For over a year now, the Russian war against Ukraine has been devasting vital infrastructure in the country. The long-term reconstruction of Ukraine can only succeed with the support of international partners. For this reason, more than 300 companies from 22 countries came together at the ReBuild Ukraine trade fair in the Polish capital Warsaw on 15th and 16th February 2023. There was a clear focus on reconstruction and investment projects, thus attracting not only business and government representatives, but also international financial institutions.
Germany was represented on-site by a German Pavilion and over 50 German exhibitors, including several members of German Water Partnership (GWP). The GWP Regional Forum Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) was represented in Warsaw by Forum Chair Thomas Beutel, Lutz-Jesco GmbH, and EECCA program advisor Julia Egel.
The exhibition provided a platform to learn and exchange information about the challenges and opportunities of Ukrainian reconstruction. In a joint press briefing, high-ranking ministerial representatives from Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark and the United Kingdom emphasised the importance of international partnerships. In addition to hosting their own booths, the Ukrainian municipalities also took the opportunity to address a wider audience during the “Communities Marathon”, a format in which they were able to present their challenges and needs as well as concrete project ideas for 15 minutes each.
Since the outbreak of the war, GWP has supported emergency relief efforts to meet the needs of the Ukrainian water and wastewater sector. For example, GWP member Herborner Pumpen sucessfully initiated relief measures in the Mykolaiv region, which are currently being implemented in cooperation with other GWP members.
We are pleased that Oleksandr Senkevich, mayor of the city of Mykolaiv, was able to visit the exhibition stand of Herborner Pumpentechnik GmbH & Co KG and joined an exchange with Burkhard Schwarz, Vera Polyakova and Thomas Beutel.
More detailed information on ReBuild Ukraine will be available in the next ‘Online-Update: Ukraine Emergency Aid’. Should you have any questions or would like to be added to the mailing list of the EECCA Regional Forum, please contact Julia Egel directly via egel@germanwaterpartnership.de.