On 25–26 March in Lviv, the first Nordic-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Forum took place — a new format for partnerships under the Polaris Programme, co-organised by SALAR International and the Cities4Cities initiative. The forum brought together representatives of over 60 municipalities from Ukraine, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.

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34 Nordic municipalities from Norway, Finland, and Sweden travelled to Ukraine to meet their partners and plan the next steps of cooperation together. The Forum was opened by Oleksii Riabykin, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine:

“Partnership between Ukraine and the Nordic countries is largely grounded in recognising local self-government as one of the pillars of a resilient state. In this dialogue, hromadas possess unique expertise in adaptability and, with the support of partners, are ready to share solutions tested in practice – from governance under uncertainty to the ability to act effectively with limited resources during wartime.”

Mayors and heads of hromadas, representatives of local self-government, associations, experts, and politicians discussed municipal partnerships as a driver of EU integration, explored approaches and facilitation of cooperation development, and jointly presented experiences while sharing lessons learned from project implementation.

Iryna Skaliy, Senior Programme Officer, Department for Reform Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden to Ukraine: "Local democracy and effective governance remain a priority in Sweden's support to Ukraine, as reflected in the Polaris Programme. The forum embodies solidarity at every level: from the joint work of partner municipalities to the strategic cooperation of the Nordic countries with Ukraine towards community capacity-building. Trust and shared values are what make these partnerships work and deliver lasting results."

Four new memoranda of cooperation were signed during the forum:

• Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi (Cherkasy Oblast) – Sunne (Sweden). The partnership focuses on crisis preparedness, waste management, and the development of solar energy. In addition, the partners are strengthening cooperation in culture and education.
• Novovorontsovka (Kherson Oblast) – Tjörn (Sweden). The partnership prioritises support for children and youth, exchange of experience in municipal governance, and the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at hromada recovery.
• Pavlohrad (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) – Lier (Norway). The partners will collaborate across key areas including the economy, education, culture, sport, tourism, local self-government, the social sphere, and environmental protection.
• Yampil (Vinnytsia Oblast) – Vänersborg (Sweden). The partnership is focused on developing youth policy, rehabilitation services, and strengthening civil and food security. The partners also participate in the grant support for Swedish–Ukrainian partnerships from Polaris, through which the Yampil hromada hospital has received modern rehabilitation equipment.

“Partnerships between Ukrainian hromadas and Nordic municipalities demonstrate that they share much in common: mayors and local self-government representatives are responsible for delivering essential services to people. While Ukraine is undergoing an exceptional experience of resilience, Nordic municipalities contribute their expertise – particularly in civil defence and the development of sustainable local democracy,” said Jean-Christophe Delmas, Senior Advisor, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

On the second day of the event, 34 pairs of partner municipalities engaged in facilitated dialogue to plan six months of cooperation – from exchanges between emergency services and youth camps to preparing applications for EU grants.

The Forum concluded with study visits: participants visited the National Rehabilitation Centre, urban infrastructure facilities, a school, and veteran hubs, witnessing first-hand how Lviv ensures urban resilience in wartime. The visits were organised jointly with the School of Municipal Governance of the UNBROKEN University.

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Background

Polaris "Support to Multi-Level Governance in Ukraine" (2024–2028) is a flagship programme of the Swedish Government, funded through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented by SALAR International. The programme strengthens the multi-level governance system in Ukraine, supports local self-government bodies, advances European integration, and helps communities take a leading role in recovery processes. www.polaris.org.ua/en

Cities4Cities is an independent initiative that since 2022 has united more than 100 municipalities from Ukraine and the EU to build sustainable inter-municipal partnerships and share experience. Since 2024, it has been implementing the International Municipal Cooperation component of the Polaris Programme. www.cities4cities.eu

SALAR International is an organisation representing the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) in its international work, strengthening local government and democracy through capacity development and international cooperation. Drawing on SALAR's expertise and Sweden's experience in local government and decentralisation, SALAR International designs and implements projects tailored to the challenges and realities of partner countries. www.salarinternational.se