Keeping Ukraine Warm: UNDP Seeks $500 Million to Turn Energy Equipment Into Power

UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau called for continued international funding after a week-long visit to communities rebuilding livelihoods and essential services despite continuing attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine's Ministry of Energy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are appealing for US$500 million to get critical energy equipment operating before winter adds pressure on households and public services. UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau called for continued international funding after a week-long visit to communities rebuilding livelihoods and essential services despite continuing attacks on civilian infrastructure. Energy equipment has reached the country; communities need it installed and working to help them cope with the cold.

In Kyiv, Coster-Waldau met people living with only a few rationed hours of electricity each day, bringing the human cost of damaged infrastructure into sharp focus. He described how unreliable power affects children's ability to study, families' efforts to stay warm and people's chances to work and plan for tomorrow. Those meetings revealed the daily consequences behind energy damage figures, showing how uncertainty over electricity reaches into homes, classrooms and working lives.

Coster-Waldau compared those experiences with a Danish television programme in which participants try living without electricity for a few days. Ukrainian households have faced uncertainty over power for years, making the disruption a continuing part of life during the war. He said international support was already helping communities recover, stressing the need to get available equipment working so people can benefit from reliable services.

Getting Energy Equipment Ready for Winter

The newly launched Ukraine Energy Installation Facility (UEIF) is the mechanism for the US$500 million appeal, supporting the installation of energy equipment already in Ukraine. Its work covers the practical steps needed to bring that equipment into service, including preparing sites, making grid connections, testing and commissioning. UNDP says this process can turn delivered equipment into functioning infrastructure that protects essential services and supports communities facing winter energy pressures.

In 2025, UNDP helped keep electricity, heat and water flowing for 6.6 million people through energy infrastructure repairs and emergency support. Auke Lootsma, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, said international assistance was producing visible improvements for communities facing urgent needs. He identified bringing available energy equipment into operation as one of the most direct ways partners can protect essential services before winter.

New Skills for Recovery on Land and Underwater

UNDP's longer-term work covers restoring essential infrastructure and public services, rebuilding livelihoods and local economies, strengthening local recovery capacity and addressing widespread explosive ordnance contamination. Coster-Waldau met veterans retraining as humanitarian deminers and women learning to operate heavy agricultural machinery, highlighting the skills people are developing as communities rebuild. He visited Ukraine's first dedicated underwater humanitarian demining training centre, established by UNDP, where specialists are learning to clear explosive hazards from waterways.

Sustained Support for Communities Rebuilding Their Lives

More than 20 donor partners directly support UNDP's work in Ukraine, including Norway, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and the European Union. Coster-Waldau said their assistance was producing practical improvements for communities facing the continuing effects of war and repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure. He described air raids occurring day and night during his visit and meeting people determined to keep working, creating and supporting one another.

The determination he witnessed came with a clear message that resilience should never be taken for granted, particularly as families face another difficult winter. Coster-Waldau stressed that people still need safety, stability and continued support, describing international assistance as a way to protect lives and preserve hope. He said a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine would benefit its own people and all of Europe, linking the country's recovery with the region's future.