News

In September, experts of the Polaris Programme conducted working meetings, trainings, and field visits to starosta districts across four oblasts of Ukraine, helping hromadas strengthen institutional capacity and develop effective mechanisms of local governance.

The event brought together around 100 leaders, policymakers, and experts from 48 countries to discuss how to strengthen feminist leadership and advance democracy in today’s world

The analysis of results for the first half of 2025 allows an assessment of how effectively interbudgetary equalization mechanisms are working, which sectors require the most support, and where regional asymmetries are increasing.

On 22 September, experts of the “Citizen Engagement at the Local Level” area of the Polaris Programme, Pavlo Pushchenko and Natalia Chuiko, made working visits to two partner hromadas in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast – Solone and Krynychky.

During the forum, the results of a Polaris pilot initiative in Rivne and Mykolaiv oblasts were presented. This initiative focused on supporting the development of ASC networks at the regional level. The event also introduced a new e-service – “ASC Development Roadmap” – created by the Polaris Progra ...

Experts of the Polaris Programme have launched a series of working visits to second-wave partner hromadas within the “Education at the Local and Regional Level” direction. The first visits took place in Kharkiv, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad oblasts.

Between 8–11 September, experts of the “Citizen Engagement” direction of the Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine” visited the first five of 10 partner hromadas: Khotyn (Chernivtsi oblast), Boryslav (Lviv oblast), Lokachi (Volyn oblast), Shumsk (Ternopil oblast), and Korets ...

On 11 September 2025, the training of the sixth cohort of the Training Platform for Administrative Services Centre (ASC) managers began within the Swedish-Ukrainian Programme Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine. The Training Platform is an advanced training programme accredited by the Nat ...

On 9–11 September, the expert team of the Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine” carried out a series of working visits under the direction “Developing the Institutional Capacity of Starostas.”

The main focus of the event was the distribution of powers between different levels of local self-government.

On 9 September, the fourth webinar for partner hromadas of the Polaris Programme’s “Locally-Led Recovery” area was held, focusing on “Socially Oriented Recovery Projects in Hromadas: Working with Examples.”

The document provides for the implementation of a number of initiatives aimed at supporting community recovery, improving public service delivery, and strengthening local capacities.

Polaris Programme experts have launched a series of meetings and the signing of Memoranda of Cooperation in the field of education at the local and regional levels with partner hromadas of the second wave.

On 4 September, the inaugural meeting of the education component of the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine” took place, officially launching cooperation with the second wave of partner hromadas.

Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine discussed the improvements to the allocation mechanism and issues related to teacher remuneration reform

On 4 September, at the Veteran Hub space in Kyiv, the Swedish-Ukrainian Programme Polaris “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine” presented the recommendations “Inclusive Provision of Public Services: Recommendations for Administrative Services Centres (ASC) and Other Service Institutions.”

This visual report summarises the Polaris Programme's first year of activities, including its systematic work, effective cooperation, and partnerships for strengthening Ukrainian communities

On 2 September, the third webinar in a series of events for 13 partner hromadas of the Polaris Programme within the “Local-led Recovery” direction was held, dedicated to the topic of gender-responsive budgeting. 

In politics, attention is often placed on the personal qualities of leaders – strategic thinking, the ability to persuade, or resilience. Yet, something else proves to be equally vital: the environment of trust and support fostered through networks

August was a busy month for the education direction of the Polaris Programme: strategic meetings and active discussions in Slavuta, Zolochiv hromada, and Uman brought together teachers, administrators, and experts to discuss the transformation of the school network and the search for practical solut ...

On 26 August, the webinar “Supporting Information Campaigns for Partner Hromadas of the Polaris Programme” was held, focusing on engaging citizens in discussions on draft Statutes and raising awareness about forms of participation in local decision-making. 

The second selection of territorial hromadas for cooperation with the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme in the area of “Education at Local and Regional Levels” has been completed. Twelve new hromadas joined the partnership alongside 10 existing partner hromadas.

This is a short term assignment involves engaging a thematic expert in local economic development. The expert will take a leading role in identifying and prioritizing catalytic development for partner hromadas. Applications are accepted until September 29, 2025.

On 21–22 August, Rivne hosted a two-day training session titled “The Role of Starosta in the Hromada: Tools for Strengthening Institutional Capacity”, bringing together starostas from partner hromadas to gain new knowledge, exchange experiences, and explore practical approaches for developing staros ...

On 21 August, the webinar “Gender Aspects in Resident Engagement” was held for 10 partner hromadas of the “Resident Engagement at the Local Level” direction of the Polaris Programme. 

The Polaris Programme has announced the results of its competitive selection of partner hromadas for the “Integrating Veteran Perspectives into the Work of Ukrainian Municipalities” area: seven hromadas have been chosen for cooperation.

The event became another step in strengthening democratic and membership-based local government associations – one of Polaris’ priority directions.

On 19 August, a mini-conference titled “Community Education in Modern Conditions” took place in Nosivka, Chernihiv oblast, organized by the Polaris Programme in partnership with the Nosivka hromada. The event brought together heads of education departments and school principals from Nizhyn rayon&nbs ...

On 19 August, the Polaris Programme team visited the Bar hromada in Vinnytsia oblast as part of the “Citizen Engagement at the Local Level” initiative. 

The training became an important step in strengthening the network of regional branches of the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities (AUC) and enhancing their capacity to effectively serve communities and increase membership in the association.