On 19 September this year, the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) officially opened a branch in Kyiv. The new unit of the agency is intended to strengthen the management and efficiency of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction projects, increase the visibility of Lithuania and CPVA, and seek new opportunities for further cooperation between Lithuania and Ukraine.
This important step was welcomed at the branch opening event by more than one hundred guests from Ukraine, various diplomatic corps, and international organizations. Among them were Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Andriyovych Kachka, Ukraine’s Minister of Education Oksen Vasyliovych Lisovyi, and others.
“Today we know very clearly why we are here and why we are doing this. Because we believe in Ukraine. We believe in a strong Ukrainian state and in its creative people, whom we value as good and reliable friends. Lithuania itself has gone through a long path of European integration and knows well what great benefits it has brought us. We are not only ready to share our experience but also to learn from strong and brave Ukrainians,” said Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys at the opening of the CPVA branch in Kyiv.
Lithuania’s eyes, ears and hands in Ukraine
“The opening of the CPVA branch in Kyiv is an extremely important event both for the country’s international prestige and for Lithuania’s development cooperation and CPVA itself. By opening the first Lithuanian development cooperation office abroad in history, we not only strengthen Lithuania’s role as a reliable partner, but also clearly show our Ukrainian friends that Lithuania’s commitments to Ukraine are long-term and systemic,” stressed CPVA Director Indrė Šuolienė.
According to the head of the new CPVA branch in Kyiv, Šarūnas Radvilavičius, the European Commission and other international donors have shown exceptional trust in Lithuania and CPVA by entrusting projects of great importance to both Europe and Ukraine—rebuilding and developing education and healthcare infrastructure and accelerating reforms in Ukraine as it seeks EU membership.
“With the significant increase in the number and scope of these projects, it became clear that we need to have our eyes, ears, and hands right in Ukraine—not only to manage project implementation as effectively as possible but also to gather and unite around us other countries, institutions, and donors who want to support Ukraine,” said Šarūnas Radvilavičius.
Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction projects
CPVA has been operating in Ukraine since 2017. When Russia launched a new stage of military aggression, Lithuania was among the first to begin reconstruction work in Ukraine, implemented through CPVA. The agency focuses on areas such as access to education, veterans’ rehabilitation, energy, demining, and institutional strengthening—implementing projects financed by Lithuania, the European Union, and other donors.
Thanks to CPVA projects, thousands of Ukrainian children have already returned, and continue to return, to rebuilt kindergartens and schools. Dual-purpose shelters are being installed next to schools, where pupils can not only hide from enemy attacks but also spend time after classes. Rehabilitation centers are being renovated, where war veterans will receive innovative rehabilitation services, while alternative energy sources installed on the roofs of educational and healthcare institutions will help Ukrainians withstand energy disruptions.
The process of Ukraine’s EU accession is also being further strengthened, with the implementation of the “Create for Ukraine” program, aimed at encouraging young Ukrainians to return from abroad and work in the country’s public sector.
The fund of the International Demining Coalition, led by Lithuania together with Iceland, has already accumulated more than EUR 100 million. With these funds, CPVA is procuring urgently needed demining equipment for Ukraine. The rapidly expanding International Shelters Coalition is preparing for the construction and installation of new shelters in educational and healthcare institutions.
At present, CPVA is implementing programs and projects in Ukraine worth more than EUR 220 million. In total, since 2022 Lithuanian institutions have provided support to Ukraine amounting to EUR 1.55 billion.
During the branch opening, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs signed a cooperation memorandum with the Zhytomyr City Municipality and Ukraine’s Recovery Agency regarding the first stage of construction of the “Future School for Ukraine.”
Photos by Stas Kartashov
