international donors."
The call was part of a five-part recommendation to Ukrainian and foreign officials toward the end of her tenure as US special envoy to the reconstruction. She was appointed to the position for a one-year term nine months ago and said this week marked her last trip to Ukraine in her official capacity.
Her second point for the recovery was that Ukraine needs to rapidly increase the number of "shovel-ready" reconstruction projects.
"Simply put, there are not enough discrete projects – across sectors like infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, or agriculture – ready to attract or absorb significant capital," she said.
Thirdly, Pritzker called for a continued push in the first against corruption, including "addressing areas like customs and accounting that will return money to Ukraine’s national coffers and create a more trustworthy environment for investors."
Fourth, she called on the rest of the world to "marshal more capital to invest in Ukraine."
"Even while the war continues in the east, I urge commercial and investment banks to begin to understand the opportunities and carefully assess risks," she said. "Ukraine is not a monolith; two-thirds of the country’s territory has not been damaged by the conflict. Investments in Ukraine should be based on clear, regionally specific assessments of risk."
Lastly, she called on Ukraine to help ease the return of many of the refugees who fled after the February 2022 Russian invasion.
"Ukraine does not currently have the workforce it needs to rebuild," she said. "The reality is that more than 25% of Ukraine’s population had to flee because of this horrific war."
"In addition, Ukraine will need to prepare for the physical, psychological, and social needs of returning citizens. The government must rebuild housing and schools as well as provide mental and physical care for victims of the war – both military and civilian."
