Rebuilding Ukraine Agency is 120 today

120 days that is. And yet, with the horrific war raging in Ukraine for the past five months, these 120 days seem like eternity. The Agency’s journey, thus far, has been an exhausting marathon filled with ups, downs and periods of frustration. Although, all our activities pale in comparison with the heroic efforts of the Ukrainian armed forces, civil defense and tireless volunteers, who provided incalculable help in delivering humanitarian aid and clean up of destroyed cities, we know that our work is important and is vital to the development of Ukraine’s economic future.

Just 90 days after its formation, the Agency announced its first economic development project – creation of a $25mil. production and distribution facility in the center of Ukraine to produce badly needed construction insulation materials. The project’s principal is a US-based company. Think about the courage required to make such an investment decision into a country embroiled in the brutal war. The agency’s role has been to assist with the project’s development on the ground and to arrange financing and insurance coverage for the facility. Not an easy task, but one for which the Agency has been specifically developed. We are a private, member-owned and rapid reaction organization with significant multi-disciplinary capabilities.

The investors into the insulation project are by no means a unique case. Other Agency members are hard at work developing projects ranging from pre-cast concrete, plate glass and ceramic block production facilities, medical rehabilitation centers, gas and agricultural infrastructure for transportation and storage, and expansion of healthcare facilities for cancer and neo-natal patients.

I am often being asked if the the Agency’s representatives will be attending various rebuilding Ukraine related forums, which have been springing up across several countries. My answer thus far has always been “NO”. While some of these forums are important and highlight policy discussions, international cooperation programs and legal scholars’ theories on subjects of whether it will be possible to use frozen Russian assets towards the cost of reparations, the Agency is laser-focused on its core mission of developing and fulfilling specific projects in key areas of Ukraine’s economy.

In the the movie “Schindler’s List”, the main hero was not able to save all the Jews from the horrors of holocaust, but he was able to make a huge difference by saving over a thousand souls, who in turn gave birth to a new generation. Thus far, the Agency’s approach has been similar. We monitor the policies and trends for rebuilding set by the Ukrainian government, follow various aid announcements etc. and keep our members informed on the developments. Yet, we are primarily concentrating on developing and executing as many specific impactful projects as possible, all while realizing that the Agency will not be able to solve all the problems caused by the war, but every project we successfully realize will make a difference.

I would like to congratulate all the Agency’s Members, Officers and Directors with this small, but important milestone in the life of the Rebuilding Ukraine Agency and I want to thank all the folks in Ukraine, US, Canada, UK and EU countries, who have supported our organization and have helped it move forward. Ukraine will overcome and we will be there to help it rebuild!