U-LEAD with Europe

🌟 From rehabilitation spaces to new kindergartens, cooperation between Poltava Oblast municipalities and NGOs brings real results. In the Nekhvoroshcha municipality, during a meeting of municipality heads, they discussed how partnerships help to: 🔹 support IDPs; 🔹 develop non-formal education; 🔹 create jobs; 🔹 attract investment. Vivid examples: 🏫 “Sonechko”(Sunshine) kindergarten and a new sport center. 🛠 4 mini-workshops for processing vegetables and fruits. 🤝 UAH 60 million raised since 2020 for municipality development. The Nekhvoroshcha and Novoselivka municipalities show how to set priorities, find resources, and successfully implement projects that change the lives of their residents. Learn more in the material: https://bit.ly/3Ox5j8V 

🛠️Rebuilding Municipalities: From Idea to Implementation of Investment Projects 🛠️   U-LEAD with Europe invites you to participate in a discussion on rebuilding Ukrainian municipalities. The event will bring together experts, officials, international organizations, and municipality representatives. The goal is not only to present practical solutions for preparing municipal investment projects but also to engage key stakeholders in dialogue on financing these projects.   U-LEAD will introduce the first Ukrainian Municipal Project Preparation Facility (PPF) — a unique approach to reconstruction developed in response to the massive destruction caused by russia’s aggression. Using the facility, 20 municipalities have already prepared 25 gender-sensitive projects, with a total investment value exceeding €140 million. These projects have the potential to improve the lives of over half a million Ukrainians.   PPF goes beyond conventional technical issues. It provides comprehensive support, from idea to financing, including the preparation of technical and tender documentation, registration on the DREAM platform, and assistance in finding financing sources.   📅 Date: December 4 📍 Format: Offline (by invitation) and online (with prior registration).   Why join? ✅ Discover the successes of the PPF in preparing reconstruction projects. ✅ Learn about available financing opportunities. ✅ Explore sustainable and innovative approaches to municipal recovery.   👉 Join online! Register by sending a request to iryna.volska@giz.de 🔗 Take part in shaping Ukraine’s rebuilding future!  

🇩🇪 Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ukraine Martin Jaeger visited Sumy Oblast to meet with leaders of border municipalities at the U-LEAD with Europe Regional Office! 💡During the meeting, the heads of the municipalities spoke about the challenges they face every day: constant shelling, destruction of critical infrastructure, losses of local budgets and the need for state support. Special attention was paid to initiatives that help municipalities adapt to the war. In particular, the Nova Sloboda municipality managed to create a center of resilience, hire new doctors, open a psychological relief room and form a fire brigade. Mr. Jaeger emphasized the importance of supporting municipalities: “Ukraine is part of the European family. We are grateful for your resilience and are ready to further contribute to overcoming the challenges and restoring the region.” Maryna Lobova, Deputy Head of the U-LEAD Regional Operations Unit, noted that the meeting was focused on discussing the challenges of the borderland that should be taken into account when rebuilding, supporting and planning strategic development: “It is important for us to better understand the problems faced by municipalities every day and find ways to solve them together,” she emphasized. 👉 As part of the visit, the Ambassador also visited the municipality of Trostianets, where he discussed the results of cooperation with German partners with Yuriy Bova, the mayor. Among the implemented projects: a mobile hospital, which has become an example of a modern medical space, alternative energy supply, provision of vehicles and assistance for internally displaced persons.

✨ Project managers from all over Ukraine went on a study visit to the Khmelnytskyi Oblast to learn how to successfully implement ideas for the development of their hromadas. 🔹 The Khmelnytskyi Regional Office of U-LEAD shared its experience in using SMART specialization and demonstrated real cases that help hromadas achieve more. 🔹 The Stara Ushytsya hromada impressed with unique examples of cooperation: the Bakota Hub residence has become not only a cultural center, but also a driver of hromada development. The participants also visited the “Painted Village”, which proves that art can change municipalities. 🔹 In Kamianets-Podilskyi, the guests studied how the project office promotes the emergence of craft businesses and strengthens the local economy. This visit was a great opportunity to share experiences, get inspired, and learn about real models of work that can be adapted in their municipalities. 🌟 👉 Read more interesting details about the visit soon on our website!

🇺🇦 🇩🇪 At the House of Decentralization in Kyiv, U-LEAD with Europe brought together mayors and local leaders for a discussion with GIZ’s upper management on strategies for strengthening the resilience of Ukrainian municipalities amid war and post-war reconstruction. The meeting focused on establishing a shared vision for recovery, addressing key challenges in rebuilding, and enhancing collaboration with international partners.    🤝🏻 The exchange took place between Oleksandr Sytailo, Mayor of Malyn municipality (Zhytomyr Oblast), Svitlana Bytsko, Mayor of Dobrianka municipality (Chernihiv Oblast), and Mykhailo Netiazhyk, Mayor of Fastiv municipality (Kyiv Oblast) and Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann, GIZ’s Director General for Europe, Mediterranean, and Central Asia as well as Bastian Veigel, Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe.   Oleksandr Sytailo, mayor of Malyn, Zhytomyr region, emphasized the scale of the challenges his municipality faces: “Our municipality, which is located near the border, has been severely affected by the war, and about 100 objects are completely beyond repair. Every day we face new difficulties. We applied to U-LEAD’s Project Preparation Facility to receive specialized support, and our application was selected. We are sincerely grateful to U-LEAD for its support in these difficult times.”   Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann emphasized: “We are constantly working to further increase the impact of our work to support Ukrainian municipalities as they resist against the consequences of the Russian aggression. Our aim is to deepen cooperation between Ukrainian hromadas and its European partners, fostering stronger ties that support resilience and recovery.”   Bastian Veigel stressed: "We are proud that U-LEAD exemplifies the collaborative efforts between the European Union, its member states, and Ukraine to strengthen local governance. The knowledge shared and the reforms advanced through this partnership will be vital in supporting Ukraine’s journey toward EU membership.   💡 U-LEAD with Europe, a collaborative effort of the EU and various of its member states, remains dedicated to empowering Ukrainian municipalities with the tools and knowledge essential for a resilient, democratic and prosperous future. Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann 

✨ Team Europe in Action! U-LEAD with Europe's 9th Steering Committee meeting took place in the House of Decentralisation. Chaired by Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, and Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Ukraine, the achievements of U-LEAD's second phase were presented and discussed. Also, Bastian Veigel, Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe presented the Priorities for the upcoming third phase. The Steering Committee was attended by representatives of U-LEAD with Europe donors and contributors Germany, Denmark, Poland and Slovenia. 🇪🇺 🇩🇪 🇩🇰 🇵🇱 🇸🇮 🇺🇦 For the first time also representatives from France joined the Steering Committee Meeting as France plans to join the multi-donor initiative through Expertise France contributing vital knowledge and experience in decentralisation and strengthening municipalities. Oleksii Riabykin, praised the U-LEAD Programme for its role in decentralisation: “Thanks to decentralisation, Ukrainian municipalities were able to resist and respond to the challenges imposed by the war. We are grateful to U-LEAD with Europe and its donors for the valuable contribution in the success of the reform and the decisive support of municipalities”. Stefan Schleuning, summarized the progress already made and outlined the future perspective: “U-LEAD with Europe has made a prominent effort to increase the resilience of Ukraine. It has significantly helped to mitigate the ruinous impacts of the war and strengthen hromadas as they take on their reconstruction endeavours. Looking ahead, the Programme will be an important supporter for making Ukraine's multi-level governance system ready for EU accession”. Marcus Koll, Head of Cooperation from the German Embassy stressed the importance to support hromadas in a joint approach to maximise impact: "Thanks to comprehensive and joint collaboration among all the partners under the U-LEAD umbrella, far-reaching and sustainable results have been achieved. Team Europe is key for this." U-LEAD’s activities during Phase III will kick-off on 1st January 2025 and last until the end of 2027. Under the current dire circumstances, Ukrainian municipalities can rely on U-LEAD with Europe's friendship and support, working together to build a promising European future. Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine

🌍✨ The Future of Sustainable Recovery in Ukraine   On November 8th, a “Roadmap to a NEB Academy Hub in Ukraine network and outreach conference” was held in Brussels, organized by U-LEAD with Europe and InnoRenew CoE.   The event brought together experts from the construction and education sectors from Ukraine and Europe to discuss how the creation of the NEB Hub in Ukraine can support sustainable reconstruction in our country. The conference provided an opportunity to exchange ideas on how to meet Ukraine's massive reconstruction needs using sustainable methods that align with the ambitious climate goals of the European Union.   💡The NEB Academy is a European initiative aimed at upskilling and reskilling construction professionals in sustainable methods, which is particularly important for Ukraine’s recovery. The NEB Hub may become a key center for integrating cutting-edge knowledge, training, and innovative solutions, helping Ukraine turn the challenges of reconstruction into opportunities for sustainable development. 

🤝 On the invitation of the EU Delegation to Ukraine and USAID/Ukraine, a coordination meeting took place between the projects "Ukraine—Governance and Local Accountability (HOVERLA)" and U-LEAD with Europe, highlighting both projects' vital roles in decentralisation! Cooperation on support for legislation and key strategic documents in the areas of decentralisation and regional development was discussed, and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to joint initiatives. Taking into account wide local coverage of both projects, they committed to cooperation at the municipal level as well. Overall, this partnership will aim to strengthen local self-governance and advance decentralisation reforms in Ukraine. 🌐 As Natalia Starostenko, Sector Manager on Regional and Local Development at the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, noted, “By working together, U-LEAD and HOVERLA will support sustainable local governance reforms, guided by the Ukraine Plan and the EU Enlargement Report, paving the way for EU integration.”   Cory Johnston, Democracy and Governance Program Specialist at USAID, underlined that “The EU Delegation to Ukraine and U-LEAD are major partners in our work on decentralisation, and I look forward to further cooperation addressing shared concerns in reform implementation, enhancing our collaboration especially at the policy level to advance decentralisation in Ukraine.” European Union

🏆 100 municipalities supported with vehicles, tools and generators!   🛠️ 🚚 A total of 240 vehicles, including minibuses, small trucks, loaders and pickups, as well as several dozen toolkits, which included generators (with a capacity of up to 500 kVA), lighting devices, chainsaws and similar power tools was delivered. This assistance was made possible through additional funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ). 🇩🇪   The municipalities are already actively using the equipment to keep service delivery running and to prepare for the winter.   The reception of aid took place during the past six months. As part of the initiative "Strengthening local resilience. Support for emergency repairs in municipalities" the vehicles and tools reached a total of one hundred of hromadas in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhya, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv oblasts.   The U-LEAD with Europe, with support from its Donors, will continue to support Ukrainian hromadas in the future - through material means, but also through training, consultations and support for reforms even in the times of war. We continue to Empower Municipalities!

✨ «Direct Anti-Corruption Action» Practicum: 39 Specialists Completed Training and Received Certificates   On October 30-31, the Two-Day Practicum «Direct Anti-Corruption Action» concluded in Kyiv, gathering Anti-Corruption Officers from local governments, central government bodies, and state enterprises across Ukraine. The event, designed to enhance the skills of anti-corruption specialists, provided comprehensive support to participants, from expert and administrative guidance to accommodation and materials.   🗣️ «We have a broad range of anti-corruption tools, but it is essential to have people on the ground who know how to apply them and implement them in real life», said Iryna Tymchenko, Head of the Department for Professional Development of Anti-Corruption Officers at the NACP.   Experts from ACREC Sofiia Sapihura and Hanna Horbenko outlined the process of creating an anti-corruption program that considers each community's unique aspects and is based on risk analysis results. Practicum participants familiarized themselves with effective tools for identifying and eliminating conflicts of interest, which are essential for fostering public trust in local authorities.   🤝 The Practicum is designed and delivered in cooperation with RMTeam International and interdisciplinary Research and Educational Center for Anti-Corruption (ACREC) with the support of U-LEAD in the frame of House of Integrity Project. RMTeam International ✔ Anti-corruption Research and Education Centre at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy