Human Dimension

The recovery of Ukraine demands a multidimensional approach spanning politics, defense, economy, security, and culture. Culture and security are deeply intertwined: culture requires security to prosper, while simultaneously strengthening societal resilience. Culture defines our humanity. At this conference on June 23, 2026, Ukrainian and Polish museums, alongside international partners, want to present concrete museum proposals to the official political delegates of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk on June 25, 2026, ensuring culture is integrated into the structural reconstruction budgets.

The Civil Society Forum serves as the side-event of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 (URC 2026), co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. The Forum brings together more than 400 representatives of civil society organisations, think tanks, philanthropic institutions, international organisations, government representatives, experts, and practitioners from Ukraine, Europe, and beyond. The Forum will provide a unique platform for dialogue on Ukraine’s recovery, resilience, democratic development, and European integration.

A key outcome of the Forum will be the adoption of the Gdańsk Common Message – a joint civil society statement reflecting the priorities, recommendations, and commitments of participating organisations and stakeholders. Building on discussions held throughout the Forum, the Gdańsk Common Message will serve as a collective contribution from civil society to the Ukraine Recovery Conference and as an advocacy tool for promoting a sustainable, inclusive, and democratic recovery of Ukraine.

An official meeting of the Polish-Ukrainian Youth Exchange Council dedicated to summarizing the Council’s 10 years of activity and discussing the future of youth cooperation between Poland and Ukraine.

The event brings together the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the Kyiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the Irpin City Council, the NGO Museum for Change, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund, and the ALIPH Foundation, alongside the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk and LAS – Landscape Art Society. It explores how heritage, museums, and community-led initiatives support recovery efforts across Ukraine. The discussion highlights the role of culture, memory, and cross-border collaboration in building resilient and inclusive reconstruction pathways

Recovery Generation Youth House is a unique platform created by young people in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and international partners within URC 2026, bringing together youth leaders, decision-makers, international organizations, and civil society representatives.

More than an event, Youth House is a symbol of a shared home for a generation shaping Ukraine’s future. It is a space of trust, dialogue, and co-creation where young people from Ukraine and around the world come together as equal partners, united by a shared responsibility for recovery, resilience, and Europe’s future.

As Ukraine charts its path toward reconstruction and European integration, it faces the question of how to ensure a recovery that is durable, inclusive, and forward-looking. This side event to the 2026 Ukraine Recovery Conference brings together leading economists, policymakers, officials and researchers to examine the structural conditions for a recovery that strengthens rather than strains Ukrainian society.

Post-conflict settings often have heightened vulnerabilities to human trafficking, and certain sectors in high demand or specifically targeted during recovery processes, like construction, hospitality, or agriculture, are high risk for human trafficking. To proactively mainstream trafficking prevention and protection measures across post-crisis reconstruction and recovery, the Governments of Austria, Canada, Italy (TBC), Poland and Ukraine with the support from the OSCE initiate a R.E.S.T.O.R.E. Ukraine Alliance as an open international partnership platform designed to bring together governments, international organizations, business, employers’ organizations, financial institutions, civil society, and Ukrainian communities around a shared objective: ensuring Ukraine’s recovery free from human trafficking and exploitation.

"Youth2Recovery: Civic Engagement, Culture, Identity and Shaping the Future of Ukrainian Communities" is an initiative focused on empowering young Ukrainians to actively participate in the rebuilding and democratic governance of their country amidst wartime and post-war challenges. The event centers on fostering a strong sense of national identity, intercultural dialogue, and social cohesion through community development and leadership skills. By bridging youth activism with local authorities and civil society, the initiative equips the next generation with the tools needed to design inclusive support programs and shape sustainable futures for their local communities.

The side event aims to present and discuss the Ukrainiane’s Government's approach to maintaining ties with Ukrainians abroad, voluntary return and sustainable reintegration as part of the country’s broader human capital recovery agenda.

Ukrainian women are shaping recovery from different places — in Ukraine and abroad. Yet their role is still not fully understood, and their contribution remains largely untapped. Key government stakeholders, leading demographers, analytical centers, and civil society representatives are coming together to take a deep dive into the evidence and practical policy recommendations. The following analytical studies will be released: Ukrainian women in the EU–an undervalued human resource for the recovery of Ukraine and From inactivity to productivity: the economic effect of women’s integration into the labor market.

The side event will bring together high-level representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, the Council of Europe, the European Union, local self-government and civil society to discuss strengthening child protection in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. Discussions will focus on accountability for violations against children, preventing their exploitation in war-related activities, ensuring the safe return and reintegration of deported and displaced children, and promoting child-centred recovery policies.

Bringing together senior decision-makers from European institutions, internationally recognised business leaders, leaders from government and human rights institutions, and award-winning peace activists, this side event will explore how human-centred and future-proof recovery approaches can strengthen Ukraine’s long-term economic resilience, competitiveness, and European future. The discussion will focus on practical solutions across workforce participation, veteran reintegration, infrastructure, housing, accessibility, digitalisation, and public services, highlighting how resilient and inclusive recovery models can support sustainable investment outcomes and stronger communities. Join us to explore how to future proof your investments in Ukraine’s Recovery to build a stronger, more competitive, and future-oriented Ukraine.

Ukraine’s recovery depends not only on reconstruction and investment, but also on preserving, returning and mobilising its human capital. This high-level dialogue will explore how voluntary, informed and rights-based return can contribute to economic recovery, labour market renewal and demographic resilience. Bringing together representatives of governments, EU institutions, municipalities, international organisations, civil society and the private sector, the event will identify practical pathways for sustainable reintegration and support coordinated solutions for Ukraine’s long-term recovery.

Interest in mobilising the Global Ukrainian Community (GUC) for Ukraine’s recovery is growing rapidly, but a key challenge remains: regional and local authorities often lack structured frameworks, strategies, and operational tools to engage this community effectively. This side event presents new empirical research and policy-relevant insights from a research impact project led by the University of Warwick, examining how Ukraine’s decentralised authorities can establish structured engagement with the GUC, which models are most effective, and where current approaches can be improved. Drawing on the first results from a cross-national survey, evidence from Ukrainian hromadas, and emerging collaboration models, the event highlights how GUC social entrepreneurship can catalyse recovery while strengthening local governance.

Successful recovery efforts in Ukraine must be anchored in strong legal and governance frameworks to ensure sustainability, democratic resilience, and adherence to the rule of law. The Council of Europe has developed robust standards - encompassing human rights, social rights, governance and anti-corruption, cyber security, environmental protection, and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence - that directly impact reconstruction, investment and business climate, as well as social cohesion. This side event will focus on the enabling environment for economic renewal, competition in the levelled playing field market, capacity building, and alignment with European and international norms. Being at the forefront of accountability for Ukraine, the Council of Europe will have an important role to play in its recovery and reconstruction.

Safety. Recovery. Development.

Where safety begins, the future of communities begins.

This official side event of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 is dedicated to practical approaches to community recovery through the integration of safety, healthcare, mental health, education, rehabilitation, social entrepreneurship, and international partnership.

The event will present the Ukrainian model of multifunctional community recovery through international partnerships and provide a platform for dialogue and exchange of experience among representatives of government, local authorities, civil society, international organisations, donors, and experts committed to Ukraine’s recovery and long-term development.

The initiative brings together the experience, expertise, and best practices of Ukraine, European countries, Canada, the United States, the global Ukrainian community, and international partners to promote scalable models of resilient and sustainable community development.

Despite the full-scale war, Ukraine continues to place the human being at the center of everything — including the military. During the event, the Office of the Military Ombudsman (Ukraine) and Superhumans Center, together with partners, will share how cutting-edge technologies are saving lives on the front line, and why dignity and the right to life must remain the highest values.