450 communities have already joined the "Shoulder to Shoulder" project: Oleksii Kuleba

On 16 April, the International Cohesion Forum was held in Kyiv. The focus was on the issue of comprehensive cooperation between the state, hromadas and international partners.
Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, opened the forum, stressing that communities are the key pillar of the country's resilience.
"The main reason for our resilience today is the people in the communities. It was them who were the first to stop the enemy, they are now providing basic services, making decisions, supporting each other and our military.
I am grateful to every community that has joined the "Shoulder to Shoulder" initiative. This project has already united 450 communities from different regions, which are jointly implementing specific reconstruction initiatives. This is an example of the cohesion we are talking about today.
Cohesion is a daily interaction among people, decisions made in a crisis with a view to the future. It is a willingness to help not only neighbouring but also distant communities. This is a strategic vision of what Ukraine should be like after the victory," said Oleksii Kuleba.
The Minister also informed about the Government's new steps: a decision was recently made to provide financial support to frontline hromadas - UAH 1.5 billion last week and another UAH 1.8 billion this week. The average amount is UAH 10 million per community. The funds are used for shelters, special equipment, restoration of critical infrastructure and other vital needs.
He also emphasised that the Ministry is continuing the decentralisation reform to ensure the capacity of local governments.
Four discussion panels are also planned during the forum. The first panel, "International Support for the Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine", was attended by Oleksii Kuleba, Jan Szyszko, State Secretary of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy of Poland, Viktor Mykyta, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Masashi Nakagome, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan, Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, and Gaël Veyssière, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine.
The participants discussed the progress of implementation of international projects, further cooperation steps and prospects for reconstruction.
Oleksii Kuleba stressed that effective coordination with partners would be an important element in ensuring the long-term sustainability of both communities and Ukraine as a whole.
"Today, we are preparing for two scenarios: a rapid recovery if conditions remain as they are, and a more comprehensive approach if the situation changes in our favour. We are prepared for this, we know and understand what we shall do. We have an example of working with the already de-occupied territories - Kharkiv, Kyiv and Kherson regions.
At that, we are aware that a lot now depends on our most accurate coordination with international partners. It is the joint development of our next steps that will lay the foundation for our sustainability for many years to come and ensure effective reconstruction in any of the scenarios.
I am grateful to the communities and partners who remain with Ukraine. It is through our joint efforts that we are forming a solid foundation for a safe and fair recovery," said Oleksii Kuleba.
In his speech, Viktor Mykyta stressed the importance of developing international cooperation at the community level for effective recovery.
"We are grateful to all international partners who continue to actively help us today. However, a comprehensive approach is needed to make this cooperation even more effective. The Office of the President of Ukraine is now actively working to establish international cooperation at the level of regions and communities. We can see a real result when countries take regions under their patronage and implement recovery projects there.
Everything starts with communities and ends with communities. The only policy that should be at the level of our state is the policy of cohesion. The whole world supports us today. We have to show by our example that we are also united," commented the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
International partners, in turn, stressed their readiness to continue supporting Ukraine and working with the Ministry to further implement reconstruction projects.
"The path to sustainable recovery is not only about infrastructure. It is about rebuilding trust, strengthening communities and ensuring inclusive governance. At UNDP, we believe that true resilience starts with cohesion - within communities, between communities, and between citizens and institutions. Together with the Government of Japan, we are proud to support initiatives such as this forum, which bring together international partners and local leaders to jointly find solutions based on transparency, participation and lasting impact," said Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine.
Masashi Nakagoma emphasised the success of the programmes implemented by the country to support Ukraine and stressed readiness to continue this assistance.
"Japan has always been and will remain a reliable partner of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the aggression, Japan has provided more than USD 12 billion in humanitarian, financial, rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance. Since 2022, through UNDP, Japan has contributed more than USD 241 million to support local recovery initiatives in more than 30 communities. Responding to the immediate needs of communities is the foundation for recovery, resilience and national cohesion. Japan will continue to support Ukraine in this important process," said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan.
As part of the forum, participants had the opportunity to learn about the functionality of the DREAM ecosystem in a special interactive zone. This included the opportunity to review investment projects in the Single Portfolio, which are already available on the public portal dream.gov.ua, key data on recovery and development projects, and test monitoring tools for open data analysis.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with financial support from the Government of Japan.