Every Ukrainian won’t forget this winter, when the power outage was overshadowed by the problem of cold homes after the Russian shelling. It is getting warmer outside now, but the state machine has no right to take a break. Ukraine and its partners are already preparing for the new heating season and the next Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, while at the same time repairing old damage.

The United Nations Development Program is one of those partners that is not sitting idly by. Last week, Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Regional Director of the United Nations Development Program for Europe and Central Asia, visited Ukraine.

The purpose of the visit was to ensure the operation of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. In an interview with Ukrinform, Ms. Živković spoke about how the UNDP is helping to modernise Ukraine’s energy sector and whether financial donors are still committed after five years of the war.

UKRAINE REMAINS TOP PRIORITY FOR UNDP

- Madam Živković, please share the details of your visit to Ukraine. What key areas of UNDP cooperation have you discussed with Ukrainian partners?

- This is my third visit to Ukraine, and each time I am reminded how profoundly the war continues to affect every aspect of daily life, and how much strength and determination Ukrainians continue to demonstrate. Ukraine remains a top priority for UNDP, both in terms of our immediate response as well as support to the long‑term sustainable recovery.

The meetings with our government partners were mainly focused on energy resilience – in particular the immediate needs and expanding decentralized and sustainable energy solutions to ensure energy security while moving towards a greener energy system. In addition, we discussed economic recovery and financing, exchanging ideas on how UNDP can further support the development of systemic, investment‑driven approaches and mobilize additional financing.

In all my conversations support to governance, anti-corruption, and reforms were widely emphasized as crucial to recovery and reconstruction.

- This winter, Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and other cities. What was UNDP’s role in helping Ukraine mitigate the consequences of these attacks?

- UNDP, having already been strongly positioned on increased energy support since 2022, and with immense investments from our donor partners, was able to scale up support through the installation of medium and high-capacity backup systems, including gas-piston cogeneration units, turbines, and large generators. We prioritized water treatment plants, pumping stations and district heating networks. Our work helped ensure that, even during long blackouts, hospitals remained operational, water utilities continued to function, and vulnerable residents still had access to essential services.

These efforts are done in close cooperation with national and local authorities to protect the continuity of critical services – electricity, heat, water supply, sewage systems – during some of the most severe and prolonged outages Ukraine has ever experienced.

IN 2025 WE IMPROVED ACCESS TO RELIABLE POWER FOR OVER 6.6 MILLION

- Ukraine received an additional $230 million from UNDP for urgent energy equipment procurement. What results have been achieved?

- This result refers only to the last year, while our overall investment in the energy sector since 2022 is over US$550 million, largely funded by Norway, Sweden and Japan, but also by the European Union, Denmark, Belgium, Iceland, Germany, France, and the Republic of Korea.

We were able to procure and deploy critical energy equipment across many regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, Lutsk, and Sumy. In 2025 alone, the combined impact of our support is improved access to reliable power for more than 6.6 million people. We are fortunate that the strong interest of our donors to continue funding Ukraine’s energy needs is sustained.

- Ukraine is already preparing for the next heating season. What kind of assistance can it expect from UNDP?

- As I have mentioned earlier, we are actively working with the government for the coming heating season, knowing that it may present even greater challenges than the previous one. Our support focuses on rapidly expanding a decentralized and modular energy generation system – cogeneration units, turbines, batteries, modular boilers – and accelerating the deployment of renewable systems, especially solar installations for hospitals, schools, water utilities, and district heating facilities.

We will continue to provide technical assistance for equipment installation, commissioning, and operation, and will train local engineers and operators, including women and veterans, to ensure that municipalities can manage these systems effectively.

- Some energy equipment provided by partners remains disconnected due to technical or bureaucratic challenges. Can UNDP support installation and integration?

- Our ongoing work covers many areas of energy support. We are already working with partners to prepare installation sites, coordinate engineering teams, ensure compliance with safety and technical standards, and support grid integration. We also help with testing and commissioning to ensure the equipment is fully operational under real conditions.

Just as importantly, we train staff to operate and maintain the systems, so that the support we provide leads to long-term grid resilience.

- How do you assess the feasibility of rebuilding large Soviet-era power plants versus developing small, decentralized generation?

- We believe that the path forward is creating a balanced, resilient, and modernised energy system. Large scale infrastructure will still be needed to ensure the system stability. At the same time, the war has clearly demonstrated the extreme vulnerability of centralized assets.

Distributed generation – solar, cogeneration, modular turbines, energy storage – offers flexibility, faster deployment, and greater protection against targeted attacks. UNDP is actively supporting this shift by working with authorities to remove regulatory bottlenecks, build digital energy management tools, and attract private-sector investment.

UNDP WAS ACTIVE IN PROTECTING WATER AND SANITATION SYSTEMS

- Given the threats to water supply systems, what experience does UNDP have, and what plans are in place for a potential humanitarian crisis?

- Around the world, UNDP has been active in protecting water and sanitation systems under crisis conditions – whether due to conflict, natural disasters, or climate impacts – across more than 130 countries worldwide. In Ukraine, we’re applying that global expertise every day. We are working closely with water and heating utility providers to map vulnerabilities, introduce medium and high-capacity backup systems, deploy renewable energy solutions, and strengthen operational resilience.

We secured reliable power for treatment plants, pumping stations, and distribution networks, including through solar-powered systems such as those in the Sumy region, where more than 72,000 people will have stable access to drinking water, even during outages. We have also supported modernization processes through Energy Performance Contracts, enabling utilities to improve efficiency without upfront investment.

Our work is closely coordinated with the national authorities with the focus on protecting public health and ensuring that communities never face the humanitarian consequences of a prolonged water-system collapse.

DEBRIS MANAGEMENT BECOMES ONE OF THE DEFINING RECOVERY CHALLENGES

- Massive attacks generate huge amounts of debris. How does UNDP help Ukraine organise debris clearance and safe disposal?

- Debris management has become one of the defining recovery challenges in Ukraine, and UNDP is now leading one of its largest global operations in this sphere. Since 2022, we have supported the clearance of more than one million tonnes of debris across multiple oblasts, allowing communities to regain access to public spaces and enabling reconstruction at thousands of damaged sites.

Removal is only the first step. In addition, we have introduced the country’s first protocol for the safe handling of hazardous materials and supported Ukraine in adopting new national sanitary norms. The country’s first asbestos-testing laboratory is now being prepared with UNDP support. At the same time, we’re expanding recycling capacity through local hubs and helping transform debris into usable secondary materials, reducing both environmental impact and reconstruction costs.

All of this is contributing to the creation of a national debris-management system – one that is efficient, safe, transparent, and aligned with circular-economy principles. That, too, is part of building Ukraine back better.

- What areas of UNDP activity in Ukraine do you think remain unnoticed by the media?

- Most of our work happens away from the spotlight and at the community level – small towns and communities – where recovery truly begins. This is where the foundation of Ukraine’s long‑term resilience is being built, and where UNDP together with partners – the EU, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, and many others, support the development of inclusive, locally driven recovery in the country.

Recovery is not simply about rebuilding infrastructure; it must restore communities, to ensure that veterans, women, persons with disabilities, displaced people, young people, and other groups requiring special attention are part of the decision-making process, and benefit equally from recovery efforts. This approach means projects are shaped around real community needs, not imposed solutions.

Our engagement in local economic recovery is very important. We help municipalities build pipelines of bankable projects, attract investment, support SMEs, re‑open local services, and create jobs. Without restoring and creating livelihoods communities cannot thrive.

Finally, strengthening governance is central to UNDP’s overall mission and a very valuable investments in peaceful and inclusive societies, the results of which are not immediately visible. 

Ivan Kosiakin, Kyiv

Photos provided by UNDP's press service