We provide policy and legal advice to key actors on national, regional and local levels as they strive to ensure a strong role of local self-government in the current context of war and reconstruction. We undertake important activities to strengthen transparency and integrity in the system of multi-level governance. Our work contributes to finishing the unfinished business of decentralisation reform and supports Ukraine’s readiness for EU membership.

We use our nationwide outreach and the holistic thematic coverage to help Ukrainian municipalities adapt to the context of war and recovery. We provide training, consultation and many other forms of capacity building to all Ukrainian municipalities. Our approach to capacity development strikes the balance between being tailor-made and standardized: It is tailor-made because our regional offices present in all regions of the country provide individualized advice and are in touch with all municipalities on a constant basis. It is standardized because our trainings are based on comprehensive and constantly updated thematic support packages providing the most essential skills needed to recover from the Russian war.

We support municipalities in the planning, coordination and implementation of reconstruction activities to promptly respond to the urgent needs of their residents, provide high-quality basic municipal services and foster recovery of local economies. Our work is geared towards enhancing municipalities’ capacities to develop high-quality proposals for reconstruction projects ready to receive financing from national and international sources. While our work covers all sectors of reconstruction, two key activities put the spotlight on the sectors of digitalisation and education. We facilitate cooperation between the EU and Ukrainian municipalities to lever international support for local reconstruction.

We provide stimulus for Ukrainian municipalities to be able to maintain themselves and persevere under the conditions of the ongoing military aggression, in particular to be able to repair and rebuild their infrastructure faster and be more flexible in transportation of their citizens. We provide construction material, essential tools and municipal vehicles such as trucks or buses. This way, we provide municipalities with immediate support to keep local public service delivery running under the harshest conditions.