First Community Recovery Academy launched in Ukraine: Getting ready for post-war reconstruction

The International Forum “Creating Tomorrow: Post-War Reconstruction and Community Recovery” featured presentation of the Community Recovery Academy, designed to become a global platform to train municipal managers for Ukraine's post-war recovery. The project is based on the experience of the “Mariupol.Reborn” initiative and international expertise in reconstruction after World War II. The primary goal of the Academy is to share expert knowledge and implement the best solutions for rebuilding Ukrainian cities affected by russian aggression.

The event brought together representatives of Ukrainian authorities, local governments, including representatives of war-affected communities, international organizations, and leading Ukrainian universities that are partners of the project. The Forum was attended by representatives of 60 municipalities interested in training and potentially becoming the first students of the Academy.

The official kick-off of the Community Recovery Academy project was announced by Oleksandr Slobozhan, Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Lucy Buckland, First Secretary of the British Embassy in Ukraine, Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Vadym Boichenko, Head of the Section of the Association of Ukrainian Cities for Development of De-occupied and Temporarily Occupied Communities, and Natalya Yemchenko, Member of the Supervisory Board of the NGO “Mariupol.Reborn” and Communications Director at SCM.

During the opening ceremony, the speakers emphasized importance of teamwork and leadership of communities in the effective reconstruction and transformation of Ukraine:

Oleksandr Slobozhan, Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities:

“The Community Recovery Academy is a part of the complex work of the Association of Ukrainian Cities to help residents of the temporarily occupied and de-occupied territories today and to restore communities after our Victory. Within the Association of Ukrainian Cities, we have a systemic section that works together with communities to develop solutions that need to be addressed at the state level. This includes both assistance to IDPs and preparation of documents for the future recovery of communities. The Municipal Recovery Centre has already started operation, it aims to help communities prepare the legal documents required to obtain project funding. The Municipal Centre is already collecting and consolidating requests and proposals from communities and ensuring their advocacy at the state level. And now the Academy is launching training for municipal teams.”

Lucy Buckland, First Secretary of the British Embassy in Ukraine:

“We recognize the need to implement the policy of decentralization and a local approach to reconstruction. Because communities, like no one else, understand what will be the best solution for them.”

Maciej Janczak, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine:

“The idea of the project, initiated by the Association of Ukrainian Cities with the support of international partners, is extremely important, as it is communities that play a key role in the process of rebuilding, restoring and transforming Ukraine. The challenges faced by communities require more effective and multi-level governance and decision-making principles.”

 Vadym Boichenko, Head of the Section of the Association of Ukrainian Cities for the Development of De-occupied and Temporarily Occupied Communities, Mayor of Mariupol:

“Today, our challenges include not only restoring infrastructure, but also creating teams of professional managers capable of developing revival strategies and projects. The Community Recovery Academy is going to be the key to this process. It is aimed at forming highly qualified municipal teams that will work on rebuilding the country after the war. Mariupol already has experience in developing a recovery strategy called “Mariupol.Reborn”. Through the Academy, we seek to share this experience with each community and form joint recovery plans.”

Natalya Yemchenko, Member of the Supervisory Board of the NGO “Mariupol.Reborn”, Communications Director at SCM:

“It is a great honour for Rinat Akhmetov's business system to be a partner and founder of the Recovery Academy. This Academy is about a chance to rebuild Ukraine on the basis of new principles. It is a chance to leap over old problems and make Ukrainian cities competitive for many years to come. To do this, we need to rely on partners. These are educational partners. These are our partner cities. People have always been essential. The capacity of communities should always be in focus.”

Serhiy Kvit, President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy:

“It is our great honour to contribute to the formation of new knowledge and skills that did not exist before. This is the first time Ukraine has faced such challenges. There are partners who have experience of recovery after World War II, both successful and not so successful. It will allow us to use the best practices and reinforce them with solutions relevant to us here and now, which will form our own background.”

The official presentation of the Community Recovery Academy was followed by two discussion panels, which focused on key issues of post-war recovery: “The great national idea of reconstruction: Ukraine starts with communities” and “Rebuilding Ukraine: International experience and partnership”.

During the discussions, the speakers emphasized several major aspects of recovery. One of the main points was the issue of resources for reconstruction, which will be provided to those communities that have a clear vision of their plans and development strategies. Considerable attention was also paid to the problem of returning residents to their home towns and villages. Communities should create conditions that will encourage people to return and join the transformation process. The common opinion of all participants was that communities play a key role in the process of rebuilding the country. This requires systemic education and skills that will help to effectively implement changes.

The Forum marked the first significant step in the implementation of the project to train municipal teams for the recovery phase, and selection of students from the applicant communities will begin soon. The first training stream of the Community Recovery Academy will bring together 80 specialists from 20-25 communities. The educational program will start this autumn. Teams of municipalities will be taught how to formulate community strategies, economic modelling, resolve social conflicts, attract investments and resources, etc.    

The Community Recovery Academy, founded by the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the NGO “Mariupol.Reborn”, aims at training municipal managers for the recovery period. The project is implemented with the support of the UK Government under the UK International Development program and the International Republican Institute (IRI Ukraine) in partnership with Metinvest and SCM. The academic partners of the project are Metinvest Polytechnic and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.