The Polaris Programme “Supporting Multi-level Governance in Ukraine” has announced the selection results for partner hromadas under the “Local Recovery” initiative. With this upcoming support, eight hromadas will gain additional opportunities to attract investment, restore infrastructure, improve service delivery, and engage in comprehensive local development planning.

A total of 55 hromadas participated in the selection process, following which Polaris selected 8 hromadas from 7 regions:

• Berdychiv hromada – Zhytomyr Oblast
• Boyarka hromada – Kyiv Oblast
• Chyhyryn hromada – Cherkasy Oblast
• Hrebinka hromada – Poltava Oblast
• Mena hromada – Chernihiv Oblast
• Nosivka hromada – Chernihiv Oblast
• Pervomaisk hromada – Mykolaiv Oblast
• Verkhnodniprovsk hromada – Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

"Recovery from the profound impacts of war is never a matter of physical reconstruction alone. It is a complex process of restoring institutions, economic activities and social ties, while ensuring the health and well-being of people. Local governments are uniquely positioned to understand territorial needs and translate national recovery frameworks into tangible, inclusive outcomes that respond to local contexts. And for us, it is important to understand where our support and assistance can be most useful," said Klas Groth, Strategic Lead for the Polaris Programme’s Locally Led Recovery component.

Polaris will support hromadas in various areas of strategic and spatial planning, including the Development Strategies for 2028–2034, Strategic Environmental Assessments, Action Plans, the identification of projects that respond to the hromadas needs and are aimed at stimulating local development during the war, a Unified Portfolio of Medium-Term Public Investments, and Terms of Reference for the development of a Comprehensive Spatial Development Plan.

The scope of support will be determined individually for each hromada depending on its existing achievements, initiatives and plans. The experience gained by partner hromadas will be documented as good practices and shared with other hromadas to facilitate wider replication and scaling.

The implementation of the activities is expected to last approximately 12 months, from October 2026 to October 2027, depending on the specific circumstances of each hromada. Following the completion of these activities, partner hromadas will continue to have access to expert advice and consultation from the Programme, as needed.