A year of progress in Ukraine’s water sector reconstruction

Strength in numbers

The UWP3 Platform is an initiative of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) is the Platform Manager and Facilitator and is mandated to bring the public, private, applied research, knowledge, and NGO sectors together to collaborate in Ukraine.

In 2024, the Platform evolved into a diverse network consisting of over 40 members from the Netherlands and Ukraine, including nine governmental institutional partners. The Platform has four specialised clusters: Water for Food, Water Supply and Quality Restoration, Master Planning, and the Kakhovka Dam Area Reconstruction. These clusters have initiated over a dozen project ideas actively seeking funding, laying the groundwork for future reconstruction. A series of physical and online general assembly and water cluster meetings facilitated the coordination and momentum of our Dutch-Ukrainian project teams.

Meeting with the new Water Envoy to Ukraine

Erica Schouten, the newly appointed Netherlands’ Water Envoy to Ukraine, met with the UWP3 Platform in November to gain an understanding of the platform’s activities and engage with the four clusters. 

The meeting, held at NWP’s office, centred on aligning efforts with Ukraine’s needs, emphasised the importance of flexibility and leveraging the Netherlands’ strengths based on demand. The Envoy’s insights reinforced the value of the role that Dutch expertise can play in international partnerships to support reconstruction projects, highlighting the importance of the UWP3 Platform’s role in contributing to Ukraine’s recovery efforts.

Ukrhydroenergo’s visit to the Netherlands

In June, Ukrhydroenergo, the largest state-owned hydro power generating company in Ukraine, visited the Netherlands to engage directly with Dutch expertise and learn about how the country is managing and programming major infrastructure works. The visit included discussions with the Afsluitdijk team, Rijkswaterstaat, Dutch Ministries, and a meeting with the UWP3 Kakhovka Dam water cluster. The Platform held a dynamic Meet & Greet lunch for Platform participants and the visiting delegation. These activities deepened the ties between the Dutch and Ukrainian teams, and were an opportunity to exchange knowledge for future water sector reconstruction.

Memorandum of Understanding

One of the UWP3 Platform’s decisive achievements in 2024 was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the European Benchmarking Co-operation (EBC Foundation, Netherlands), the Ukrvodokanalekologiya association (Ukraine), the Bavarian Environment Agency (Germany), and the Gdansk Water Foundation (Poland). The Memorandum is designed to strengthen the performance and strategic capabilities of Ukrainian water utilities. By supporting capacity development, the signatories aim to ensure the reliable, safe, and economic operation of water facilities. The MoU demonstrates the intention of providing management and operating staff in Ukraine with the skills, knowledge, and European best practices needed to navigate the recovery, renewal, and future challenges, including EU accession.

Looking Ahead

The UWP3 Platform’s success is emphasised by the growing number of projects in the process of formation in the platform’s pipeline – Dutch-Ukrainian initiatives – that span a wide array of expertise, from water technology to strategic master planning. 

Moving forward, the Platform will continue fostering partnerships, facilitating the development of new project ideas, and enhancing its connections with international funding bodies. The Platform’s initiators and members aim to keep working on rebuilding and strengthening Ukraine’s water sector to help build, back, better and stand by our partners.