The Ukraine Recovery Conference, organised by both the Italian and Ukrainian governments, was held in Rome on July 10 and 11 2025. The event was the fourth of the kind after those in Berlin (2024), London (2023) and Lugano (2022), dedicated to the swift recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, and represented the most significant support from Italy to translate solidarity towards Ukraine into tangible instruments of social, economic and institutional transformation of the country.
Thousands of foreign representatives, international organisations, Italian and international enterprises, local authorities and Italian, Ukrainian and international civil society associations took part in the event. During the Conference, a special panel titled “Strengthening the fabric of society: fostering inclusion and social cohesion in Ukraine’s recovery” was dedicated to the Italian, Ukrainian and international associations of persons with disabilities, to stress the importance and discuss the aspects of an inclusive recovery.
Additionally, a side event to the Conference took place on 9 July, thanks to the collaboration between the Italian Ministry for Disability and the European Disability Forum (EDF), at the presence of the most representative Italian and Ukrainian federations of and for people with disabilities. Under the title “A Human-Centred Recovery: Why Disability Inclusion Matters”, this event was opened by the Italian Minister for Disability Ms Alessandra Locatelli and EDF Vice-president Ms Gunta Anca. The latter reported that, as a result of the ongoing war actions, every month thousands of people suffer a permanent functional limitation, therefore increasing the estimated number of over 3 million persons with disabilities in Ukraine. The Italian Minister, on her part, underlined how fundamental Ukraine's recovery is, not only for the country itself but for Italy and Europe as well. She also disclosed that, during the Conference, she would sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Social Policies Dr. Iryna Postolovska. The memorandum foresees a programme of actions named “Inclusion first”, mostly dedicated to the support of children with cognitive disabilities, veterans and persons with disabilities during emergency and post-emergency situations.
At the side event, the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted (UICI) could also make its voice heard through a member of the national board, Mr Vincenzo Massa, who recalled the actions undertaken by the UICI in cooperation with the European Blind Union (EBU) and the EDF, to support the Ukrainian families hosted in Italy since the beginning of the war. He said that the resources invested in the Ukrainian recovery should mainly concern the sectors of education and work: the ones that can effectively foster active citizenship and participation of everyone in the life of the community.
Both during the side event and the panel discussion at the Conference, the associations representing persons with disabilities reiterated the importance of an inclusive recovery that prioritises the needs of people with disabilities and the accessibility to infrastructure and services, for the benefit of society as a whole.