Cities4Cities

🌍 Five new partnerships join the Cities4Cities community at URC 2025 These partnerships are now part of the Cities4Cities community within the “International Municipal Cooperation” sphere of the Polaris Programme "Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine", funded by Sida and implemented by SALAR International. 📅 The signing took place during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025) in Rone — a high-level international event dedicated to the post-war recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine. Newly signed partnerships: 🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪 Dniprorudne – Bad Oldesloe 🇺🇦🤝🇮🇹 Dniprorudne – Bari 🇺🇦🤝🇮🇹 Uman – Medicina 🇺🇦🤝🇸🇪 Poltava – Kalmar 🇺🇦🤝🇳🇴 Poltava – Akershus 📍 At the URC, representatives of Khmelnytskyi and Caen (🇫🇷) also met in for the first time – a connection made possible with the support of the friendly NGO Stand With Ukraine. 🌐 Today, the Cities4Cities partner-municipal community brings together over 80 municipalities from Ukraine and across Europe. 📖 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dQBtrVki Kalmar kommun Comune di Bari Development and Investment Center of the Uman City Council Akershus fylkeskommune

🤝 Partnerships for resilience: key takeaways from URC 2025 panel At the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025) in Rome, a high-level panel discussion was held on the role of municipalities in fostering resilience, cohesion, and European integration. The session, titled “Resilience and Cohesion through Partnerships: Local and International Cooperation”, brought together key voices from Ukraine and the EU. The panel was moderated by Svitlana Blinova, Coordinator and Team Leader of the Cities4Cities Initiative. As a reminder, the Cities4Cities team is working at the URC 2025 for strengthening international municipal partnerships within the Polaris Programme "Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine". 🔹 Aliona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine: “No community or country can cope with the scale of destruction alone — but we are rebuilding together with you. That is why we are launching the next phase — involving businesses in inter-municipal cooperation. Because recovery is not only about schools, roads, and shelters, but also about investment, new opportunities, and shared responsibility.” 🔹 Antje Grotheer, President of the Bremen State Parliament, Chair of the Working Group on Ukraine, European Committee of the Regions: “Establishing a Joint Consultative Committee is not just a formality. It is an important step for any EU candidate country on its path to EU membership. It will allow Ukrainian local and regional authorities to play a direct role and take greater ownership in cooperation and dialogue with their EU counterparts. We will jointly define the priorities for dialogue and cooperation and work together on an equal footing.” 🔹 Dr Jakob Granit, Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida): “Sweden, through various programmes, supports exchanges, training initiatives, and the implementation of impactful projects in the endeavour to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience and advance the EU integration. Through cooperation Ukrainian and European municipalities benefit from strategic collaboration, innovative solutions, and invaluable experience of operating under crisis conditions.” 🔹 Svitlana Blinova, Coordinator and Team Leader of Cities4Cities: “On the cities4cities.eu platform, over 600 Ukrainian communities are ready for cooperation. Ukraine’s recovery begins every day — in our cities and villages. Where children go to school under shelling, where local bakers hand out bread in the metro during air raids, where hromadas support each other through the 'Shoulder to Shoulder' project. We want to build partnerships not just for support, but for shared solutions, new ideas, and common security. This is what true European cohesion means.” Cities4Cities initiative implements the "International Municipal Cooperation" sphere of the Polaris Programme, which is funded by Sida and implemented by SALAR International.

Let’s meet at the Ukraine Recovery Conference! This week in Rome, the Cities4Cities team will be working on developing international municipal partnerships as part of the Polaris Programme. The Cities4Cities team is heading to Rome for URC 2025: 🔹 Svitlana Blinova, Coordinator 🔹Mariya Tuzyk, Expert on European Integration and Local Government We recommend joining the official programme panel: “Resilience and Cohesion Through Partnerships: Local and International Cooperation” Panel 3.7 | Topic: Local and Regional Dimension 📅 July 11, 2025 🕒 15:00–16:15 Speakers will include national officials, mayors from Ukraine and Europe, and representatives of leading networks and donor institutions. See you at URC 2025 — our team will be following the key insights and sharing them with our community. SALAR International

🎉 We are thrilled to announce that we are changing our style! Since its inception in 2022, our Cities4Cities initiative has grown so rapidly that it is time for a fresh rethink. Soon we will reveal the story behind our new logo – watch this space. 💙 💛 We can't wait to hear your thoughts! Please, leave a comment below.

🇸🇪🤝🇺🇦 Uman and Swedish Kristianstad — officially twin cities! The partnership agreement was signed on 10 June 2025 during a visit by the Ukrainian delegation to Sweden and was made possible thanks to Cities4Cities, as part of the Polaris Programme. 🔹 Areas of cooperation: waste management and green energy, civil protection, culture, youth exchanges, sports, local democracy. 🔹 Among the first initiatives: online exchanges between municipal services, and in autumn 2025 — a visit of Ukrainian youth to Kristianstad to exchange experience in youth policy. 💬 Camilla Palm, Chair of Kristianstad Municipal Council: “I cannot imagine the situation you are facing, but I am deeply impressed by your fight. I look forward to visiting you and have great hopes for our cooperation.” 💬 Iryna Pletniova, Mayor of Uman: “I hope this partnership will be useful for both sides — for the future and for our children. After the war, we look forward to welcoming you to Uman. Perhaps we will organise a joint festival!” Read more: https://lnkd.in/d5g7yZEM Kristianstads kommun Development and Investment Center of the Uman City Council SALAR International

#citiesforum We are on the Cities Forum in Kraków! Ukrainian political leaders of local government associations and representatives of their executive offices are taking part in the event. It's the largest European forum dedicated to urban development, held every two years by the European Commission and the European Urban Initiative. This visit is important because: 🔹 Ukrainian local self-government must be an active participant in the pan-European dialogue. This is an opportunity to influence decisions that will shape the future of Ukrainian municipalities within the EU. 🔹 Joint participation with colleagues from EU countries helps to build a shared vision of Ukraine’s place in the European community. 🔹 Russia’s full-scale war has already shifted local priorities: issues of defense, industry, energy resilience, housing, and the integration of internally displaced persons are now coming to the forefront. 🔹 Local government associations unite the voices of municipalities and represent their interests at the international level — making their participation in such events crucial. The delegation includes representatives of the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, and the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils. Delegation taking part in the event with the support of the Cities4Cities initiative, which is implementing the “International Municipal Cooperation” component of the Polaris Programme. SALAR International

Cities4Cities is taking part in the German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference, held on June 16–18, 2025 in Münster 🇩🇪🇺🇦 This is the seventh edition of the conference, organized by SKEW Engagement Global gGmbH, and this year’s theme is: "From Solidarity to Change. For Ukraine. For Europe." Cities4Cities is represented by: 🔹 Anna Koshel, Program Manager 🔹 Mariya Tuzyk, Expert on European Integration and Local Governance The event brings together Ukrainian and German municipalities for panel discussions, expert forums, and in-person networking — all aimed at sharing experiences, strengthening cooperation, and exploring new solutions for sustainable development. We are: ✔ joining the networking space at the Opportunities Fair ✔ exploring new ways to connect Ukrainian and German municipalities We sincerely thank our partners at Servicestelle Kommunen in der Einen Welt (SKEW) and Engagement Global for their long-standing support and for fostering meaningful municipal cooperation. See you in Münster! The live broadcast in ENG: https://lnkd.in/dEg-Ghvi The Cities4Cities initiative is supported by the Polaris Programme and implements the programme's sphere “International Municipal Cooperation”. The Polaris is implemented by SALAR International with funding from Sida.

Grant Support for Swedish-Ukrainian Partnerships 🇸🇪🇺🇦 The Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine” is launching a new call for proposals: Grant Support for Swedish-Ukrainian Partnerships. The competition is implemented by Cities4Cities, as part of the “International Municipal Cooperation” component of Polaris. 10–15 municipal pairs are expected to be selected. The competition covers the following thematic areas: 🔷 Education and youth engagement 🔷 Energy saving and environmental protection 🔷 Inclusivity and accessibility 🔷 Integration of socially vulnerable groups (rehabilitation, work with internally displaced persons) 🔷 Resilience 🔷 Local economic development • Maximum grant amount: €10,000 • Application deadline: September 7, 2025 (inclusive) • Info session: June 24 at 10:00 (Swedish time) / 11:00 (Kyiv time) What will you learn during the info session on June 24? 🔷 What types of initiatives are a good match for the grant 🔷 How to show that your partnership is real and active 🔷 What exactly your application must include to succeed 🔷 Answers to your most pressing questions Registration is open until 15:00 UA (14:00 SWE), June 23 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFegrPGc 📄 Details in English: https://lnkd.in/dcpMFMKe 📄 Details in Ukrainian: https://lnkd.in/dbdpQiV4 SALAR International

🇫🇷🤝🇺🇦 French Chaumont and Ukrainian Lubotyn become twin cities On 6 June 2025, during the 3rd International Summit of Cities and Regions in Kyiv, the municipalities of Lubotyn (Kharkiv region, Ukraine) and Chaumont (Grand Est, France) signed their first-ever international partnership. This new twinning became possible thanks to the French NGO Stand With Ukraine and its president Edward Mayor, honorary Ambassador of Cities’ Friendship for the Cities4Cities initiative. The partnership is now part of the growing Cities4Cities twinning network, supported by the Polaris Programme. Prior to the signing, Christine GUILLEMY, Mayor of Chaumont, and Eliott RIVORY-PONS visited Lubotyn — a frontline city that continues to function and grow despite the war. “We in France have a lot to learn from Ukrainians — their resilience, dignity, and democracy,” — Christine Guillemy. This is Lubotyn’s first sister city. Mayor Leonid Lazurenko underlined: “This is a partnership for the future of democratic Ukraine. We’re proud to start a new chapter of friendship with Chaumont.” 🔹 Areas of cooperation: Culture | Education | Youth | Local Democracy | Recovery Among the first initiatives: a planned Ukrainian youth delegation visit to Chaumont, focused on intercultural dialogue. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gw32anvA SALAR International

🇸🇪 🤝 🇺🇦 Chuhuiv and Danderyd become partners: a new Ukrainian–Swedish municipal partnership On May 21, 2025, during the Swedish-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Forum in Danderyd, Sweden, an official memorandum of partnership was signed between the cities of Chuhuiv and Danderyds kommun. The ceremony took place at Djursholm Castle with the participation of Galyna Minayeva, Mayor of Chuhuiv, and Johanna Hornberger, Chair of the Municipal Executive Committee of Danderyd. The partnership was made possible through the Cities4Cities initiative, part of the Polaris Programme. 🔹 Key areas of cooperation include: – urban development & infrastructure – community services & social policy – environmental sustainability – education & culture – innovation & digital transformation – crisis response & resilience – public health & safety – economic growth, entrepreneurship & tourism With financing from Sida, SALAR International is organising the Municipal Partnership Forum in collaboration with Cities4Cities, within the Polaris Programme in Ukraine. The event is being implemented by the Cities4Cities initiative, which is part of the programme. In total, during the forum, Ukraine and Sweden and deepened 11 partnerships between municipalities.