Cooperation of Ukrainian communities with twin cities: the way to development and recovery

Over the past ten years, Ukraine has been declaring its aspirations for membership in the European Union  and has also been focusing on other Western developed countries that support us in our struggle for independence and development. However, active cooperation at the level of Ukrainian communities with cities abroad has begun relatively recently, and not all Ukrainian communities have a developed network of twin cities. This was stated by Oleksandr Solontai, head of the NGO "Recovery and Development Agency," in a commentary to UNN.

Shaping the new geography of partnership

In the first two decades of independence, many Ukrainian communities had partnerships with cities in Belarus and Russia. At the time, Solontai says, not everyone understood the potential threats posed by such cooperation. The war clearly showed that these ties not only did not contribute to development, but in many cases turned out to be hostile. "In the first 20 years of independence, it was normal for many communities to have sister cities in Belarus and Russia or somewhere else. And, unfortunately, we did not realize what threats this entailed, first of all. And secondly, when the war broke out, it turned out that those who were supposed to be our friends and help us, of course, turned out to be our enemies. Well, there was no self-government there as such either," Solontai said in a comment to UNN.

Today, according to him, priorities have changed, and Ukrainian cities and communities are actively looking for partners among civilized countries that can contribute to the development of local government, economic cooperation, and the restoration of the affected areas.

After the 2020 decentralization reform, when the Verkhovna Rada approved a new administrative map of 1,469 communities, including about 400 urban ones, new opportunities for international partnerships opened up. Western Ukraine has traditionally maintained close ties with European countries, but central, northern, southern, and eastern communities are only now beginning to actively establish international cooperation. "Of course, a powerful wave in this cooperation has begun," said Solontai.

In addition, last year the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on international community cooperation, which was another step towards systematizing this process. In particular, it allows not only to conclude new twinning agreements but also to evaluate the effectiveness of existing partnerships. Many Ukrainian communities already have memorandums of cooperation, but often fail to take advantage of their opportunities. That is why it is important to create institutions that will help communities find partners, develop cooperation, and get real benefits from these ties.

German sister cities

One of the best examples of effective cooperation with foreign sister cities is Brovary, the largest satellite city of the Ukrainian capital. The Brovary community has established partnerships with the following cities: Fontaine-sous-Bois (France), Hengyang (China), Zhanjiang (China), Rockford (USA), Sillamäe (Estonia), Krasnitsky Poviat (Poland), Gniezno Poviat (Poland), Grodzinsky Poviat (Poland), Tonala (Mexico), Santa Marinella (Italy).

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the German cities of Erlangen and Jena joined the list in 2022. They became the main support for the Brovary community during the full-scale war.

The cooperation between Brovary, Jena, and Erlangen has covered a wide range of areas: from the supply of medical equipment to educational exchanges and humanitarian aid.

In November 2022, with the support of Jena, Erlangen and the German Engagement Global, equipment worth more than UAH 3.9 million was purchased for the Brovary hospital. In the winter of 2023, the community received a fan heater and a generator from Jena to maintain power supply. In March of the same year, the cities officially cemented their partnership with a solidarity agreement.

June 2023 was a landmark year for the Brovary delegation's visit to Germany, where Ukrainians learned about the functioning of utilities and educational institutions. In the fall of 2023, the partnership continued to expand: in October, the city of Jena donated a bus to the Brovary community to transport students of the Knyazhytsky Lyceum, and on Christmas Eve, the community's children received humanitarian gifts from the residents of the German city.

The beginning of 2024 was marked by an official visit of Mayor Ihor Sapozhko and a Brovary delegation to Jena and Erlangen to discuss energy, housing, and economic development. In April, the JenaUA e.V. association was established in Jena to deepen cooperation. In the same month, several Brovary German teachers took part in an educational exchange in Jena schools, learning about local teaching methods.

In October 2024, representatives of the city of Jena, led by MP Matthias Mitt, visited Brovary, meeting with local residents and internally displaced persons in the modular town. They also visited the Brovary Hospital, where equipment purchased with the support of German partners is in operation.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Erlangen has received more than 1,600 refugees from Ukraine, including residents of Brovary.

In addition to humanitarian aid, cultural exchange is also developing . A number of educational initiatives have been organized, including photo exchanges between schoolchildren and joint sports events.

The focus of cooperation with sister cities is also on the utilities sector. In August 2023, an online meeting of representatives of water supply companies from both cities took place, which was the first step towards technical cooperation.

Thus, the partnership between the cities continues to develop and bring concrete results in various areas of community life.

International attention to the partnership

According to Oleksandr Solontai, head of the NGO Agency for Recovery and Development, the development of twinning has become one of the key topics of international conferences dedicated to Ukraine's recovery. For example, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Germany, considerable attention was paid to the Ukrainian-German partnership between communities. A similar process is now being actively supported by Italian municipalities, which analyze current partnerships and help Ukrainian communities find new twinning partners.

Interestingly, international cooperation has long existed at the level of civil society and business. Ukrainians working abroad, the diaspora, volunteers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and students have long maintained ties with foreign partners. However, according to Solontai, there are far fewer such agreements at the local government level, which creates room for active development in this area.

The role of civil society organizations in developing partnerships

Today, there are many organizations in Ukraine that help communities establish international cooperation. Following the large-scale invasion of Russia, new initiatives have emerged to strengthen ties between Ukrainian and foreign municipalities.

"The Agency for Recovery and Development has become one of the organizations that is actually helping communities to obtain these partnerships. We are not the only ones. Fortunately, many such organizations have been created in Ukraine. Even new organizations were created after the large-scale invasion. That is, there are a number of new initiatives and organizations that are aimed at this very thing. To give Ukraine, Ukrainian communities, partnerships with other communities in different countries, regardless of whether they are members of the EU, around the world, in civilized countries," Solontai said.

Therefore, twinning is not just a symbolic memorandum, but a real opportunity for Ukrainian cities to attract resources, experience, and support from foreign partners. The more such ties are established, the stronger our communities will become in their post-war recovery. Civic initiatives, local authorities, and international partners should join forces to ensure that every Ukrainian community has the opportunity to develop and prosper through international cooperation.