German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference kicks off in Berlin: Ministry for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons

The German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference has kicked off in Berlin. Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Vitalii Bezhin joined the opening online.

Over the past few years, the number of German-Ukrainian municipal partnerships has more than tripled and now stands at 300. They have become a practical tool for supporting communities: helping people and sharing experience, from generators and shelters to reconstruction.

The Minister thanked the German partners for their support of Ukrainian communities, in particular the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, GIZ, Engagement Global, SKEW and the municipalities.

"In peacetime, twinning was often about pleasant visits and souvenirs. Since 2022, it has meant very prompt partnership solutions: receiving people forced to leave their homes because of the war with russia, repairing what has been destroyed, generators, shelters. Most importantly, it is an exchange of invaluable experience that you will not find in any manual," Vitalii Bezhin said.

Among the priority topics for the partnerships, the Minister named housing for internally displaced persons, civil protection and shelters, digitalization, local economic development and recovery, strengthening communities' project capacity, and European integration at the local level.

Vitalii Bezhin called for expanding the network of municipal partnerships, first and foremost in frontline and de-occupied communities that still have no such cooperation. The Ministry is ready to help communities find partners, together with the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) and the Bridges of Trust program.

Ukraine have been working with Denmark for years on long-term support for the recovery and development of Ukrainian communities. Last year, this work was formalized in a separate program, the Ukraine Transition Programme for 2025-2028.

Today, it is Denmark's largest development program for a single country with a budget of DKK 2.8 billion. And most importantly for us, it already includes concrete projects for Ukrainian regions and communities."