"Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction require empowering of local and regional authorities, which necessitates the pursuit of decentralisation reforms - reforms that have played a crucial role in Ukraine's wartime resilience, enabling its subnational authorities to respond to unprecedented attacks and challenges it faced," stressed Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen in a video address to the 2nd International Cohesion Forum held in Kyiv on 29 April 2026.
She pointed in this regard to the need for the clear division of competences between the state and local self-government and amongst their tiers, underlining that that temporary deviations from the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government were understandable under martial law but must be withdrawn immediately when the situation allows for it.
"Furthermore, it is of utmost importance to foster civic engagement at all levels to ensure that Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction processes effectively address the needs of its citizens," concluded the Congress President, reaffirming the readiness and commitment of the Congress to continue assisting reforms in Ukraine.
