Statement by Jutta Urpilainen - European Commissioner for International Partnerships - 107th Meeting of the Development Committee - April 12, 2023 - Washington, DC

Jul 19, 2026

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Statement by Jutta Urpilainen to the 107th Meeting of the Development Committee in Washington, DC on April 12, 2023. It outlines Russia’s war impact on civilians and on food and energy, and reaffirms unwavering EU support totaling more than EUR 67 billion for Ukraine. It highlights renewed Black Sea Grain Initiative efforts, IMF financing approval, and coordination through a Multi-Agency Donor Platform, then addresses broader vulnerabilities after COVID-19 and the need to reform multilateral development bank capacity, mission, operating models, and climate-and-biodiversity-aligned financing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

107th Meeting of the Development Committee

EU support to Ukraine and coordination mechanisms

Economic impacts and global vulnerabilities

Reform of multilateral development banks and focus areas

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors ofthe Bank and the Fund on the Transfer of Real Resources to Developing Countries) ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH MEETING WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 12, 2023 DC/S/2023-0010 April 12, 2023 Statement by Jutta Urpilainen European Commissioner for International Partnerships European Commission Statement by Jutta Urpilainen European Commissioner for International Partnerships European Commission 107th Meeting of the Development Committee April 12, 2023 Washington, DC Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine started little over one year ago. In these fourteen months, Russia has systematically targeted civilians, destroyed cities, attacked Ukrainian identity, weaponised food and energy, made nuclear threats and spread false narrative about the war. The EU’s support to Ukraine is unwavering on all fronts, and we will continue to respond in a united way with our Member States. The overall support by the EU and its Member States to Ukraine amounts to over EUR 67 billion, including EUR 18 billion of EU macro-financial assistance “plus” for 2023. This makes the EU and the US the two largest financing partners at this stage. We continue to maintain Solidarity Lanesand welcome the recent renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, stressing the importance of its further extension. We commend the IMF for approving a new USD 15.6 billion four-year financial package to support Ukraine. The EU is working closely with members and participants of the Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine to ensure that immediate financing and recovery needs, as well as future reconstruction, are addressed in the most efficient way, and encourages active and more permanent cooperation by other strategic partners and donors. Coming in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s aggression drastically worsened an already fragile economic and social situation in many of the world’s most vulnerable countries. The disruptions of supply chains and raising energy and food prices exacerbate the challenges already faced by many of our partner countries. The European Union will continue to work with partners to mitigate the effects of the war and to provide assistance to the countries and people most in need. Global Gateway is the EU’s positive offer for sustainable infrastructure investments and our contribution to putting the 2030 Agenda back on track. It promotes the twin green and digital transitions and enhances resilience in our partner countries. Our Flagship projects have a wide thematic and geographical scope. With its EUR 300 billion of envisaged investments until 2027, Global Gateway represents half of the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) . There is a clear lesson we can draw from the multiple crises of the past few years: the global financial architecture needs a revamping. We need more capacity and flexibility to reach the SDG’s and get back on track to eradicate poverty as we address global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and conflict and fragility. This is at the heart of the debate for a reform of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), with at present high attention to the World Bank Evolution Roadmap. We need innovative solutions to tackle these challenges without jeopardizing MDBs’ triple A rating and long-term financial sustainability. We trust that the future leadership of the World Bank will fully acknowledge the scale of the challenge and swiftly help conclude this ambitious process and roll-out its operationalisation. In this regard, we first welcome the emerging consensus on the updated World Bank mission statement. Addressing global challenges will not hamper but reinforce efforts towards extreme poverty reduction and shared prosperity. An update of the definition of poverty and prosperity will be necessary to account for transboundary challenges such as clim

FAQs

What does the statement emphasize about the EU’s response to Russia’s war against Ukraine?

It stresses unwavering EU support across all fronts and highlights the EU and Member States’ overall financing amount, along with continued efforts in coordination with partners.

Which initiatives and partnerships are mentioned to address Ukraine’s immediate financing and recovery needs?

The statement refers to the Solidarity Lanes approach, the renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and close work through a Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine.

What changes to multilateral development banks does the statement call for?

It calls for revamping the global financial architecture, updating mission and poverty/prosperity definitions, strengthening operating models and partnerships, scaling private sector mobilization, and improving financial capacity while supporting climate and biodiversity goals.

Jul 19, 2026

Uploaded by Himbo