The OSCE is launching a large and ambitious program for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau said.

At a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, Rau said the OSCE is launching a large and ambitious program for Ukraine. It is based on a trusting partnership, as well as on the considerable experience that OSCE officials have gained over the past 28 years through deployment in different regions, as well as through the implementation about 25 projects, according to the minister. He said the OSCE determined to stay on the ground and support Ukraine on its way to overcome a huge number of challenges, and help with post-war reconstruction. He convinced that the OSCE will play an important role in these projects.

Rau said that as the incumbent head of the OSCE, together with OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, they assured Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that the OSCE will continue to assist Ukraine on its path to peace and stability under any circumstances.

In turn, Schmid said the program provides for the provision of assistance to authorities and society.

According to the OSCE Secretary General, it is based on trusting relationships, as well as on the vast experience that OSCE has accumulated over the past three decades.

She also noted the need to respond to the heightened risks to civilians resulting from war by countering armed activities, combating mines or neutralizing the impact of war on women and children, in particular countering illegal displacement of people and sexual violence.