On behalf of the German Government, GTZ has been supporting Ukraine in its transformation process since 1993. In this regard a special consultancy programme—the Transform Programme—has been developed for the former CIS countries. On behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), GTZ has also been implementing a special programme supporting the German minority there since 1994. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been providing funds for development and for the reform process in Ukraine since 2002. Cooperation has intensified since the 2004 Orange Revolution. Since 2008, GTZ, acting on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), has been advising Ukraine on the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Although Ukraine has witnessed an impressive economic upturn in recent years, a reform bottleneck in key sectors continues to hinder the country’s long-term development. Important sectors such as energy, infrastructure modernisation, vocational training, health and the restructuring of public institutions have yet to undergo major reforms. The fragile political situation in the wake of the Orange Revolution in 2004 is an additional impediment to development.

An additional problem is the high incidence of HIV/AIDS, which is spreading in rural areas too. With 1 percent of the adult population infected, Ukraine has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in Europe.

The European Union (EU) and Ukraine have shared a border since 2004. The country is covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy and its current government is working towards establishing close ties with the EU. With regard to long-term economic cooperation, the intention is to give Ukraine the opportunity to participate in the EU Single Market and in certain joint programmes.

Against this background, German development cooperation focuses on the priority areas of sustainable economic development and energy efficiency. GTZ coordinates the activities of the programme on sustainable economic development, while the KfW Entwicklungsbank (KfW development bank) is responsible for spearheading the activities of the programme on enhancing energy efficiency. GTZ is also actively involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

GTZ maintains an office in Kiev.