CSIS Launches New Ukraine Economic Reconstruction Commission

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2022: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce the launch of the bipartisan and international Ukraine Economic Reconstruction Commission.

The work of the commission will be led by three experienced cochairs: Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs; Greg Page, former CEO and chairman of Cargill; and Michael Polsky, founder and CEO of Invenergy.

The aim of the commission is to produce a framework for the crucial reforms needed to attract private sector investment to support Ukraine’s economic reconstruction. A successful reconstruction of Ukraine is imperative to upholding values of freedom and democracy and vital to global security. The commission's work will seek to align with the recently announced Ukraine’s National Recovery Plan, which lays out the Ukrainian government’s plan for recovery. To support the commission, CSIS will convene a series of working groups. These working groups will be led by CSIS scholars and include technical experts from around the world, including Ukraine, and will produce a series of short policy papers on a range of issue-specific areas, including rebuilding the agricultural sector, the energy sector, and transportation and logistics, as well as addressing the impact of corruption on private sector investment.

“It is essential that Ukraine not only defeat Russia’s aggression but promptly rebuild its economy. This timely CSIS commission will work on helping Ukraine’s crucial postwar recovery,” said Paula Dobriansky, commission cochair.

Greg Page, commission cochair, added, “We cannot feed a growing and more prosperous global population in an affordable and sustainable manner without a vibrant Ukrainian agriculture. Reaping the benefit of Ukraine’s vast agrarian potential will require the restoration and enhancement of the transportation and storage infrastructure. We need to think now about how to marshal the necessary resources to make this happen in a timely fashion.”

Commission cochair Michael Polsky also added, “Ukraine has a prosperous future, and Ukraine will be a free member of the community of nations. I’ve spent my whole life breaking the paradigms of what is possible to build a more sustainable world. Part of helping Ukraine rebuild itself into a free and prosperous nation in the years to come will be helping Ukraine rethink how it does business, how it powers its economy and people, and how it connects itself to the world. That is why I am committed to the important work of this commission.”

Daniel F. Runde, senior vice president and director of the Project on Prosperity and Development at CSIS, will direct the commission, which will be composed of a bipartisan group of U.S., European, and Ukrainian experts.

“As Ukraine continues to resist Russia’s unprovoked invasion, the time is ripe to look at how Ukraine’s economy will recover after the war,” said Mr. Runde. He added, “Attracting private sector investment will be critical to securing Ukraine’s place in the Euro-Atlantic world.”

Ukraine’s reconstruction will require collaborative, innovative solutions, as well as significant support from both the private and public sectors. CSIS is proud and excited to facilitate the work of this commission.