New York: UN officials have warned that Ukraine faces staggering recovery needs, with reconstruction costs estimated at $588 billion over the next decade – roughly three times the country’s 2025 GDP.
Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, said the estimated recovery costs over ten years amount to three times Ukraine’s GDP in 2025.
Schmale referenced these figures during the launch of a “rapid damage and needs report” on Monday by the UN, the Ukrainian Government, the World Bank and the European Union.
The UN on Tuesday marked four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a high-level debate and renewed calls to end the war.
The General Assembly also passed a resolution reaffirming its strong commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
Schmale highlighted the war’s lasting effects, noting that up to one million veterans require reintegration support and a quarter of Ukraine’s territory may be contaminated by landmines.
“What this kind of report fails to fully capture is the destruction of the lives of human beings and their souls and mental well-being,” he said.
Meanwhile, reports on Tuesday indicated that Russian drone attacks injured at least five people in the frontline southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, with apartment blocks and public facilities hit.
“We are witnessing the devastating impact of systematic attacks on energy infrastructure that have disrupted electricity, heating and water supplies across the country, in some cases leaving entire towns without electricity and water supply for weeks,” Schmale said, speaking from Kyiv.
According to Schmale, 2023 was the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Data shows that at least 2,500 civilians were killed and more than 12,000 injured last year, a more than 30 per cent increase compared with 2024.
In response, countries were expected to take action on a draft resolution including a ceasefire call and confidence-building measures, such as the complete exchange of prisoners of war, releasing all unlawfully detained persons, and the return of all internees and civilians forcibly transferred and deported, including children.
Addressing journalists in Geneva, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock reflected on the broader political consequences, noting that the full-scale invasion by Russian troops on February 22, 2022, shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent. Baerbock stated that war must never be the new normal.
“Four years ago, people in Europe woke up in another world because generations like mine have always had the privilege to live a life in peace.
“But this changed four years ago with the full invasion by Russia of the neighbouring country of Ukraine,” Baerbock said.
Echoing the UN Secretary-General’s assessment, UN aid officials emphasised that the ongoing war “is a stain on our collective consciousness,” drawing attention to both the immense human and economic toll while appealing to the world to “never get used to war”.
Baerbock reinforced this message, stating, “This war needs to finally end… Any peace agreement must be grounded in the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,” and highlighting the continual threat civilians face.
“They told me count till 40, and if you’re still alive, you obviously made it because with the rockets being shot over the border, there is no time in many places to find a safer place,” Baerbock said.
He recounted the testimony of a teenage girl he met while visiting Kharkiv, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Russian border.
She called on the international community to “work every day for peace,” especially as reports emerge of further peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the Swiss city on Thursday.
Baerbock reiterated the urgency of an “immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire” that respected Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
Addressing reconstruction challenges, Schmale reiterated that up to one million veterans will need reintegration, with many suffering lifelong injuries.
He also stressed Ukraine’s extensive landmine contamination, with almost a quarter of its territory affected.
