This week, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ukraine, Alle Dorhout, paid his first official visit to Chernihiv region, where he met with the head of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, to discuss ways to ensure sustainable recovery in the region.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the OpenDoorUkraine.NL team, as well as partners Hempire UA and Rawblox, who are implementing the joint Build Back Bio initiative.
The key topic of the visit was the presentation of the Build Back Bio project, a Dutch-Ukrainian initiative implemented with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Ukraine Partnership Facility (UPF) programme.
Build Back Bio is a programme aimed at creating 450 innovative bio-houses for communities affected by the war. The houses are built from Ukrainian biomaterials — straw, hemp, clay and wood — in compliance with European standards of energy efficiency, climate neutrality and circular economy.
The programme includes:
– 100 turnkey houses for families who have lost their homes;
– 350 frame eco-houses, which will be implemented in co-financing with the state programme eVidnovuvannya;
– Three new production lines for the manufacture of bio-panels in Ukraine, which will provide local communities with jobs and new skills in the field of green construction.
During the visit, participants had the opportunity to visit pilot projects already being implemented by the OpenDoorUkraine.NL fund in the village of Novoselivka, including straw and hemp houses that demonstrate the practical implementation of the Build Back Bio concept. These buildings have become an example of how Ukrainian materials and innovative technologies can combine environmental friendliness, affordability and comfort for future residents.
This initiative is not just about housing. It is about trust, partnership and a vision of the future in which Ukraine’s reconstruction is based on the principles of the European Green Deal and decent work.
We are grateful to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its consistent support, as well as to all our partners who prove every day that sustainable development is not just a slogan, but a path to a decent life for Ukrainian families.
