The municipality of Nosivka is moving steadily towards new horizons, from its first steps to real progress in international cooperation. As recently as a year ago, there were no more than talks about establishing contacts with foreign partners. Today, the municipality has signed an agreement with its French counterpart, set up a designated department in the city council and discovered new development opportunities. This breakthrough was brought about by the initiative of the local team and the support of U-LEAD with Europe.
“We always looked at other municipalities that had already established international cooperation, and thought, Well done, but our municipality is so small. Would anyone ever be interested in partnering with us?” says Olena Buriachok, the Head of the International Relations and Investment Department of Nosivka municipality. “However, after joining training programmes and consultations, we realised that this was not an obstacle, and we could do it too.”
International cooperation became reality after Nosivka’s participation in training sessions held by the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Chernihiv Oblast. The municipality received support in parsing through the legislation, learned about the experiences of other cities and was invited to join the events that unlocked new opportunities.
“Consultations from U-LEAD taught our municipality how to write project applications competently, negotiate with European partners and understand all procedural ins and outs of international cooperation,” adds Nataliia Rubel, the First Deputy Mayor of Nosivka municipality. “The Programme’s support has always been timely and met our needs, proving to be a great help to us in building international partnerships.”
In November 2024, the municipality established a sector for international relations and investments to effectively handle new challenges and opportunities. When they realised that this area was growing fast and needed more attention, in February 2025, they transformed it into a separate department for international relations and investments within the executive branch of Nosivka City Council. This allowed to coordinate cooperation with foreign partners in a more systematic manner.
Nosivka City Council adopted their International Cooperation Development Programme for 2024–2027. It facilitates stronger ties with other countries and provides for effective communication, exchange of useful experience with cities and increased competitiveness of the municipality — all for the sake of a better life for its residents.
A turning point in the process of building international cooperation of the municipality was the participation of the mayor of the city, Volodymyr Ihnatchenko, in the Mayors’ Congress in Paris. There he met Thierry Gouby, the mayor of a French city of Marcilly-le-Châtel. This kick-started active communication between the two municipalities, with online meetings, correspondence and joint initiatives.
“We even held an event for schoolchildren from our municipalities: they read poems and exchanged postcards. It was so wholesome, and both sides really enjoyed it. Our partnership grew stronger over time,” says Olena Buriachok.
On 18 July 2025, the municipalities signed an International Partnership Agreement — and Nosivka became one of the first municipalities in Chernihiv Oblast to do so in accordance with the updated Ukrainian legislation.
“Shortly, we plan to hold the first offline meeting of the senior officials of both municipalities, exchange delegations and host joint cultural and educational events. Youth participation is especially important for us: the Youth and Sports School students are going to France for a football tournament. We will also exchange good governance practices and submit joint projects to international competitions,” says Nataliia Rubel.
Today, Nosivka municipality is already steadily moving towards new goals. For instance, with the support of U-LEAD, they have partnered up with Leleky, a German NGO. The municipality presented the project concept to its partners, which received positive feedback, and they are currently working on it together.
“International cooperation is a chance to learn valuable experience from other countries, which allows us to avoid making our own mistakes. With it, we can move forward faster, having introduced proven solutions — for example, in green energy, which we are just beginning to explore,” says Olena Buriachok.
“Nosivka municipality sees itself as part of a common European space. We are open to cooperation, innovation and building up human capacity,” adds Nataliia Rubel.
All these achievements are the result of the municipality’s teamwork and extensive expert support. U-LEAD has been a long-term, reliable partner for Nosivka, which they turn to for anything, from finding contacts to legal advice.
“Nosivka municipality has a very consistent and effective management team that always strives to achieve its goals. Over the years of cooperation, we have repeatedly seen our expert advice effectively implemented in the municipality and bringing results. Likewise, with the goal of developing international municipal partnerships, the Nosivka municipality is working to create all the conditions necessary for partnerships to take place and contribute to the development,” says Iryna Kudryk, the Head of the U-LEAD Regional Office in the Chernihiv Oblast.
“U-LEAD has been tremendous support for us,” says Olena Buriachok. “We know that we will never be forced to deal with our problems alone. This is a partner to take your first steps with.”
Launched in 2016, U-LEAD with Europe is a joint initiative between Ukraine and the European Union, as well as its Member States —Germany, Denmark, France, Poland and Slovenia — to create a multi-level governance system that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of Ukrainian citizens. The third phase of U-LEAD started in 2025, focusing on bolstering local self-government and ensuring sustainable recovery at the local and regional levels in the context of Ukraine’s EU integration goals.
