Five Ukrainian communities have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the town of Grybów in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland.

These communities are all united by their participation in the ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Cohesive Communities’ project and their existing partnership with the Velyki Luchky community in Zakarpattia region, whose Mayor took an active part in implementing the initiative.

Support and expert guidance in concluding the agreement were provided by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories.

The following frontline communities signed the Agreement:

• Myrne Settlement Military Administration
• Mariinka City Military Administration
• Chornobaivka Village Military Administration
• Petropavlivka Settlement Council.

This is an ambitious and forward-looking approach to international cooperation at the local level. A single European city is working with not just one community, but a whole network of Ukrainian partners and frontline cities.

The wide geographical scope of the project – stretching from Zakarpattia region to the frontline areas of Donetsk and Kherson regions – gives Polish partners the opportunity to learn more about Ukraine and its communities, which have diverse needs and varying experiences of development.

Ukrainian communities will be able to benefit from Poland's experience in securing EU grants and implementing local development projects – mechanisms that are already working successfully in Grybów.

The partners are already planning practical cooperation. Among other things, they are discussing trips to Poland for children from communities near the front line. Joint working visits by Polish and Ukrainian communities to Germany and Austria will take place shortly to exchange experiences in administrative management.

Although the ‘One City – Several Communities’ cooperation model is a pilot scheme, it is already evident that it could serve as a template for new international partnerships involving Ukrainian communities.

Viliam Kall, Mayor of the Slovak town of Veľký Šariš – another partner of Velyki Luchky community – also attended the meeting. He announced that his community also plans to sign Memoranda of Cooperation with Ukrainian communities within the framework of the ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Cohesive Communities’ project.