Representatives of 16 territorial communities from different regions of Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy, supported by the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, as part of the U-LEAD with Europe project “Empowering Local Authorities and Citizens to Foster Open Engagement and Women’s Leadership”. The initiative focuses on strengthening citizen participation, women’s leadership, updating community statutes, and preparing communities for recovery.
The official launch of the cooperation took place on 17 August 2026 during an online meeting attended by representatives of ALDA, U-LEAD with Europe, and the leadership of the selected communities. The project itself will run until 31 May 2027, while the Memorandum formalizes ALDA’s continued active cooperation with the communities.
Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy, welcomed the participants:
“I am very pleased to launch this programme and welcome all its participants, especially those working in Ukraine at this difficult time. At ALDA, we strive to be as close as possible to Ukrainian communities and support them. This Memorandum launches a new initiative while also continuing ALDA’s long-standing work in Ukraine. We welcome you as our strategic partners and want to work together to develop local democracy and citizen participation.”
According to her, cooperation with Ukrainian communities continues ALDA’s long-standing work in Ukraine. The organisation has been working in the country since 2012, and its experience of working with communities that have experienced war, particularly in the Balkans, will also inform its partnership with Ukrainian communities.
“We strive to be as close as possible to Ukrainian communities and support them. This Memorandum launches a new initiative while also continuing ALDA’s long-standing work in Ukraine,” said Antonella Valmorbida.
One of the key areas of the project will be the development or updating of statutes for 16 territorial communities. As noted by Tetiana Bondarenko, U-LEAD with Europe Project Manager, a statute should not be a formal document, but rather a tool that defines residents’ real opportunities to participate in local self-government.
“Our goal is to help communities not only respond to the challenges of war and recovery, but also become more capable, open, resilient and responsive to the needs of their residents,” said Tetiana Bondarenko.
Following the work on their statutes, the communities will be able to apply citizen participation tools in practice. The project also includes a separate selection process and implementation of 16 community projects in cooperation with local civil society organisations. According to Liudmyla Yatsiv, Project Manager, work on the statutes is planned to be completed by the end of 2026. The selection of community projects will begin in the autumn, with their implementation taking place over the following months.
Another key component is the Women’s Leadership Development Academy. Up to 100 women leaders – representatives of local authorities and civil society – are expected to take part in the online training. Up to 25 participants will then be able to continue their training in person. The project also provides for mentoring support, professional networking, and 12 subgrants for women-led initiatives.
For the communities, participation in the project is an opportunity not only to gain new knowledge but also to adapt it to their own challenges. The Orzhytsia community in Poltava Region, in particular, plans to use the project to strengthen civil society and formalise mechanisms for residents’ participation.
“That is why an active civil society is very important to us – one that understands what it wants and which path to take to achieve it,” said Olena Sydorenko, Head of the Orzhytsia Settlement Community. For the Rokytne community in Rivne Region, an important outcome will be updating its existing statute. Community Head Hryhorii Tarhonskyi noted that the community already has what it considers one of the more progressive statutes, but is ready to improve it together with the project’s experts.
For communities located in frontline or war-affected regions, the cooperation also has a practical dimension related to future recovery. Vadym Poliakh, a representative of the de-occupied Rohanska community, noted that the new statute should become a tool for strengthening cohesion among local residents and internally displaced people. “This is an opportunity to develop a statute that will be specifically about cohesion – not only among local residents, but also internally displaced persons, about the cohesion of all groups, and about women’s leadership,” he stressed.
The project brings together communities from Poltava, Rivne, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa regions and other parts of Ukraine.
They include both frontline and de-occupied communities and those located in relatively rear areas. At the same time, community representatives highlighted common challenges: depopulation, support for military personnel and veterans, integration of internally displaced people, development of local democracy, engagement of young people and women in governance, and the search for international partnerships and resources.
For example, the Savynska community in Kharkiv Region is working to bring residents back after the occupation and draw attention to the problem of mined territories. Of its 10,500 residents, approximately 5,500 have so far returned.
The Lykhivka community in Dnipropetrovsk Region, meanwhile, continues to ensure the functioning of the community, support national defence efforts, and accommodate internally displaced people. The community also plans to further develop women’s leadership, as a significant proportion of management positions are currently held by women. The Pokrovska community in Dnipropetrovsk Region, located in an area of active hostilities, sees participation in the project as an opportunity to strengthen local democracy and prepare for future recovery.
The next steps include an inaugural meeting, a presentation of the network for experience sharing, training for community representatives on developing statutes, direct work on the statutes, the launch of the Women’s Leadership Academy, and the selection of 16 community projects. This was announced by Yurii Stepanets, ALDA Ukraine representative.
The project team also plans to document participants’ experiences, share successful practices, and produce videos, articles and podcasts. Based on the results of the project, a Local Democracy Handbook will also be prepared.
The project “Empowering Local Authorities and Citizens to Foster Open Dialogue and Women’s Leadership” is implemented by the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA) within the framework of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, which is supported by the European Union and its Member States Germany, Denmark, France, Austria, Poland, and Slovenia.