DECIDE team at URC-2025: summary and results

The DECIDE team spent two productive days at the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in Rome on 10–11 July 2025.

The URC-2025 conference in Rome was the largest ever in terms of the number of participants and the amount of aid pledged for Ukraine's recovery. Over 6,000 participants from 70 countries took part in the discussion panels and agreed on future steps to support Ukraine.

The key areas of focus for the URC included:

– mobilising the private sector for economic growth and reconstruction;

– social recovery and human capital for Ukraine's future;

– community and regional recovery;

– EU accession and related reforms.

During the conference, the governments of Switzerland and Ukraine signed a memorandum to implement the second phase of the DECIDE project. This project will see Switzerland provide 18.5 million Swiss francs to support key reforms in Ukraine, particularly in education and decentralisation. Investing in young people is a strategic priority for Switzerland in Ukraine!

Swiss Federal Council Delegate for Ukraine Jacques Gerber and Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine Jean-Luc Bernasconi joined the DECIDE team and:

– discussed key areas for further cooperation with Oleh Kipper, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration;

– agreed on further steps in the implementation of a joint project to restore the Borodianka IRC with Mykola Kalashnyk, Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration;

– met with the Olena Zelenska Foundation team; – visited the booth of the School Nutrition Reform Team, which is supported by the DECIDE project at this year's conference.

Key topics at the event involved developing local communities, expanding partnerships, and reconstructing Ukraine, focusing on both infrastructure and human capital.