The Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the Government of Ukraine and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) regarding Ukraine’s accession to the OECD's Regional Development Policy Committee and its subsidiary bodies.

This creates new opportunities to share the best European regional development practices, strengthen multi-level governance, and coordinate effective policies for sustainable recovery.

‘We gain access to the best practices, expertise and tools that will help communities and regions to recover faster, implement modern management standards, and plan their development in a transparent and effective manner. This strengthens our institutional capacity and makes Ukraine’s recovery process more predictable and effective,’ emphasised Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories.

Obtaining participant status enables Ukraine to attend the Committee’s meetings.

Participation offers the following benefits:

• use of best practices in regional development;
• improved capacity and compliance with EU standards for regions and municipalities;
• improved coordination of multi-level governance;
• harmonisation of strategic planning methodologies with OECD recommendations.

In May 2025, Ukraine participated in the OECD Ministerial Meeting on Regional Development Policy, which was held in Warsaw. This event, which occurs only once every five years, marked an important milestone in strengthening the country’s cooperation with the OECD. Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, attended the meeting.

With the expert support of the OECD, Ukraine is currently developing an updated methodology for the strategic planning of regional development for the period 2028–2034. This methodology is based on the principles of evidence-based decision-making, effectiveness, and multi-level coordination.

The OECD is an international organisation comprising 38 countries. A further 70 countries hold partner status. The organisation’s activities aim to strengthen and improve the efficiency of its members’ economies, improve socio-economic conditions and the employment situation, and support sustainable economic growth in both developed and developing countries.