Ukraine and Germany are deepening cooperation in implementing programmes to support business and human capital in Ukraine. This was discussed during the meeting of First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko with the Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany Svenja Schulze.

During the meeting, they noted the importance of mobilizing the efforts of the private sector to restore Ukraine’s economy. They also discussed the practical implementation of joint initiatives of Ukraine, Germany and international partners that were launched during the International Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin (URC-2024). In particular, the government officials of the two countries discussed the implementation of the Small and Medium Enterprises Resilience Alliance (SME Alliance) initiative and the Skills Alliance programme to retrain Ukrainians.

“The support from Germany is invaluable. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Germany has provided Ukraine with assistance worth a total of EUR 37 billion - the most among all European countries. And it continues to support Ukraine, in particular through initiatives such as Skills Alliance, which will help retrain 180 thousand Ukrainians over 3 years,” Yuliia Svyrydenko emphasized.

The recovery of Ukraine will not be possible without people with corresponding professional skills. The Skills Alliance initiative was launched to ensure that as many Ukrainians as possible could obtain new qualifications needed in the labour market. The programme will also contribute to European integration efforts through the mutual recognition of diplomas obtained for such studies abroad. It will be aimed, in particular, at strengthening the role of women, youth, people with disabilities and other categories of the population.

“Together with Germany, we have brought together dozens of countries, development institutions and international organizations to implement the Skills Alliance retraining project. The total amount of the programme is EUR 700 million. The alliance members are ready to provide access to their training, implement training programmes, for example, for internally displaced persons and Ukrainians who were forced to leave abroad, in order to motivate them to return to their hometowns,” Yuliia Svyrydenko continued.

A large meeting, where government officials, together with partners, will develop specific steps for implementing the programme so that Ukrainians clearly understand where and how to apply, what training is available, and what they will receive after completing these courses, is planned next month.

The parties also discussed the progress of the implementation of the SME Resilience Alliance programme, which supports and develops small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. Currently, the alliance has 33 members, has developed 122 projects and programmes, funded by 24 donors.

“Together with partners within the alliance, we will work on deregulation and simplification of doing business in Ukraine, launching digital tools and services to support small and medium-sized businesses, expanding access to financing and export opportunities, and developing entrepreneurial skills and innovation potential,” Yuliia Svyrydenko summarized.

Background information

The Skills Alliance initiative was created during the International Ukraine Recovery Conference URC-2024, which took place in June in Berlin. The participants included almost 50 countries, donors, international partners and representatives of the business community. The goal of the initiative is to provide an opportunity for retraining or upgrading the skills of Ukrainians.

The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Resilience Alliance (SME Alliance) was also launched during the International Ukraine Recovery Conference URC-2024. It brought together Ukraine, 12 other countries, and 17 development institutions and international financial organizations.

This initiative helps solve the following problems:

• coordination of joint activities within the framework of current and future international technical assistance projects aimed at supporting business;
• review of progress made in the implementation of the SME Strategy;
• integrating cross-cutting issues (such as the green transition, inclusiveness, support for veteran- and women-owned businesses, IDP entrepreneurs, etc.) into initiatives to strengthen the resilience and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.