As part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk, the panel discussion «Integrated Community Recovery: Building Back Better» was held, focusing on modern approaches to community recovery, the development of local self-government, and the use of digital technologies for planning Ukraine's reconstruction. 

During the discussion, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Artem Rybchenko stressed that Ukraine's recovery is not merely about reconstructing individual facilities, but about creating a new model of community development based on the Build Back Better principle.

«Today, we are talking about the future model of development of a European state. The decisions we make today will determine how millions of people will live, work and invest over the coming decades», — said Artem Rybchenko.

According to him, the scale of Ukraine's recovery is unprecedented. According to the latest RDNA5 assessment, recovery needs have already exceeded EUR 588 billion and continue to grow due to Russia's ongoing aggression. Therefore, traditional planning approaches are no longer sufficient.

Particular attention during the panel was devoted to the digital tools that the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine is introducing to manage the country's recovery. In particular, AI Cube and the Reconstruction Intelligence Platform were presented at URC 2026 as a pilot digital product with integrated artificial intelligence for planning the comprehensive recovery of communities.

The platform integrates data from 47 state databases, incorporates international reconstruction standards, EU directives, Ukrainian legislation and international best practices. Based on this data, artificial intelligence models optimal community development scenarios, develops investment projects, forecasts infrastructure needs, and helps identify the most effective sources of financing.

According to Artem Rybchenko, while preparing a comprehensive recovery scenario for a city previously could take two to three years, with the use of artificial intelligence this process can now take only a few hours. This significantly accelerates decision-making, improves the efficiency of international assistance, and minimises risks during project implementation.

The Reconstruction Intelligence Platform also automatically calculates communities' needs for housing, roads, utility networks, energy infrastructure and social facilities, while generating investment-ready projects for potential donors and private investors. 

One of the platform's key features is that European standards and directives are already integrated into its planning algorithms, which will facilitate Ukraine's faster integration into the common European space.

The discussion also focused on the role of local self-government. Participants emphasised that the decentralisation reform has created communities capable of making decisions, mobilising resources and ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of services even during the full-scale war. The resilience of Ukrainian communities has become one of the key factors enabling the country to defend itself and recover simultaneously.

The Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine continues to implement an integrated approach to community recovery that combines strategic planning, modern digital tools, the development of local self-government, and active partnership with international financial institutions and businesses. This model is intended to create communities that are stronger, safer, more energy-efficient and more competitive than they were before the start of the full-scale war. 

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