All those killed by Russia in its war against Ukraine are forever in our memory.
Our work is possible thanks to the defenders of Ukraine, who give their life force, comfort, health, time, and even their lives so that all of us may have freedom and life. Thank you!
Despite the challenges and hardships of the war, in 2024, Cedos continued to grow and develop. The expansion of the team and the scope of work, which had begun earlier, this year required our attention to the organizational structure and processes, which needed to be enhanced in response to new needs. These efforts enabled us to become more resilient and capable.
After more than 10 years of working on projects in the field of urban development, Cedos recognized urbanism and urban planning as one of the two main focus areas of the organization, alongside research and analysis. This was also reflected in the internal structure, which now consists of research and urbanism departments, as well as administrative and communications teams. In response to growth, new challenges, and opportunities, the organization adopted its new development strategy through 2027.
A new Supervisory Board of Cedos began its work, consisting of Yulia Bezvershenko, Sofia Diak, Oleksii Erinchak, Maryna Shchevtsova, and Andrii Yanitskyi. We are very grateful to the previous Board members — Tymofii Brik, Natalia Humeniuk, Jennifer Murtazashvili, Olesia Ostrovska, and Ivan Prymachenko — for their work, efforts, time, and dedication to the Cedos’s development.
In 2024, the five-year term of Ivan Verbytskyi as the director of Cedos came to an end. By decision of the Supervisory Board, Anastasiia Bobrova was appointed to this position. Since 2018, she has worked in the organization as an analyst, project manager, curator of the Ukrainian Urban Forum, podcast host, and editor of Mistosite.
To administer some of the projects we implement on commission, Cedos LLC was also registered in 2024 separately from the Non-governmental Organization Cedos.
A key focus of our research projects was increasingly on issues directly related to military subjects. In particular, we studied the experiences of families and loved ones of military personnel who went missing or were killed in combat, analyzed the process of recruitment into the Defense Forces of Ukraine as well as the motivations that cause people to donate to the army.
In our work with hromadas, social cohesion remained our focus thanks to projects related to the development of community building and the strengthening of resident engagement in decision making at the local level. In addition, we increasingly worked on issues of spatial development and urban planning.
A few key figures. In 2024, Cedos worked on 29 projects. A total of 30 people were involved in project teams. Throughout the year, we prepared 15 research reports, 3 policy briefs, 28 articles, 3 opinion columns, and 7 podcast episodes. We organized 20 public events in total (6 offline and 14 online). During the year, Cedos cooperated with 53 territorial hromadas. Over 26,500 people are subscribed to our pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and our email newsletters. In 2024, the reach of our publications on social media and via email newsletters exceeded 1.5 million people. In traditional media, including television, radio, podcasts, and online outlets, we were mentioned 175 times.
We thank our donors and partners for their trust, as well as everyone who donates to our work, friends, colleagues, respondents, readers, listeners, event participants, and all who have been with us!
Mission
We believe that every person is entitled to a decent standard of living. That is why the goal of Cedos is to search for the systemic causes of social problems and ways to solve them.
Our approach is research-based. We study social processes, state and local government policies, create solutions to address the discovered issues of social and spatial development, spread critical knowledge and promote progressive changes, educate and strengthen the community of supporters of these changes. We believe that in this way we can influence discourse, public discussion, and decision making. This changes government policies and improves human lives in the real world.
In our work, we are guided by the values of dignity, equality, solidarity, participation, quality, and empathy.Cedos is a think tank and urban bureau. The key topics which the organization works on today are education, migration, urban transformations, housing, and social protection. In addition, our areas of interest also include subjects such as democracy, employment, security, climate change, and culture.
Research and Analysis
Research and analysis are the foundation of Cedos’s work.
In 2024, we continued our work on researching the experiences of living through the war in Ukrainian society. The sixth wave of the study recorded people’s thoughts, experiences, and actions during the second year of the full-scale invasion. Describing and generalizing the experiences of living through the war makes it possible to document social processes and transformations under extraordinary circumstances, which serves as a foundation for further research, theorizing, and planning transformational changes.
A special focus of the research this year was the issue of attitudes toward mobilization into the Defense Forces of Ukraine. This topic was addressed in one of the questions of the fifth wave and a separate section of the questionnaire in the sixth wave of the survey. Based on the analysis of the collected data, we prepared a separate report that highlights the range of opinions present in society regarding various aspects of mobilization.
In addition, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, Cedos studied the process of recruitment into the Defense Forces. Based on in-depth interviews, we prepared a confidential report that highlights the experience of interacting with the recruitment system by both people who joined the Defense Forces after the process and those who did not join, as well as by staff of recruitment centers. The obtained data allowed us to propose a number of recommendations for improving the functioning of the recruitment system.
Commissioned by our partners, we conducted a study on the experiences and needs of families of missing military personnel. Based on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, we analyzed existing practices of their interaction with government bodies, identified the strengths and weaknesses of this interaction, revealed the difficulties faced by families, and outlined their needs for additional support.
At the request of our partners, Cedos also studied the experiences and needs of loved ones of fallen soldiers. In-depth interviews made it possible to understand their interactions with governmental and non-governmental bodies, the impact of loss on physical and mental health, daily life, work, and social life, as well as practices of commemoration. Based on the analysis, recommendations were proposed for additional support for the loved ones of fallen soldiers, as well as necessary changes to existing processes and procedures.
To assist our partners, we studied the audience of the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation. Using an online survey, we analyzed the factors that encourage or discourage people from donating to support the Defense Forces of Ukraine as well as for humanitarian needs.
Commissioned by our partners, we prepared an analysis of the impact of the full-scale invasion on internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, elderly people, youth, as well as veterans and their families. Cedos experts conducted a review of the impact of the war, identified needs, and developed recommendations for donors and government bodies regarding policy changes and investment. The results of the analysis became part of the population impact assessment in the fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment for Ukraine (RDNA4).
Building on our previous work in the housing sector, Cedos conducted a study on housing and living conditions in Ukraine. A nationwide representative survey made it possible to analyze living conditions, including housing affordability, the tenure structure in the housing sector, and the population’s vulnerability to the hypothetical loss of housing. The obtained data became important evidence in the public discussion on updating housing legislation.
At the request of the Ministry of Social Policy, which was working to create a mechanism for providing housing rent subsidies, we analyzed rent prices for different types of housing in various regions of Ukraine and in settlements of different sizes. A comparison of data from rental listing aggregator platforms and official statistics made it possible to identify discrepancies between information on prices from different sources.
At the request of partners, Cedos began to work on a study of the experiences of people who were forced to move abroad due to the war. We conducted an online survey and focus group discussions that will allow us to analyze the key problems faced by people from Ukraine abroad, as well as their positions and needs regarding return.
Commissioned by our partners, we prepared a policy brief on gender-sensitive recovery at the local level. Based on previous studies and expert interviews, 20 recommendations were proposed regarding both public policies and practical solutions in six areas: governance, budgeting, security, social protection, mobility, and leisure. The document is intended to help donor organizations, government bodies, and civil society plan their efforts for recovery from the consequences of the war and local development with a gender-sensitive approach.
Ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, based on our previous work, Cedos also prepared 15 recommendations on the social aspect of recovery and strengthening cohesion in society.
We prepared a policy brief on Ukraine’s readiness for EU accession in the field of regional policy. Based on an analysis of the European Commission’s conclusions and other documents, the text introduces the Ukrainian audience to the specifics of EU policies in this area, as well as the expectations regarding the alignment of national legislation with EU law.
In addition, we analyzed gender segregation in professional pre-higher and higher education. The data analysis made it possible to describe horizontal gender segregation at these levels of education and to determine the impact of the full-scale invasion on the change in the gender ratio in various fields, regions, and universities at the junior bachelor’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
In 2024, Cedos began working on a study of the resilience of education systems in various countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia; a study of the needs of frontline hromadas in the areas of housing and social protection; a study of the academic careers of women in STEM; as well as a study of the potential of one hromada to create social housing. We also launched the project Evidence-Based Recovery and Cohesion Lab, aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society and local self-government bodies in Ukraine to assess the needs of vulnerable social groups and advocate for their interests in the national policy-making and recovery process.Throughout the year, we also analyzed and commented on current events, including issues in the housing rental sector, housing provision for internally displaced persons, and the strategic session on introducing amendments to the General Plan of Kyiv.
Urban Research
Urbanism, local development, and urban planning are among the key areas of work for Cedos.
In September, the sixth Ukrainian Urban Forum took place in Chernivtsi. The two-day event included panel discussions and presentations, as well as workshops, film screenings, tours, and time for informal communication, networking, and introductions. The topic of the 2024 forum — Society and Space — focused on the interaction between society and space, the social and territorial dimensions of the development of cities and hromadas. Several hundred participants representing government bodies, civil society, professional communities, and international organizations had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of current issues in the development of Ukrainian cities, establish new connections, and learn more about the urban transformations of Chernivtsi.
The year 2024 became a time of growth for the online journal of the Ukrainian urban platform Mistosite. A total of 28 articles and 2 excerpts from various printed publications were published. The website’s annual audience grew to over 36,000 users. The number of members in the Urbanism UA Facebook group, created and moderated by Cedos, increased to over 3,800 participants.
Together with partners, we completed the first wave of the Community reBuilding project. As a result, 9 “community-building centers” — spatially and socially inclusive community and cultural centers aimed at strengthening social ties and cohesion at the local level — were opened in different hromadas. The project provided subgrants of 1 million hryvnias for the creation or renovation of the premises and program content of the centers, as well as expert support from mentors. As part of the public program, 3 online seminars on various aspects of the work of community and cultural centers were held in 2024, along with a final conference presenting the project’s outcomes. The Community reBuilding project became the winner of the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2024 competition among projects from all European Union and the Western Balkan countries in the Rising Stars nomination in the category for “Prioritizing the places and people that need it the most.” Following the successful completion of the first wave, the second wave began in July. Out of more than 350 applications received through the open call, 11 winners were selected, which received subgrants of 1.4 million hryvnias each, as well as mentoring and expert support for the creation or renovation of community-building centers in their hromadas.
Cedos completed work on the Trust Through Participation: Informing and Strengthening the Capacity of Hromadas project. The organization’s experts worked with 10 territorial hromadas from the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, selected through an open competition. At the request of the hromadas, we helped develop strategies for involving residents in addressing a specific issue relevant to the community, as well as to conduct initial engagement activities, based on which we provided local self-government bodies with recommendations for further steps. In addition to these consultations, the project also included the release of a podcast and the publication of articles to promote the idea of involving residents in solving local issues.
We began working on the Civic Participation Lab project. Building on the organization’s previous experience in enhancing resident involvement to address local issues, the project aims to support the development of effective informal practices of civic participation. Through an open competition, 10 hromadas were selected to receive support in the participatory development of concepts for street or enclosed public spaces using the methodology of research engagement practices. At the end of the year, representatives of local self-government bodies and civil society from the selected hromadas attended a four-day Civic Participation Practical School, where, together with experts, they planned their work within the project.
Continuing our efforts to support Ukraine’s European integration, we implemented the Strengthening the Capacity of Hromadas to Participate in EU Programs project. It included online workshops on European competitions, the specifics of preparing project applications, and experiences of obtaining funding; consulting for hromadas; the preparation of a guide for applying to EU grant programs; as well as the publication of articles about successful experiences in securing funding. As part of the consulting program, 10 territorial hromadas from different regions of Ukraine, selected through an open competition, received support and advice on finding funding opportunities, project planning, and preparing grant applications. Overall, the goal of this project was to prepare Ukrainian local self-government bodies for attracting funding from European foundations, access to which is increasing thanks to the process of European integration.
Together with partners, Cedos began working on the SUN4Ukraine project. Its goal is to support Ukrainian cities and hromadas in achieving climate neutrality goals: defining attainable targets, finding funding, and establishing dialogue with various stakeholders necessary for implementing climate policy. In 2024, an open call for participation in the project was held, resulting in the selection of 12 Ukrainian partner municipalities.
Together with partners, we also began developing the Integrated Development Concept for the Sumy Hromada. Acting upon request and in accordance with a decision of the Sumy City Council, which appointed Cedos as the developer of the concept, we assembled an expert team, began analyzing the current situation and engaging residents, including through a strategic session. Due to the worsening security situation in the Sumy Hromada following the start of the Kursk operation by the Defense Forces of Ukraine, the work on the project was reformatted and will resume in full as soon as external conditions allow it. Overall, the Integrated Development Concept is a strategic planning document that will enable the hromada to combine its strategic and spatial vision for development, coordinate plans across various areas of urban life, and take into account the needs of rural areas that have become part of the hromada through decentralization.
Together with partners, Cedos helped five hromadas in the Zaporizhzhia Region to develop Comprehensive Recovery Programs. The organization’s experts, acting as mentors, accompanied the territorial hromadas in the process of developing the programs, engaging residents, preparing draft documents, and organizing the necessary activities. Comprehensive Recovery Programs are official planning documents that describe the strategy and measures required to overcome the negative consequences of the war and are necessary for attracting government funding for this purpose.Our experts also participated in facilitating public assemblies in the Zviahel and Slavuta Hromadas. This tool for involving residents in decision-making at the local level was tested in Ukraine for the first time, aiming to propose new methods of informal interaction between government bodies and hromada residents.
Community of Change
Alongside research and analysis, Cedos’s mission also includes spreading knowledge, enriching the socio-political discussion, and strengthening the capacity of social movements, the government, media, and expert communities.
We not only publish research and policy briefs, but also send them to the responsible government bodies, organize public presentations and discussions, disseminate them through various social media, and publish brief conclusions in the media.
At the request of the Ministry for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure, Cedos facilitated an expert meeting on improving the management of the housing stock to collect and align the positions of various stakeholders. During the two-day event, representatives of government bodies, Associations of Co-owners of Apartment Buildings, and property managers discussed key issues in the sector, possibilities for updating legislation, and visions for the development of the housing management system.
To foster deeper connections and establish interactions, we held a one-day workshop titled Social Housing in Ukraine: How to Achieve Success?. Participants representing local self-government, civil society organizations, and expert communities had the opportunity to discuss relevant issues and challenges in the development of social housing and to establish cross-sector cooperation for providing housing to people who need it most.
Seeking to solve problems in the housing rental sector, Cedos held a presentation and an information campaign in several regions focused on the legal guide to renting housing. The online version of this guide, originally created in 2022, also became available. The publication contains information and advice for tenants and landlords on legal provisions and regulatory practices for this type of relationship. Spreading knowledge about the mutual rights and responsibilities of the parties is intended to help them build cooperation and interaction without violating the rights and dignity of others.
In 2024, the UA Transformation Lab project was concluded. Within its framework, Cedos, together with partners, aimed to help civil society organizations integrate research and analytical work into their activities. Three grantee organizations, which received financial and mentoring support from the project, completed and presented their studies, which focused on the transition to perennial plants in cities, the needs of veterans and youth in hromadas. As part of the project, the final two online seminars were held, dedicated to ethics and gender sensitivity in research and the writing of policy briefs and reports, as well as a study visit to Berlin.
We became co-organizers of the event (Not) the Right Time? Opportunities and Challenges of Public Participation at the Local Level during the War and the Role of Local Governments. Participants of this seminar event included representatives of territorial hromadas from various regions of Ukraine. In addition, Cedos joined in organizing the Infraculture Meeting of Cultural Actors. This three-day event created opportunities for dialogue about current practices and the shared future of cultural infrastructure and cultural products in Ukrainian hromadas.Cedos continued producing podcasts. In 2024, we released the final 6 episodes of the Public Hearings podcast, dedicated to issues of civic participation at the local level, and the final episode of the third season of the urbanism podcast The Market Will Solve It?.
Acknowledgments
In 2024, the Cedos team included: Alina Khelashvili, Anastasiia Bobrova, Andrii Smirnov, Anna Chorna, Anna Lytovka, Anna Vorobiova, Artur Mykhalenko, Bohdana Beschastna, Dariya Salo, Daryna Nikolenko, Daryna Vilkhova, Inna Ryk, Iryna Kohut, Ivan Verbytskyi, Kateryna Babych, Kateryna Kutsil, Kateryna Levchenko, Kseniia Paltsun, Lorina Fedorova, Maksym Humenyuk, Mariana Kuzemska, Maryna Bakaienko, Natalia Lomonosova, Oksana Buts, Oleksandr Pryma, Olena Prykhodko, Olena Syrbu, Olesia Budz, Olha Polishchuk, Olha Satsuk, Roman Ostashevskyi, Serhii Momotiuk, Tamara Khurtsydze, Tetiana Zheriobkina, Uliana Dzhurliak, Valerii Miloserdov, Volodymyr Kudelia, Yaroslav Onyshchuk, Yuliia Kabanets, Yulia Nazarenko.
Our partners, donors and clients in 2024:
- Centre for Strategic Communications StratCom Ukraine;
- Chemonics International;
- Cité Participatory Planning Bureau;
- CIVICS Innovation Hub gGmbH;
- Council of Europe Office in Ukraine;
- DAI Global;
- Embassy of the Netherlands in Ukraine;
- Eurocities Network;
- European Union;
- Federal Foreign Office of Germany;
- Heinrich Böll Stiftung;
- Horizon Europe Programme;
- Initiative Wohnungswirtschaft Osteuropa e.V.;
- International Development Research Centre;
- International Renaissance Foundation;
- Institut für Europäische Politik;
- Institute for Human Sciences;
- IMPACT Initiatives;
- INSCIENCE Organization;
- ISAR Ednannia;
- Kyiv School of Economics;
- Legal Hundred NGO;
- Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine;
- People in Need NGO;
- PSEL Architectural Bureau;
- Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation;
- Spilno HUB NGO;
- Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund;
- Ukraine — the Netherlands Urban Network;
- Ukrainian Women’s Fund;
- United Nations Human Settlements Programme;
- United States Agency for International Development;
- Vidnova Program;
- Women Veterans Movement;
- World Bank.
In 2024, Cedos cooperated with Balakliyska, Barska, Berdyanska, Bilenkivska, Blyzniukivska, Bobrovytska, Boyarska, Brodivska, Chernechchynska, Chernivetska, Chortkivska, Dobroslavska, Dovzhanska, Halytsynivska, Horodotska, Hrymaylivska, Hryshkovetska, Koblivska, Kodymska, Kolomyyska, Kopychynetska, Korostenska, Kovelska, Krasnokutska, Kropyvnytska, Moshnivska, Mykhaylivska, Mykhaylo-Lukashivska, Lozivska, Myropilska, Nizhynska, Novovolynska, Obroshynska, Ostrozka, Ovrutska, Pustomytivska, Pyadytska, Radyvylivska, Serhiyivska, Shyrokivska, Slavutska, Snihurivska, Sumska, Truskavetska, Varvynska, Vasylkivska, Velykopysarivska, Voznesenska, Yuzhnoukrayinska, Zaporizka, Zdolbunivska, Zhydachivska, Zvyahelska hromadas.
We also cooperated with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
Thank you for your cooperation and support!
Finances
Cedos NGO funding sources in 2024:
| Donor or purchaser | USD |
| Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund | 387 495 |
| Embassy of the Netherlands in Ukraine | 250 234 |
| Chemonics International | 113 539 |
| DAI Global | 108 022 |
| Horizon Europe | 71 315 |
| International Renaissance Foundation | 57 646 |
| International Development Research Centre | 41 581 |
| ISAR Ednannia | 37 360 |
| Institut für Europäische Politik | 29 685 |
| Initiative Wohnungswirtschaft Osteuropa | 27 494 |
| Ukrainian Women’s Fund | 23 878 |
| Heinrich Böll Stiftung | 23 537 |
| Council of Europe Office in Ukraine | 18 037 |
| European Commission | 16 216 |
| World Bank | 15 000 |
| Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit | 12 151 |
| Vidnova | 10 382 |
| StratСom Ukraine | 6342 |
| Charitable donations of individuals | 4128 |
| CIVICS Innovation Hub | 541 |
| Total | 1 254 582 |
Some of the projects we conduct as services are administered through Cedos LLC. Cedos LLC funding sources in 2024:
| Donor or purchaser | USD |
| INSCIENCE | 18 017 |
| Acted | 13 734 |
| People in Need | 8804 |
| Women Veterans Movement | 7472 |
| Legal Hundred | 4981 |
| Kyiv School of Economics | 556 |
| Total | 53 565 |
