Today, this cooperation spans a wide range of areas, from strategic planning to energy efficiency, international partnerships and youth leadership. According to the head of the municipality, Andrii Deliatynchuk, having a systematic approach has helped Yasinia move from isolated solutions to long-term planning.
From the first solutions to strategic development
Yasinia’s first step in its collaboration with U-LEAD began almost immediately after its establishment. In December 2020, the municipality applied for the support programme focused on drafting a Development Strategy. This document took about a year to complete. Throughout the process, the municipality received expert support and was able to shape a strategic vision for its development. However, the full-scale war has necessitated a review of some of the approaches and the inclusion of new areas in the document.
Today, the municipality is once again updating its Development Strategy with the support of U-LEAD. According to senior officials of the municipality, strategic documents should be dynamic, responding to new challenges and helping the municipality to plan for the future.
Energy efficiency: from international partnership to specific solutions
One area where the partnership between Yasinia municipality and U-LEAD has yielded remarkable results is energy efficiency. A key catalyst in this regard has been the partnership with the municipality of Guldborgsund in Denmark — this partnership is being developed as part of the Bilateral Cooperation with Denmark initiative, a component of Denmark’s support for Ukraine under the U-LEAD with Europe Programme. Initially, nine municipalities from Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi Oblasts were selected for this initiative; however, the collaboration subsequently continued with three of those, including Yasinia.
As part of their study visits, municipal officials learned about the experiences of the municipality of Guldborgsund, focusing on practices relating to strategic and spatial planning, inter-municipal cooperation, public participation in decision-making and the implementation of energy-efficient solutions. There, municipal officials saw just how methodically municipalities can approach issues relating to energy and alternative energy sources.
And so the municipality set about building a systematic approach to energy management. This was made possible as part of the project “Cooperation for the Implementation of Energy Management Systems in Municipalities”, which was implemented by Prykarpattia Municipal Development Agency in partnership with the Danish municipality of Guldborgsund, with the support of U-LEAD with Europe. The project involved training municipal specialists and introducing energy consumption monitoring tools, enabling municipalities to manage resources more effectively and plan energy-efficiency measures.
As part of this initiative, three Yasinia specialists received training and were awarded energy manager certificates. The settlement council has created the position of energy manager and introduced an energy monitoring system, which now covers 33 municipal facilities. This provided insight into actual resource consumption and enabled further steps to be planned based on evidence rather than assumptions.
The next step was to implement specific energy-efficiency measures. Among the most notable examples is a hospital where a 30 kW solar power station and 30 kW batteries were installed. According to the head of the municipality, on sunny days this is already sufficient to meet the facility’s electricity needs.
Alongside this, the municipality is also working on other projects. Solar panels will be installed this year for the settlement council and the outpatient clinic in Chorna Tysa, whilst a solution is being sought through international projects and partnerships for Lazeshchyna school, which incurs particularly high heating expenses. Another goal of the municipality is to create so-called “energy islands” — facilities that can continue to operate even in a total blackout.
“Yasinia municipality is actively working to develop international collaborations, and with the support of U-LEAD, it has established two international partnerships: one with a Czech municipality of Česká Třebová, and the other with a Danish town of Guldborgsund, with which it has been collaborating for over five years. Following five years of successful cooperation with their Danish partners, the municipalities agreed to expand their collaboration and continue to learn from one another. In 2025–2026, the cooperation focuses on two key areas: energy management and local development. In addition, the municipality is actively developing partnerships with civil society organisations and charitable foundations from across the EU. International partnerships give the municipality access to new cooperation programmes, expert support and financial instruments from the European Union. In the long term, this contributes to strengthening the municipality’s institutional capacity and helps it prepare for Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” says Mykola Siusko, the Deputy Head of the Regional Activities Department at the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.
Investing in people: From the municipality’s team to youth leadership
Yasinia firmly believes that development is only possible with people who are willing to take responsibility, learn and put new ideas into practice. That is why one of the first decisions taken after the establishment of the municipality was to put together a team to work on projects and international partnerships.
They set up a department for international project and investment activities within the settlement council, whose main task is to seek out partners and prepare grant applications.
“You can’t simply find project managers. You have to build them up. First and foremost, there must be a desire to learn and to bring about change in the municipality. Then come training programmes, experience and support from partners,” says Andrii Deliatynchuk.
The municipality’s team actively seizes opportunities for learning and development. They extend this approach to young people as well. In 2025, the municipality of Yasinia became the hub for the Youth: Synergy of the Undefeated project, which was made possible with the support of U-LEAD. The idea came about during a meeting between the heads of Kulykivka, Velyka Omeliana and Yasinia municipalities, and the project itself aims to foster youth initiatives, create opportunities for informal education and nurture young leaders.
“It is very important for young people not only to communicate online, but also to meet up, work together and share their experiences. When they see that they are being listened to and supported, they come up with new ideas and initiatives,” says the mayor of the municipality.
Local residents feel that these projects are particularly valuable: they help young people to see their role in the municipality’s development and help to shape a new generation of active leaders.
Knowledge, partnerships and a shared future for municipalities
Another key aspect of Yasinia’s cooperation with U-LEAD with Europe has been its participation in training programmes for local self-government leaders.
Notably, Andrii Deliatynchuk was a participant in the first League of Leaders — an initiative that brought together heads of municipalities from across Ukraine and aimed to develop leadership skills, strategic thinking and the exchange of best practices among municipalities. According to him, participation gave him not only new knowledge but also the opportunity to build a network of professional contacts:
“Learning means growth. We may have a wealth of experience, but without continuous learning, there can be no progress. Programmes like these help broaden our horizons, understand new approaches to management and learn from the experiences of other municipalities”.
In addition to practical knowledge, another key outcome of this type of programme is that it helps to build new partnerships. Through the network of contacts, municipalities gain new avenues for cooperation, the exchange of experiences and the implementation of joint initiatives.
According to Pavlo Lohvinov, the Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Zakarpattia Oblast, the history of Yasinia municipality highlights the importance of municipalities being committed to action:
“It’s always a story about partnership. Our collaboration with U-LEAD is all about opportunities: we provide knowledge and expert support. And the example of Yasinia municipality showcases the strongest performance across many areas: project management, strategic planning, investment, inter-municipal partnerships and local economic development”.
For Yasinia municipality, the cooperation with U-LEAD with Europe has set an example of how partnerships, expert support and access to knowledge help municipalities move from isolated solutions to systematic development. From the initial stages of developing the Strategy through to the implementation of energy-efficient solutions, international partnerships and youth initiatives — this cooperation is a testament to how systematic work and a willingness to learn can lay the foundations for a sustainable municipality.
