FantasticSearch

4. Activities under the Facility shall comply, to the extent possible in a war-torn country, with the climate and environmental standards of the Union. Those activities shall mainstream climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation, human rights, democracy, gender equality and non-discrimination, where relevant, disaster risk reduction and energy infrastructure safety, and shall support progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, promoting integrated activities that can create co-benefits and meet multiple objectives in a coherent way, contributing to the reduction of poverty and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. Those activities shall, to the extent possible, avoid stranded assets, be compatible with the principle of ‘do no harm’, as well as with the sustainability mainstreaming approach underpinning the European Green Deal and shall be also guided by the ‘leaving no one behind’ principle.

5. The Facility shall not support activities or measures which are incompatible with Ukraine’s National Energy and Climate Plan, if available, or with Ukraine’s nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement, which promote investments in fossil fuels or cause significant adverse effects on the environment or the climate or biodiversity, unless such activities or measures are strictly necessary to achieve the objectives of the Facility, taking into account the need to rebuild and modernise infrastructure and rehabilitate natural environment damaged by the war in a resilient way, and are accompanied, where relevant, by appropriate measures to avoid, prevent or reduce and, if possible, offset those adverse effects.

6. In line with the principle of inclusive partnership, the Commission shall strive to ensure, as appropriate, democratic scrutiny in the form of consultation by the Ukrainian government of the Verkhovna Rada in accordance with the constitutional order of Ukraine, as well as of relevant stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, social partners and civil society, including vulnerable groups, so as to allow them to participate in shaping the design and implementation of activities eligible for funding under the Facility and in the related monitoring, scrutiny and evaluation processes, as relevant. That consultation shall seek to represent the pluralism of the Ukrainian society and business community and the inclusion of different communities in Ukraine. All consultations shall duly take into account the participation of women. The Commission shall encourage coordination among the relevant stakeholders and shall contribute to strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations. In addition, the Commission shall ensure that civil society in Ukraine, including non-governmental organisations, is able to directly report any irregularities it may detect to the Commission via appropriate standing channels, as well as to send to the Commission opinions on the implementation of the Ukraine Plan and the evaluation of its measures by the Ukrainian government.

7. The Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States and Ukraine, shall ensure the implementation of Union commitments to increased transparency and accountability in the delivery of support, including by promoting the implementation and reinforcement of internal control systems and anti-fraud policies. The Commission shall make information on the volume and allocation of support publicly available through a single web portal, and shall ensure that data are up-to-date, easily accessible, and available in machine-readable format.

1. Cooperation under the Facility shall be based on and shall promote the development effectiveness principles, where applicable, across all modalities, namely ownership of development priorities by Ukraine, a focus on results, inclusive development partnerships, transparency and mutual accountability. The Facility shall strive to ensure a balanced and needs-based allocation and use of resources and an appropriate geographical balance of projects.

2. Support from the Facility shall be additional to the support provided under other Union programmes and instruments. Activities eligible for funding under this Regulation may receive support from other Union programmes and instruments provided that such support does not cover the same costs.

3. In order to promote the complementarity, coherence and efficiency of their actions and initiatives, the Commission and the Member States shall cooperate and shall strive to avoid duplication between support under this Regulation and other support provided by the Union, the Member States, third countries, multilateral and regional organisations and entities, such as international organisations and the relevant international financial institutions, agencies and non-Union donors, in line with the established principles for strengthening operational coordination in the field of external assistance, including through enhanced coordination with Member States at local level and through the harmonisation of policies and procedures, in particular the international principles on development effectiveness. In order to avoid the duplication of support, increase ownership from the Ukrainian authorities and simplify administrative work, support under the Facility shall, as far as possible, be integrated into international efforts towards a financial architecture for the recovery of Ukraine and be coordinated with relevant donors and international financial institutions.