IInitiative from Wetter Builds International Partnerships for the Reconstruction of Ukraine
(Wetteraner Bote Nr. 33 - 14.08.2026)
How can we ensure that young Ukrainians who have lived abroad for years because of the war will one day voluntarily return to their home country and successfully reintegrate there? This is the question I am addressing together with our non-profit association FIZE – Forum for International Future & Development Partnerships in Wetter. Under its umbrella, we are currently developing the MICT UA initiative.
Over the past few weeks, I have been in Ukraine and held numerous discussions with ministries, universities and regional partners. A particular focus was on the Odesa region. There, I had the opportunity to present the concept to, among others, the Regional Development Agency of Odesa Region. The discussions focused on how young people can be supported in voluntarily returning after the end of the war and how they can be integrated into society, education and the labour market in the long term.
MICT UA pursues a practice-oriented approach. The aim is to facilitate the return and reintegration process, for example through paid internships or trainee programmes, intensive language support, and cooperation between companies, universities and regional administrations. International experience and qualifications should not be lost, but instead be put to targeted use for Ukraine’s future and reconstruction. For me, one thing is clear: the reconstruction of Ukraine will not be solely a matter of buildings and infrastructure. It will also be crucial whether young people can be encouraged to return and offered genuine prospects for their future in their home country.
The discussions in Odesa have shown that there is interest in such approaches. Together with regional partners, we are currently exploring possibilities for initial pilot regions. In addition to Odesa, the Transcarpathia region is also intended to be included in the further development of the initiative in the future.
With FIZE, we aim to build international partnerships from Wetter between municipalities, universities, companies and public institutions and to develop concrete projects for the future. Further information about our association and MICT UA can be found at www.fize-ev.de.
As a non-profit association, we depend on membership fees and donations to carry out our work. We therefore welcome not only interest in our projects and new contacts, but also people from Wetter and beyond who would like to support our work by becoming a member or making a donation.
Wolf Hannes Kalden
