The reconstruction of Ukraine begins with communities. Community residents clearly understand their own needs and are interested in ensuring that their native settlement is rebuilt according to best practices. That is why the importance place of communities in the public investment management reform currently being implemented by the Ukrainian government is undeniable.

This complex and important reform creates new approaches to the formation of investment portfolios at both the local, regional and national levels. Its goal is to ensure a transparent and strategic allocation of limited resources, high-quality project preparation, their proper assessment and prioritization.

The Ministry of Development and Reform is a key element in connecting the national level of reform with the involvement of each community. Therefore, each stage of the reform is standardized, works as it should, and everyone involved in public investment management — communities in particular — knows their role and tasks.

“The reform allows communities to move from waiting for help to taking action. Now they can set their own priorities, attract investments, and manage projects that directly improve the lives of their residents. This is our path to a strong and sustainable Ukraine,” emphasizes Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Ryabykin.

Communities and regions have their own local and regional Development Strategies, which include the restoration and development of social and critical infrastructure as one of the priorities. Properly defined regional priorities allow for effective planning of public investment projects and programs for implementation.

The next stage of the reform is to teach communities to independently prepare public investment projects that would meet their strategic development goals.

Since the Ministry of Development is the main developer of projects and programs at the national level (over 60% of the EAP), its team has a deep understanding of all the complexities of the reform. Therefore, the Ministry of Development is ready to support communities and share its experience gained during the formation of portfolios at the national level.

The Ministry of Development and Trade is working to improve the capacity of communities to initiate and implement public investment projects. Seven regional events have already been held, the purpose of which is to train representatives of local and regional authorities to work with public investments.

During the trainings, participants were explained the logic of the reform, shown how the DREAM digital system works, and provided with the knowledge necessary for the effective preparation of investment projects. This helped to strengthen the capacity of communities and collect important feedback.

Representatives of neighboring communities and regions came to each of the events, which allowed to involve more than 3,500 participants in the discussion and cover all regions of Ukraine. All this took place with the support of international partners - UNDP, the EU, the Government of Japan, and the Open Contracting Partnership, which is helping to develop and implement the DREAM digital ecosystem, which is the digital foundation of the RIM reform.

Methodological guides with an overview of the reform and a description of the procedure for preparing, assessing and implementing public investment projects and programs have also been developed. 

In the spring of 2025, more than 470 representatives from 23 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv, representing both local communities and state bodies, took part in a two-day training on using the “Five Case Model” methodology. The training will continue.

The reconstruction of Ukraine is impossible without their direct participation. Communities become active creators of reconstruction, as they independently determine priorities and control the reconstruction process.

For reference. The “Five Case Model” is an international standard that helps to qualitatively prepare and evaluate investment projects. Thanks to this methodology, communities will be able to prepare projects of much better quality.