One of Europe's largest political and economic gatherings of the year, the two-day conference has drawn dozens of international delegations, including heads of state, government ministers, and leaders of major international banks.
Paweł Kowal, Poland's government commissioner for Ukraine's reconstruction and chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said around 200 agreements, memoranda and letters of intent would be signed during the conference, many of them involving Polish institutions and interests.
"We are very proud that this great gathering—probably the largest this year, the largest political and economic conference in Europe—is taking place in Gdańsk, at the highest level," he said.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen delivered an opening address.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. About 30 international organizations are participating, along with representatives of the world's leading banks.
The scale of the challenge ahead was underscored at a preparatory meeting on Wednesday, where Oleksii Riabykin, a Ukrainian deputy minister for communities and territorial development, put reconstruction costs at around EUR 600 billion.
He said more than 4.5 million people remain internally displaced, around 2,000 settlements in frontline areas across 10 regions are affected, and some 6 million people are living in those zones.
"All of this creates enormous challenges for our country," he said.
Riabykin said Ukraine is shifting from emergency response to long-term planning, with nearly 1,000 local governments having already prepared portfolios of priority reconstruction projects.
"Our task today is not only to rebuild what was destroyed," he said. "We must use the reconstruction process as an opportunity to create stronger local communities and regions. Every investment should support resilience, economic growth, job creation, better services, and Ukraine's progress toward European Union standards."
Gdańsk Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz said the city plans to sign 30 partnership agreements during the conference, with Ukrainian cities as well as counterparts in Spain, Germany and France.
Gdańsk already has partnerships with Ukraine's Mariupol and Odesa.
"From Ukrainians we can learn resilience, and we can share with Ukrainians our knowledge of how to prepare for accession to the European Union," she said.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference focuses on international economic and defense assistance to Ukraine as it resists Russia's invasion.
Previous editions were held in Lugano, London, Berlin and Rome.
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Source: PAP