The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026 with a record amount of funding of 50 million euros. This was reported in the press service of the Council of Europe.
"The Action Plan "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" (2023-2026) was developed in close consultation with the Ukrainian authorities. It is part of our organization's contribution to the process of recovery and reconstruction of the country, which faced the brutal aggression of the Russian Federation and huge destruction," - said the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maria Pejchynovych Burich.
The new Action Plan is aimed at increasing the stability of state institutions by strengthening democratic governance and the rule of law and protecting human rights, added Pejchynovych-Burych.
The action plan is also aimed at supporting Ukraine's reform program after the EU's decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership.
The total budget of the four-year cooperation program is estimated at 50 million euros. This is the largest Council of Europe Action Plan budget for a single country.
It is noted that the Council of Europe will work with the Ukrainian authorities to resolve urgent needs and priorities, including by supporting the implementation of the steps outlined in the conclusion of the European Commission regarding Ukraine's application for membership, in particular, in the field of constitutional justice, the fight against corruption and money laundering. ; the development of an independent, effective and trustworthy judiciary; promotion of freedom of speech and media freedom, strengthening of protection of the rights of national minorities.
In addition, actions under the Plan in the CoE will support the process of documenting gross human rights violations and contribute to better protection of the rights of internally displaced persons, returnees and people whose housing has been destroyed or damaged by war.
Protection of children's rights during the war and in the post-war period, assistance in ensuring decent social protection of the population affected by the war is one of the goals of the Action Plan.
Other important areas include promoting gender equality and combating violence against women and girls, including displaced persons and returnees, following Ukraine's ratification of the Istanbul Convention earlier this year.
