With the war in Ukraine having gone well past the 100-day-mark, European leaders on Monday gathered in Lugano, Switzerland, for the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2022), a two-day event wherein a path to recovery will be charted for the war-torn eastern European country.

Also read | Another $820 million for Ukraine, including missile systems, says US

What URC 2022 is about:

The conference in Lugano was initially supposed to be the fifth edition of the Ukraine Reform Conference, an annual high-level meeting to discuss the progress of reforms and reform priorities in the eastern European country.

However, after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine on February 24, Switzerland and Ukraine jointly re-purposed the conference and renamed it to focus on Kyiv’s immediate priorities and chart a path to recovery.

According to the official website of the conference, “Lugano will be a unique opportunity for Ukraine to share its Recovery Plan and engage with the international partners to develop the best possible response to the enormous challenges lying ahead.”

Also read | Ukraine’s guided missile destroys Russian tank near Kherson | Watch

The agenda of URC 2022:

The conference will focus on several aspects related to Ukraine’s economic recovery.

Namely, the Recovery and Development Plan of Ukraine (in line with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s UNITED24 initiative) will be discussed at URC 2022, in addition to the “methods, priorities and principles” of recovery.

Socio-economic, infrastructure, and environmental recovery will also be discussed along with reforms that are possible or required in Ukraine’s current situation.

It should be noted, however, that the URC 2022 is not a pledging conference wherein states will pledge money to Ukraine, but will instead focus on identifying priorities and processes associated with the reconstruction process.

Also read | Putin hits back at Johnson’s claim a woman wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine

URC 2022 attendees:

According to news agency AFP, more than 1,000 officials and diplomats from several European Union (EU) nations, international organizations, and civil society organizations.

Ukraine President Zelensky will attend the conference virtually, while a team of more than 100 Ukrainian diplomats led by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will attend the conference physically in Lugano.

European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen will also be in attendance, as will the heads of eight European nations, including Poland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic.

High level delegations from 37 other countries and 14 international organizations will also attend the conference.