Policy Brief

The document argues that Ukraine's transition to a sustainable economy requires confronting powerful financial-industrial interest groups that have historically profited from resource extraction and corruption. It recommends integrating anti-corruption and environmental agendas, increasing community-led decentralised recovery, and leveraging wartime self-help initiatives in energy and agriculture to ensure a truly green reconstruction.

• Ukraine has set ambitious green recovery targets following the June 2023 Ukrainian Recovery Conference in London, including the phase-out of coal by 2035, the production of over 40 million tonnes of 'green steel', and the creation of more than 100 GW of new green generation capacity.
• A significant risk to green reconstruction is the continued influence of financial-industrial interest groups that have dominated the economy since the late 1990s. These groups have historically captured governance institutions and used a business model based on extracting maximum rents from polluting sectors, which is described as 'inimical to green and sustainable economic development'.
• While the war and 'deloligarchisation' policies have weakened some established oligarchic groups, there is a risk that new actors may emerge using the same corrupt business models, including the manipulation of privatisation processes and the blurring of lines between private resources and political parties.
• The document warns that wartime trends toward centralised government power under President Zelensky and the closure of open data platforms may persist post-war, potentially exacerbating tensions between central and municipal governments and hindering the work of anti-corruption investigators.
• Civil society is identified as a primary driver for reform, with a January 2023 survey showing that 71% of Kyiv and regional CSOs prioritise the modernisation of state institutions and 51% of regional CSOs prioritise environmental recovery.
• The brief argues that environmental justice and anti-corruption efforts have historically been 'siloed' in Ukraine, and calls for the environmental sector to be integrated into national governance and anti-corruption priorities to prevent the depletion of resources for short-term private gain.
• Decentralised recovery approaches are recommended to counterbalance centralised corruption risks, specifically by building on wartime community initiatives: rooftop solar and ground-mounted installations in the energy sector, and smallholder self-help initiatives in agriculture.
• The forestry sector faces increased risks of illegal logging due to restricted government and CSO oversight during the war, and there is a stated need for platforms to engage forest communities in biodiversity conservation and governance.

APA

Paterson, A., & Teleshun, I. (2024). Policy Brief. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/768/6dlu85ky3d_The_political_economy_of_a_green_recovery_in_Ukraine_final.pdf

Chicago

Paterson, Anna, and Iaroslav Teleshun. Policy Brief. WWF International, 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/768/6dlu85ky3d_The_political_economy_of_a_green_recovery_in_Ukraine_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paterson |first1=Anna |last2=Teleshun |first2=Iaroslav |title=Policy Brief |publisher=WWF International |date=February 2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/768/6dlu85ky3d_The_political_economy_of_a_green_recovery_in_Ukraine_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paterson2024policy, author = {Paterson, Anna and Teleshun, Iaroslav}, title = {{Policy Brief}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/768/6dlu85ky3d_The_political_economy_of_a_green_recovery_in_Ukraine_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }