Schools and hospitals to be rebuilt as priority in de-occupied territories
Oleksandr Kubrakov during the event "Big day with NV. Dialogues on the restoration of Ukraine" (Photo:NV/Natalya Kravchuk)
Ukraine will first rebuild facilities of the educational and healthcare sectors in its liberated territories, Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said in an interview with Radio NV on July 14.
Kubrakov was commenting on the most urgent problems faced by his agency.
"We are starting to (restore) schools – already hundreds this year, (and) healthcare facilities,” Kubrakov said.
“That is, these things are happening, it’s important. What is missing and what we will now fully focus on – both as a team and as a government – is the creation of jobs in those territories that were occupied.”
He said that this is important "because we can rebuild anything, but if there are no jobs for people... – that is, there will be hospitals, there will be schools, there will be housing, but if people there are unable to work and receive wages, then there will be no (benefit from) it."
"There is business that was there and production that was there (in the de-occupied territories). And I believe that this will be the main focus of our team. As a representative of Ukraine in the G7 Donor Coordination Platform, I will focus on the fact that this is our most important direction, namely, to restore those enterprises, the production that was there, or to build new ones on those de-occupied territories that appeared in our country in last year, this year."
Kubrakov said he envisions two financing programs for the realization of such opportunities. The first is "grants with conditions for job creation and for taxation."
"And this is what we have communicated with the European Commission and our international financial organizations, so that it would be so," he said.
The second, he said, was affordable loans.
"Because loans at 30% per annum do not work either in wartime or in normal time – not at any time. That is, we say that this is a project that doesn’t work. Therefore, affordable loans are needed. Someone will need grants. It depends on the situation. This needs to be analyzed and examined. And for some, usual, affordable loans will be enough.”
Kubrakov said he was convinced that people will return to the de-occupied territories only if there is an opportunity to find a job there. There are such examples in Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts, where "we can see that there are enterprises that were lucky (to survive)."
"As a rule, these are parts of some multinational companies or large groups. They’ve made an investment. The confectionery factory in Trostyanets is now working because it is part of a large international group. They’ve made such a decision at the headquarters level. They have been recovering. Awesome! They’ve undertaken all the risks and are working."
"And there are many local Ukrainian companies that are not part of (international) companies that can go and ask for a loan at 30%. Of course, they will not be given it, because they do not have a business plan that can cope with such a burden. No business can cope with this. And I think this is important. And we will all work together on this now to make these programs work.”
Will you support Ukraine’s free press?
Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations.
As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility – to amplify Ukraine’s voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation.
It’s the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine.
If you’re willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda.
Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd.
If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly.
There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting.
We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If you’re willing to stand up for the truth – consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.
Will you help tell Ukraine’s story to the world?
Twenty years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyone’s lips and everyone’s headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of – from music and culture to technology.
We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If you’re willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
