The newly established Committee for the development of de-occupied and temporarily occupied communities of the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) held its first meeting in Kyiv, on 12-13 March 2024, with the participation of the Chair of the Congress Current Affairs Committee, Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD). She commended the resilience of Ukrainian local authorities and reiterated the Congress’ support in their future endeavours, stressing that “the severity and complexity of the needs call for strong multilevel governance and for the involvement of all stakeholders at the local level, to restore and deliver much needed services for all residents”.

Attended by mayors and local officials of about 60 communities from 9 regions, as well as representatives of the Parliament and the Government of Ukraine, the meeting served as a platform to address pressing issues faced by the country’s de-occupied and temporarily occupied communities – such as housing, access to employment, and education.

The AUC Committee agreed on its terms of reference, with includes strengthening intermunicipal cooperation and continuing multilevel dialogue with representatives of the Parliament and of the Government.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities works closely with local authorities all over Ukraine and with the Association of Ukrainian Cities as part of the project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. The project aims to strengthen the dialogue, partnership and consultation between different levels of government; enhance collaborative governance and citizen participation in line with the principles of local democracy and open government; and promote and guarantee the right to equality and non-discrimination at local level, for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.