With funding from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), UNOPS is delivering specialized medical equipment to help healthcare workers in eastern Ukraine save lives under severe wartime conditions.The road toward Kharkiv bears the unmistakable scars of ongoing war. Wrecked roadside infrastructure, fuel stations, and warehouses sit surrounded by overgrown summer greenery.In Kharkiv itself, just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, air raid sirens warning of incoming drones and missiles are daily background noise. For the regional healthcare system, this environment creates an overwhelming double challenge: treating a surge in complex blast injuries while managing the cumulative physical and emotional stress on the local population.To expand capacity where systems are strained most, UNOPS partnered with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to procure and deliver critical diagnostic and surgical machinery. The initial equipment arrived in the summer of 2026, with further high-capacity deliveries rolling out through the end of the year. Kharkiv & Izium support at a glance30 km from active frontlines in Kharkiv and Izium+15,000 annual surgeries supported at just one regional diagnostic centre24/7 care: Off-the-grid mobile diagnostic capability during active power blackouts and air raidsMulti-facility relief: Delivering critical machinery across city and regional healthcare facilitiesMobility for long-term recovery“Living with a prosthesis is a skill that needs to be learned and mastered.” 
Andrii Chuhaiev, Medical Director at a regional rehabilitation centre.At a regional rehabilitation facility in Kharkiv, multidisciplinary teams of orthopaedists, physical therapists, and psychologists work alongside patients for months at a time, helping them adapt to limb prostheses.To support routine monitoring without causing patients unnecessary pain or movement, the centre received a battery-powered, mobile X-ray unit on wheels.“The new equipment opens up new abilities,” explains Dr. Chuhaiev. “Our patients often have multiple injuries, and the mobile X-ray allows us to check on all of them. It’s also mobile and autonomous, which means we can operate it in the shelter during an emergency, and it will keep working even if a blackout occurs.”  Precision in the operating roomA few blocks away, at a major regional hospital performing over 15,000 surgeries annually, doctors face a different operational hurdle: treating multiple critical trauma cases arriving at the exact same time.A newly delivered surgical C-arm X-ray machine now provides surgeons with real-time, live imaging of bone structures during procedures.“We are now dealing with trauma that we had not been exposed to before the war,” says Anton, head of X-ray and diagnostics department. A challenge we face is that when an incident happens, multiple patients in difficult conditions arrive at the same time. The hospital needs to be equipped and staffed to treat them simultaneously. The new equipment addresses this issue for us.” Restoring essential care on the frontlinesSouth-east of Kharkiv, in the town of Izium ‒ less than 30 kilometers from active combat ‒ the local hospital continues to serve its community despite suffering severe damage earlier in the war.UNOPS and KSrelief delivered a specialized biochemical blood analyser and medical refrigeration units to stabilize the hospital’s  blood bank, a vital lifeline for emergency surgical care. “The resilience of the medical staff we have met in Izium hospital is incredible,” noted Marysia Zapasnik, Head of Programme at UNOPS Ukraine and East Europe. “UNOPS is proud that together with KSrelief we are able to provide them with the precise tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.” Turning emergency response into sustainable careIn the rehabilitation wards of Kharkiv and the operating rooms of Izium, every new piece of equipment represents more than modern technology ‒ it buys vital time, protects dignity, and keeps life-saving care accessible under fire. By equipping frontline medical teams with tools built for blackouts and crisis conditions, UNOPS and KSrelief are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine's health workers, ensuring resilience is backed by the resources needed to save lives. 

Social cohesion is not built through statements of unity. It is built through the systems, skills and institutions that enable societies to manage disagreements, address tensions and make fair decisions together. In Ukraine, the word ‘dialogue’ requires careful explanation. It has sometimes been understood as a euphemism for concessions to the aggressor state, and Ukrainian society understandably reacts strongly to such framing.But an important distinction must be made. Dialogue as an instrument of foreign policy is one question. Dialogue as domestic infrastructure — the capacity of communities to address disputes, rebuild trust and solve problems together — is another. It is this second form of dialogue that deserves greater attention as Ukraine advances recovery and reconstruction. Cohesion is built through practiceConflict exists in every society. What determines resilience is whether people have trusted and constructive ways to address it. When such mechanisms exist, disagreements can inform decisions. When they do not, grievances may remain unresolved and deepen over time.Ukrainian society has demonstrated extraordinary solidarity since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Recognising emerging internal tensions does not weaken that unity; it helps communities address them before they develop into deeper divisions.Some tensions are already visible. Wartime experiences have differed sharply — including displacement abroad, internal displacement, military service, caregiving, loss of homes and loved ones, or years spent living under bombardment. Host communities face pressure on housing, employment and public services. Veterans returning to civilian life and the communities receiving them must navigate new expectations and needs. Questions of language, identity and belonging also require particularly careful handling.These challenges are not evidence of societal fragility. They are consequences of an experience of extraordinary scale and intensity. The task is to ensure that people have safe, fair and credible ways to address them.Through my work, including visits to frontline, war-affected and host communities, I have observed several recurring patterns.First, the visible issue is often not the underlying issue. A dispute that appears to concern assistance or resources may reflect deeper questions of recognition, fairness or belonging. Once these concerns are acknowledged, practical solutions often become easier to identify.Second, many tensions exist within communities rather than between clearly defined groups. These dynamics are rarely visible from the capital or through reports alone. Understanding them requires direct engagement and a sustained local presence.Third, impartial facilitators can create space for difficult conversations. When community members raise sensitive issues themselves, they may be perceived as representing one side. A trusted third party can help ensure that different perspectives are heard without allowing the process to be captured by any particular interest.Beyond individual disputes, dialogue serves a broader purpose. War and recovery are reshaping expectations between the state and citizens who have carried very different burdens, as well as among citizens themselves. These relationships will be shaped through thousands of practical conversations about compensation, public services, veterans’ employment, return and reintegration, and participation in local decision-making.Acknowledging differences in experience is the first step. The second is to treat those differences not automatically as fault lines, but as realities that public institutions and communities must be able to navigate. Difference that is recognised and given a constructive channel can become a resource. Difference that is denied can become a division. Why dialogue capacity matters nowA common argument is that dialogue mechanisms can wait until after the war. Experience suggests otherwise.Trust takes time to build. Credible local facilitation and mediation capacity cannot be created overnight. Ukraine has already established a legislative foundation through the 2021 Law on Mediation. The next stage is to translate that framework into accessible practice through trained professionals, trusted institutions, quality standards and local referral mechanisms. The law establishes mediation as a voluntary, confidential procedure and defines the principles and requirements governing it.  The potential need is substantial: compensation for damaged homes; property, inheritance and land disputes; return and reintegration in areas retaken by the Government of Ukraine; access to services; and employment challenges connected with veterans’ transition to civilian life.Not every disagreement requires mediation, and dialogue should never replace legal remedies or accountability. But when appropriate disputes are addressed early and fairly, individuals save time, institutions reduce pressure on administrative and judicial systems, and communities have a better chance of preserving relationships.Learning from others while respecting Ukraine’s contextInternational experience can offer valuable lessons, tools and examples. But global dialogue and mediation models cannot simply be transferred to Ukraine. Some need adaptation; others require their underlying assumptions to be reconsidered.Programmes that prioritise formal models or qualifications without sufficient attention to local legitimacy risk creating mechanisms that communities do not trust or use. Ukraine’s social dynamics also cannot be reduced to a framework of ‘two sides’ within society. The fundamental cause of the war is Russia’s external aggression, and any approach must recognise that reality.Practical solutions are often more effective when dialogue is connected to concrete issues: housing, compensation, access to services, employment or local decision-making.The objective is therefore not to create dialogue platforms for their own sake. It is to embed dialogue and mediation approaches in recovery processes where people already face real questions requiring fair and workable solutions. Impartiality, not neutralityFor international organisations supporting dialogue and mediation, one distinction is particularly important: impartiality is not synonymous with neutrality.The United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation defines impartiality as the ability to conduct a balanced process that treats all participants fairly, while recognising that a UN mediator remains bound by universal principles, international law and applicable normative frameworks.  The UN’s engagement in Ukraine is grounded in the UN Charter and relevant General Assembly resolutions, which reaffirm Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and call for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with international law.  This normative position is fully compatible with ensuring fair and inclusive domestic processes. When communities address tensions involving displaced people and host communities, veterans and employers, or residents and local authorities, the process must give participants a meaningful opportunity to be heard.International support can add value by convening actors, contributing comparative experience and sustaining long-term investment. But international actors cannot create local legitimacy. That belongs to Ukrainian institutions, professionals and communities. The role of partners is to strengthen their capacity, not replace it.A shared responsibility for recoveryBuilding social cohesion is a collective effort.The state provides legal safeguards and institutional frameworks. International partners contribute resources, expertise and continuity. Civil society organisations and mediation professionals bring local knowledge and trust. Local governments are where these elements must come together in practice.The strongest results emerge when institutions create space, partners provide sustained support and local actors lead. This also requires appropriate safeguards: participation must be voluntary and inclusive, power imbalances must be recognised, and dialogue must not be used as a substitute for rights, accountability or access to justice.Investing in the foundations of recoveryRecovery is often measured through visible achievements: kilometres of roads rebuilt, energy capacity restored and homes reconstructed. But rebuilding a country also means rebuilding relationships between people.A community may have new infrastructure and still struggle if residents cannot influence decisions, address grievances or resolve disagreements fairly. Reconstruction restores buildings; social cohesion helps restore the relationships that allow communities and institutions to function.The scale of investment ahead is immense. The Fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment estimates Ukraine’s ten-year recovery and reconstruction needs at almost $588 billion, including more than $96 billion for transport and nearly $91 billion for energy.Social cohesion is not costed as a standalone RDNA5 sector. This should not be mistaken for marginal importance. It is an enabling condition for effective recovery: when people can participate in decisions, challenge them through fair processes and address disputes early, reconstruction is more likely to strengthen public trust rather than generate new grievances.The foundations already exist — in Ukrainian communities, legislation and professional networks. The priority now is to integrate dialogue and mediation into recovery planning, strengthen trusted local capacity and ensure that these mechanisms are available wherever reconstruction creates difficult choices or competing claims.Ukraine does not need dialogue as an abstract slogan. It needs dialogue as practical infrastructure for recovery — and that infrastructure must be built now.

We are preserving the building’s architectural character while modernising its interior, preparing classrooms and other spaces for the return of pupils and teachers.Built in 1892 in central Mykolaiv, Mykola Arkas Lyceum survived both world wars. Its distinctive façade, with its columns, entrance porch and dome, became part of the city’s architectural heritage. In November 2022, two Russian S-300 missiles struck the building, threatening its survival. Part of the façade collapsed. The main entrance porch and part of the upper floor structure were destroyed, while deep cracks appeared in the masonry and arches. Although the foundations survived, the building remained at risk of further collapse. The lyceum was fenced off to protect passers-by, and emergency responders installed temporary supports inside to hold the surviving structures in place.The city authorities began looking for a way to save the building. For Mykolaiv, restoring the lyceum means preserving an important part of the city’s identity and bringing its pupils, who had been transferred to a neighbouring school, back to their own classrooms.A UNOPS project, funded by the Government of Denmark, is helping to bring that day closer by restoring the lyceum building. As Mykolaiv’s strategic partner, Denmark is investing in the city’s recovery and long-term development even as the war continues. The restoration of the lyceum became part of this strategy in autumn 2023. Before restoration could begin, the risk of collapse during the works had to be addressed. The work was therefore broadly divided into two phases: stabilisation and restoration.UNOPS arranged an international expert review of the existing design documentation provided by the city, commissioned a separate design for stabilising the building and selected a contractor through a competitive tendering process. Engineering assessments, revisions to the design and securing a construction permit took time, but laid the groundwork for the works to proceed safely. The stabilisation phase began in January 2025. Construction teams dismantled unsafe sections, reinforced adjoining structures, built new structural elements to support the restoration of the façade, carried out major repairs to the roof and walls, and deepened and waterproofed the basement in preparation for its future use as a shelter. As the structures were exposed, it became clear that more work was needed than initially anticipated. Some original beams required reinforcement or replacement, and entire sections of the floor structure had to be rebuilt. The deep foundations and the foundations beneath the columns also required reinforcement and waterproofing. The additional work and periods of adverse weather extended the stabilisation phase by approximately four months. This crucial stage was completed in May 2026, making the building safe for further restoration.“The stabilisation phase was the most critical and complex. During the works, we encountered a number of situations that would have been difficult to anticipate,” says Teresa Molero Rodriguez, UNOPS senior project manager. “We recognise the cultural value of the lyceum, both for the people of Mykolaiv and for Ukraine. That is why we approach the work with the utmost care and respect.” The next phase, approved by Denmark in late 2025, brings together two closely connected objectives: preserving the building’s historic character and adapting it so that children can safely attend lessons in person. The scope of this phase was also defined by the research and design documentation prepared by the city, in consultation with the cultural heritage departments of the city and regional administrations and the project’s lead architect.As work continues, the building is revealing more of its history. After removing plaster, the team discovered original ventilation channels concealed within the walls. This finding allowed the engineers to refine the design: in most classrooms, the existing channels are being restored for reuse, reducing the need to install new surface-mounted ductwork. Another glimpse into the past came with the discovery of an arch earlier in the works, at foundation level. This concealed structure has already been reinforced. It will be preserved in its original form and used as an additional passageway. Naturally, work on the façade has attracted particular interest among local residents. Careful selection of materials is helping to preserve the building’s familiar appearance. To restore the walls, craftspeople are using limestone, the same stone from which the lyceum was originally built. White limestone is used in the inner layers of masonry, while yellow limestone, similar to the original stone, is used on the outer face. Even in concealed sections, the walls’ original stone construction is being replicated. Surviving decorative features serve as models for recreating those that were lost. Moulds are made from the original elements and used to cast new capitals, pilasters and cornices. The façade’s columns will once again be adorned with the characteristic scrolls of Ionic capitals. Every stage of the restoration is coordinated with the cultural heritage authorities.“We often have to obtain separate permissions even for things such as the colour of the roof, the colour of the mortar joints or the removal of elements from the façade,” says Vera Sarry, the project’s civil engineer. Installation of the main dome, perhaps the building’s most recognisable feature, is beginning at attic level. Its geometry and proportions are being recreated to match its historic appearance. Part of the original dome survived the damage, and so the team was able to take precise measurements and produce templates for the new elements.Alongside the preservation of historic features, the restoration will substantially improve conditions inside the lyceum. Heating, water supply, drainage and electrical systems, computer networks and fire alarms will all be upgraded to provide a modern learning environment. New windows and doors will improve the building’s energy efficiency.Accessibility is an integral part of the project. Ramps, platform lifts, accessible toilets and tactile paving will help children and adults with access needs move around the school. To allow children to continue learning safely during aerial threats, a safe space is being fitted out in the basement, covering approximately 714 square metres and accommodating 434 pupils and 51 teaching and support staff.Restoration is scheduled for completion in late 2027, although unforeseen work and the situation in the region may affect the timeline. Every restored arch, reinforced wall and refurbished classroom brings the lyceum closer to reopening.

Let me start with a very personal reflection. I was born in Botswana, in Southern Africa, before it gained its independence.  At the time the country was in a period of transition from being colonized as the Bechuanaland Protectorate to becoming an independent nation. When someone asks me what independence means, I instinctively think of countries once colonized, gaining their freedom, sometimes through revolution and war, sometimes through negotiated political change. Ukraine, in 2026, is not a country fighting for its independence. It declared  independence in 1991 after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. What Ukraine is doing now is fighting to preserve it, against a reality that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and escalated in 2022 into a full-scale invasion by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Recognition by the international community is a core element of independence. Formally joining the UN - founded in 1945 - has long been a form of recognition of a nation's independence by the world. One of the 51 countries that signed the UN’s Charter in 1945 was the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. When Ukraine became independent in 1991, it kept its membership in the UN and thus its recognition as an independent state. 
Commemorating this 35th Independence Day in the middle of a war means is marked by Ukraine defending the independence and territorial integrity it secured 35 years ago. What can Ukrainians expect from the UN in preserving its independence? Our Secretary-General has remarked that the UN’s main tool for preventing and ending wars is not an army or weapons, but advocacy, speaking out, and upholding the UN Charter and International Humanitarian Law. Like people elsewhere facing war and conflict, I know Ukrainians watch closely what the UN says. The expectation is that the UN upholds its recognition of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its 1991 borders, and that it names any violation of that territorial integrity for what it is. A second instrument the UN has is peacekeeping: the UN has no army of its own, but can - on the basis of a Security Council resolution - deploy forces voluntarily provided by member states to keep the peace.   As things stand, the Security Council has not mandated the UN to deploy peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.  Incidentally I have met Ukrainians who have proudly served in UN peacekeeping forces.  And on June 5 this year Ukrainian Serhii Prykhodko was posthumously awarded the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage—the UN's highest peacekeeping honor.  Serhii Prykhodko was a private contractor with a helicopter crew who served in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. In March 2025, he volunteered to take the place of a less experienced colleague during a high-risk air evacuation to extract a group of besieged soldiers in the Upper Nile State. Tragically, Mr. Prykhodko lost his life, and two crewmates were injured when their helicopter came under fire during the mission. His actions and willingness to place himself in front of danger to carry out the mission helped save lives amid escalating violence in the area.  Could the UN play a role if a ceasefire agreement is reached? There are too many unknowns to say what a future ceasefire agreement might look like, including how it would consider territory that is currently under temporary occupation. But whatever shape it takes, someone would need to monitor a ceasefire agreement, and using the UN’s vast experience and instruments would be one option.  Subject to being mandated by Member States through its governance, the Seceretariat of the UN will always be ready to support the monitoring and implementation of a ceasefire, and hopefully one day a more comprehensive peace agreement. What is the UN doing right now to help Ukraine preserve its independence? As long as the war continues, at minimum we have to stand by the people of this country and help them deal with its impact. That is our humanitarian work: helping millions of people, in close cooperation with national authorities and mostly through non governmental organizations and civil society. It includes very concrete protection work, for example helping people who fled their homes and lost their documents re-establish their legal identity, and working with government and partners to protect and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. It also includes early recovery. Any country that wants to preserve its independence needs functioning infrastructure and institutions.  It is impressive to witness how much Ukraine has maintained functioning institutions into the fifth year of this war. A great deal of infrastructure has been destroyed - energy installations, warehousing, storage for agricultural products - and the UN has done considerable work helping to recover and rebuild it. Throughout these years of war, the UN system has also worked with Ukrainian authorities to keep basic government services running such as health care, education, getting children back into classrooms. For me, this is part of independence too: a country cannot be viably independent without functioning public services that remain accessible to those most at risk of being left behind. A “club” of members with rules and financial contributions The UN belongs to its member states; it is, in a sense, a club, whose members determine its rules, including what constitutes an independent nation. That is why wars and invasions are debated in New York, at the General Assembly and the Security Council. Member states carry the responsibility of upholding the club's rules and calling on those who violate them to return to respecting what has been collectively agreed. None of the concrete work I have described, humanitarian, protection, early recovery, is possible without the financial support of member states. The work we do depends on Member States footing the bill, just as Ukraine's ability to remain a functioning, independent country depends on their continued commitment.  With the backing of Member States, the 20 UN Agencies present in Ukraine with almost 3000 personell will through its humanitarian, protection, recovery, human rights monitoring and advocacy work maintain its commitment to Ukraine's citizens and their independence gained in 1991. And this commitment will not end when the war does; we will be here for what comes after, too.