The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on engaging international organizations to strengthen Ukraine's economic resilience.

On May 1, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha participated in an event of the International Organization for Migration in Ukraine related to presenting the results of the implementation of the "SME BOOST" project.

The project aims to restore Ukrainian businesses by implementing micro-credit programs, creating new jobs, and economically integrating internally displaced people. Among the main results of this project are:

• Grants were provided to 753 businesses and startups, including relocated and war-affected businesses;
• Over 2,000 new jobs were created;
• Over 5,000 jobs were saved.

Such projects undoubtedly contribute to creating conditions in the socioeconomic sphere for Ukrainians to return. Targeted grants and direct financial support, which IOM has provided since February 2022, help save specific businesses and overcome the consequences of Russian aggression towards the most vulnerable Ukrainian families.

"On our part, MFA will work with IOM to support businesses in entering foreign markets with active diaspora involvement. For this, a Memorandum of Cooperation between IOM and the NAZOVNI platform has been signed, which is a digital service that helps Ukrainian businesses enter new markets with the support of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions in more than 120 countries around the world," said First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine during the event.

Importantly, this work of IOM will be continued with the support of our partner, Germany, thanks to funding from the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany and the German Development Bank.

The experience gained in overcoming the challenges faced by micro and small businesses within the framework of this project will be considered in the new IOM project. It envisages supporting micro and small businesses and startups in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions through the provision of grants and consultations until the end of 2026.

Given the recent launch of IOM's Strategic Response Plan for Ukraine for 2024-2026, which has a total budget of $1.5 billion, IOM's main tasks in Ukraine will be to provide assistance in the recovery of affected communities and civil infrastructure, involve the Organization in implementing housing and microcredit programs, create jobs, etc.

In this regard, further joint work of MFA and IOM will focus on the following areas:

• Accelerating the digital transformation of MFA, as defined in the Cooperation Agreement between the MFA and IOM, signed on April 10 this year by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, D. Kuleba, and Director General of International Organization for Migration, A. Pope, during her visit to Ukraine. It will involve simplifying the process of obtaining consular services for Ukrainian citizens.
• Increasing the awareness of Ukrainian businesses about procurement for global UN needs. Currently, Ukraine is among the top 20 suppliers to the Organization. Despite the aggressor's blows to the country's economic infrastructure in recent years, the volume of UN procurement from Ukrainian suppliers has more than doubled (to $473 million). This is the result of our dialogue with the IOM and other UN system organizations. The total number of our businesses working with the UN is over 1,700 companies, and the number of suppliers with contracts worth over $1 million is 78%.