Our cities are strong, resilient and will endure everything. But with the support of their partners, it will be easier for them to overcome the difficulties they are currently going through in the conditions of war.
Our foreign friends significantly support Ukrainian cities: they deliver thousands of tons of humanitarian and other assistance. This is confirmed by our study of the assistance from foreign cities to their 25 Ukrainian sister cities and partners.
We advise our cities to develop a network of partners now and think about the prospect of relations for the period of reconstruction!
We have prepared tips on how to establish a twinning or partnership relationship with cities abroad.
✔️ Identify areas of urban governance in which your city wants to cooperate with others — to improve efficiency, modernize, or share experiences. For example, it may be the creation of online tools or the provision of humanitarian assistance. Such a decision may be established by the city council or the executive committee.
✔️ Next, you need to identify a city that can share experiences or help. There are no limits to this, but remember that this is a bilateral relationship. Of course, it will be best to visit the city in person, but you can also send an initiative letter of intent for cooperation, in particular for the purpose of providing humanitarian assistance.
✔️ The next step is to develop and agree on a draft Twinning or Cooperation Agreement with the city. The text of the agreement must necessarily have an explanatory note that justifies the need to establish friendly relations.
✔️ The final stage of establishing the partnership — mayors of cities or official delegations sign the relevant documents. From that moment, two cities can exchange experience on a specific sphere of urban governance or accept/transfer assistance.
Now the whole world has united to help Ukraine resist russia and win the war. We have great support, so we ask Ukrainian cities to use the available opportunities to strengthen our country. 🇺🇦