They received assistance as part of the support programme “Development of a Comprehensive Recovery Programme for the Territory of a Municipality”.
What is a CRP, and what is its purpose? The Comprehensive Recovery Programme is designed to help municipalities thrive based on modern principles — with due consideration for people’s needs, fairness, convenient land-use planning and balanced development. It aims to make municipalities comfortable places to live and work, so that they are accessible, environmentally friendly, energy efficient and able to preserve their culture and memory.
“It is about local initiative and tangible change”
The planning approach is centred around municipalities and their initiative. The Comprehensive Recovery Programme is driven by the local participation principle. Rather than being imposed “from above”, this instrument is developed together with municipalities — with those who know their needs best, states Tetiana Danyliv, the Project Manager at the U-LEAD Regional Operations Unit.
“Devising a CRP requires clear planning: where to direct resources in order not only to rebuild what has been destroyed, but also to improve the quality of life in the locality, from housing to infrastructure. A CRP provides municipalities with a roadmap for systemic recovery and ensures that assistance reaches those who need it most.”
Kamianka-Buzka municipality: seeing your area in a new light
The municipality of Kamianka-Buzka, Lviv Oblast, has joined those that had already undergone a thorough analysis in the process of working on their Comprehensive Recovery Programme.
The head of the municipality’s Economic Development and Promotion Department, Nataliia Mudryk, recalls:
“We were astonished by the amount of data we collected when developing our CRP. Having systematised it, we saw our municipality from a different perspective. Our vision was transformed by the realisation that our main value is people.
About 12% of the population has left the country, and the staff shortage has become a serious challenge. That is why our programme is built around safety and human resources. Even though the municipality suffered minor destruction, the war significantly affected our area.”
According to her, the municipality is to approve the Programme by the end of 2025.
Yarmolyntsi municipality: ties with neighbours
For the municipality of Yarmolyntsi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, designing their CRP signalled a rethinking of approaches to regional development. As was stated by Iryna Drahomeretska, the Head of the Economic Development and Investment Department, the training began with public engagement and spatial analysis: they mapped all the sites to see the strengths and weaknesses of the municipality:
“This helped us understand where to focus our efforts. We received quality mentoring support from U-LEAD and established ties with neighbouring municipalities during the document drafting process to pool resources in the future. The CRP and the development strategy complement each other: together they form a vision of the future and a tangible action plan.”
Slobozhanske municipality: A “better than before” strategy
The municipality of Slobozhanske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, approached the development of the CRP strategically. Alona Chyrhyn, the Head of the Economic Development and Public Investment Department, says:
“For us, the CRP is not just about rebuilding, but about creating a ‘better than before’ municipality in line with European standards and principles of decentralisation. It is also important that the CRP is devised simultaneously with the implementation of the state electronic recovery management system, DREAM. This enables us to immediately integrate all our projects and plans into this system, ensuring transparency, accountability, and better conditions for attracting investment.”
The municipality plans to approve the Programme by the end of this year and use it as a basic guideline for all further decisions on development and recovery, says Alona Chyrhyn.
“In our work, we are already using modern tools, such as QGIS and DREAM, to track the implementation of plans and align them with the actual needs of our residents. This will allow us to effectively manage our resources, attract funding and implement quality projects that will change people’s lives for the better.”
Support that makes a difference
“In addition to consultations, U-LEAD provides municipalities with systemic support: expert advice, training and mentoring. This enables municipalities to not only develop documents, but also build their own recovery trajectory, from an idea to tangible changes in the lives of residents,” concludes Tetiana Danyliv.
