12 hromadas from all over Ukraine have become the flagship municipalities of SUN4Ukraine, a 4-year project to help cities achieve climate neutrality goals. Cedos is one of the partners of the SUN4Ukraine consortium, and as a local expert organization, it studies social processes and public policies, in particular to disseminate critical knowledge, promote progressive change, inform and strengthen the SUN4Ukraine community.

The 12 selected flagship municipalities are Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Kalush, Kharkiv, Konotop, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Novovolynsk, Pervomaisk, Vinnytsia and Zviahel.

Twelve municipalities from across Ukraine are beginning a transformative journey to climate-neutral rebuilding.  They will be associated with the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which aims to achieve climate neutrality in 100 European cities by 2030. 

These cities were selected from among 105 municipalities that applied. The SUN4Ukraine consortium experts were impressed by the high interest and quality of applications from Ukrainian municipalities. It was difficult for the project selection committee to select only 10 flagship municipalities, so their number was increased to 12.

SUN4Ukraine experts from the EU and Ukraine will work with the flagship municipalities to develop Climate Neutrality Plans.

SUN4Ukraine will support municipalities in:

  • setting achievable climate goals;
  • finding financing
  • facilitating structured policy dialogues at different levels of governance

Each city will receive support that is tailored to its specific needs, taking into account the challenges of recovery related to the war. This will help cities overcome structural, institutional, and cultural obstacles.

In the next phase, the flagship municipalities will cooperate with Mission Cities, moving from knowledge sharing to action. Through these partnerships, hromadas will be able to apply the expertise that meets their capacity building needs. Hromadas will be paired with similar EU cities.

Further on, SUN4Ukraine will also invite all municipalities who responded to the project’s call to cities to join the journey toward a climate-resilient and sustainable future within the Ukrainian Cities Climate Hub. The goal is to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and promote best practices for Ukraine’s recovery and sustainability.

Cedos think tank is actively working on local development, including research on the problems associated with the impact of climate change on cities. In particular, in 2020, we conducted a study “Climate (in)justice: the impact of climate change on vulnerable social groups in Ukrainian cities” in which we prepared recommendations for city administrations and NGOs on how to improve the situation. These include how to build urban governance and policy on the principles of sustainability, mitigate the hromada’s impact on the climate, adapt spaces and people’s lives to climate change, and most importantly, overcome social inequality and restore climate justice both in the cities and in the whole country.

About the SUN4Ukraine

Launched in May 2024 under Horizon Europe, Sustainable Urban Net Zero Network for Ukraine (SUN4Ukraine) is a four-year project focused on supporting Ukrainian cities in their pursuit of climate neutrality. In the wake of the severe disruptions caused by Russia’s war of aggression, this project focuses on systemic and efficient recovery, aligning with climate objectives and involving citizens and stakeholders to reach Ukraine’s climate objectives. Ecoaction is a member of SUN4Ukraine network.