On November 20, a public dialogue “Side by Side: Creating the Future Together” was held, where we summed up the past year on one of the panels.
The speakers were the head of the “Side by Side: United Communities” project, Mariana Tomyn, head of the Borozensk Rural Military Administration of the Kherson region, Alyona Okhrimovska Ivanenko, mayor of the Uman City Council Iryna Pletnyova, first deputy head of the Boyarsk City Council of the Kyiv region, Kochkova Tetyana, and head of the Snigurivsk AH of the Mykolaiv region, Ivan Kukhta.
Over the past year, Ukrainian communities have proven that unity and humanity are national traits of Ukrainians. 1,100 Ukrainian communities are participating in the project. This is 75% of the total number of communities, and this figure is constantly growing.
The pace of the project’s development is also impressive. While 68 partnerships were signed in the first quarter of 2025, 454 were signed in the fourth quarter, and more are planned. This demonstrates that the “Side by Side: United Communities” project is rapidly gaining momentum and participation in it is an honorable mission for every community.
The total amount of assistance to outpost communities during this period amounted to 260 million hryvnias. Almost three quarters of this money went to the restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by shelling. Funds were also actively allocated for socio-cultural and humanitarian assistance.
Of course, “Side by Side: United Communities” is not only about money. It is about thousands of unique stories of trust, support, and tears of gratitude.
A separate point of interaction is the rehabilitation and recreation of children from frontline areas in relatively calm regions of Ukraine, as well as abroad, which became possible thanks to the support and assistance of our friends from the cities of the European Union.
Participation in the project of communities that are partially or fully under temporary occupation of Russian troops is extremely important. This once again emphasizes that Ukraine is united and indivisible. The signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on this day was symbolic.
The project “Side by Side: United Communities” is developing 2 times faster than expected. This indicates its expediency and importance not only in war conditions, but also when the time comes to rebuild Ukraine.
Ukrainians demonstrate to the whole world that unity, humanity and sincere friendship can overcome any difficulties and challenges.
The public dialogue “Side by Side: Creating the Future Together” was organized at the initiative of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine together with the United Nations Development Programme UNDP Ukraine within the framework of the flagship partnership with the European Union (EU) “EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine”. The opinions, recommendations or conclusions expressed by participants during the event do not necessarily reflect the official position of UNDP, the UN, the EU or other partners.