On 29 October 2026, the first General Assembly of ALLONS-EU, an international programme aimed at strengthening local democracy, community resilience, social cohesion, and cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, will take place. The programme will support six existing Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs) in Ukraine and establish four new ones, build the capacities of local authorities and civil society organisations, and provide support for local initiatives.
The project is co-funded by Agence Française de Développement and will interact with the local democracy and municipal support community in Ukraine.
The programme is led by ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy. It will be implemented in partnership with Leader France, the Association of Civic Initiatives of Ukraine (AUCI), and the Local Democracy Agencies, with the involvement of Ukrainian and European partners.
Amid the full-scale war, Ukrainian communities face destruction, forced displacement, limited resources, and the need to respond to urgent challenges while preparing for recovery. At the same time, developing democratic governance, engaging residents in decision-making, and deepening cooperation with European partners remain essential priorities.
The ALLONS-EU programme – “Supporting Local Leaders, Organisations and Networks to Strengthen Social Cohesion and Cooperation Between the EU and Ukraine” – is designed to address these challenges.
One of the programme’s key priorities will be the development of a network of ten Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs) – platforms for cooperation between local authorities, civil society, and European partners. In addition to the existing agencies in Vinnytsia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, Odesa, Ovruch, and Mariupol, four new Local Democracy Agencies are planned in Rivne, Lviv, Cherkasy, Zaporoshizia and Chernivtsi. The LDAs will be empowered to serve their communities ad constituency and will also have projects and initiatives.
The ALLONS-EU programme will run for 36 months, combining institutional support, training, knowledge exchange, and funding for local projects. In particular, it will strengthen the capacities of local authorities and civil society organisations in project management, participatory governance, strategic planning, and citizen engagement in decision-making.
Another area of focus will be rural development through the European LEADER approach. With the involvement of Leader France, the programme will support the introduction of mechanisms that enable local residents, civil society organisations, entrepreneurs, and public authorities to jointly identify development priorities for their territories and implement relevant initiatives.
Grant support will be another important component of ALLONS-EU. The programme plans to support 21 local projects through a cascade grant funding mechanism.
It will also include some emergency programmes for the communiities.
The first joint event for the partners will be the ALLONS-EU General Assembly on 29 October, bringing together representatives of ALDA, Ukrainian and European partner organisations, Local Democracy Agencies, and other members of the consortium.
The first General Assembly will lay the groundwork for coordination among partners, the development of shared approaches to implementing planned activities, and the further expansion of the Local Democracy Agency network in Ukraine.
Information about upcoming activities and opportunities to participate in ALLONS-EU will be published through the official communication channels of ALDA and its partner organisations.