Congress Vice-President Bernd Vöhringer welcomed the local dimension put forward at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2024) in Berlin on 11-12 June 2024. Organised by the governments of Germany and Ukraine, the Conference brought together heads of state and governments, international organisations, local authorities, business and civil society representatives.
"Pursuing the decentralisation and local self-government reform is key for a sound reconstruction of the country, both in its human and economic aspects", he highlighted in his discussions with the mayors and governors of Bucha, Chernijhiv, Kyiv, Korosten, Lyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomir, Zviahel, and many other partner municipalities. In the meetings with the Ukrainian national associations, he reiterated the solidarity and support of the Congress in strengthening the city-to-city partnerships and in further mobilising networks to enhance the capacities of local and regional authorities in Ukraine, as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Resilience, Recovery, and Reconstruction 2023-2026.
Insights of the URC2024 will feed into the Congress report on recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, to be adopted in early 2025. This report will notably address the role of local self-government in rebuilding social capital and ensuring a sustainable future of cities and regions in Ukraine. Vice-President Vöhringer stressed that the Congress stands ready to contribute to the next edition of the URC to be hosted by the government of Italy in 2025.
