The Union Foundation team participated in a design meeting organized by UNDP in Ukraine

 

On December 11-13, 2025, the Union Foundation team participated in a design meeting organized by UNDP in Ukraine. The event became a platform for forming a shared vision of the role of public participation working groups in the context of restoring frontline communities.

The meeting brought together representatives of network organizations, partner communities, and the UNDP team.

The primary objective is to jointly plan the implementation of an integrated approach to regional restoration and to define the tasks of the working groups for the next three years.

The program included:

• discussion of changes in approaches to community engagement, analysis of previous experience, and assessment of the capacity of local CSOs;
• presentation of new tools for community profiling and data-based planning;
• consideration of legal obligations for public participation and search for practical formats for inclusive engagement;
• experience exchange sessions in the format of “One Failure – Two Successes – Three Conclusions”, which became a platform for learning and mutual support;
• joint work on the draft of the updated regulation on working groups and the creation of local roadmaps for the implementation of the ABR approach (Area-Based Recovery).

For three days, the Foundation team actively participated in thematic discussions and deliberations. In particular, attention was paid to the importance of systematically involving the veteran community in recovery processes — not only as recipients of services, but also as equal participants in decision-making. We discussed the role of veterans as carriers of unique experiences that can strengthen communities during the recovery and development phases.

Separately, we discussed the prospects for institutionalizing working groups as a space for constant dialogue between the community, local governments, CSOs, and partners. We shared our experience in building partnerships and working on joint projects with other organizations, as one of the elements of institutional development.

The event was held within the framework of the flagship partnership of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the European Union “EU4Recovery — Empowering Communities in Ukraine” with financial support from the Government of Denmark.