Representatives of 16 communities from different regions of Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy. The partnership was launched within the framework of the project “Empowering Local Authorities and Citizens for Open Engagement and Women’s Leadership”, implemented with the support of U-LEAD with Europe.

The official launch of the cooperation took place, according to ALDA, during an online meeting that brought together representatives of the Association, U-LEAD with Europe Programme and the leadership of the selected communities. The project will run until 31 May 2027.

The initiative focuses on strengthening the participation of residents in local self-government, developing women’s leadership, updating the charters of communities, and preparing communities for recovery.

‘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,’ stated Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA.

One of the key priorities will be the drafting or updating of the charters of all 16 communities. According to Tetiana Bondarenko, U-LEAD with Europe Project Manager, a charter should not be a mere formality, but a tool that defines the real opportunities for residents to influence local decisions.

‘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,’ emphasised Tetiana Bondarenko.

Work on the charters is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. After that, communities will be able to put the public participation tools provided for in the charters into practice. At the same time, the project involves the selection of 16 local initiatives, which communities will implement jointly with local civil society organisations.

A separate component will be the Women’s Leadership Development Academy. Up to 100 participants from local self-government and the civil society sector are expected to join the online training; up to 25 of them will be able to continue their training through in-person classes. The programme also provides for mentoring support, professional networking, and 12 sub-grants for initiatives led by women.

Communities from Poltava, Rivne, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa regions have joined the project. These include communities located near the front line, de-occupied communities, and those in relatively safer regions.

Despite their different contexts, the communities identify common challenges: population decline, support for military personnel and veterans, the integration of internally displaced persons, the involvement of young people and women in governance, the development of international partnerships, and the search for resources for recovery.

In particular, Orzhytsia community in Poltava region plans to use its participation in the project to strengthen civil society and formalise mechanisms for citizen participation. Rokytne community in Rivne region will work on further improving its existing charter. In Rohan community in Kharkiv region, the new charter is considered, in particular, as a tool for strengthening cohesion between local residents, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other groups of residents.

The next steps will include a kick-off meeting, the creation of a network for sharing experiences, training on the development of charters, and expert support for the communities. The project team also plans to collect and disseminate participants’ best practices through videos, articles and podcasts, and to compile a Handbook on Local Democracy based on the results of the work.

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.