Twelve Ukrainian cities join the SUN4Ukraine initiative

3 December 2024

Twelve municipalities from across Ukraine are beginning a transformative journey to climate-neutral rebuilding. They have been announced as SUN4Ukraine’s Flagship Municipalities and will be associated with the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which aims to achieve climate neutrality in 100 European cities by 2030.

The 12 selected Flagship Municipalities are Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Kalush, Kharkiv, Konotop, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Novovolynsk, Pervomaisk, Vinnytsia and Zviahel.

These cities were selected from 105 municipalities that expressed an interest in participating in the SUN4Ukraine project with the ultimate aim of becoming climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest.

The SUN4Ukraine consortium experts were impressed with the high level of interest and the quality of applications from Ukrainian municipalities despite Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. The project selection committee had a hard time when selecting the target 10 Flagship Municipalities, so it decided to increase the number to 12 to acknowledge their aspirations for climate neutrality and their vision for a greener and more sustainable future.

“The incredible courage and resilience shown by the Ukrainian people has been truly amazing and inspiring. Eurocities is proud to coordinate the SUN4Ukraine project, which will work with Ukrainian cities to integrate climate-neutrality goals into their reconstruction plans,” said André Sobczak, Eurocities Secretary General.

Following the selection of the cities, the SUN4Ukraine experts from the EU and Ukraine will now work alongside the twelve Flagship Municipalities on the development of Climate Neutrality Plans.

“I would like to thank the many Ukrainian cities that expressed interest in becoming more closely associated with the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. And a warm welcome to the mission family to the twelve Flagship Municipalities”, said Patrick Child, Mission Manager and Deputy Director-General for Environment at the European Commission. “Through SUN4Ukraine, we can channel valuable lessons from the Cities Mission on the implementation, governance and financing of climate action and urban transitions.”

SUN4Ukraine will work with the municipalities supporting them to set achievable climate goals, identify funding options, and foster structured policy dialogue across multiple levels of governance. This support will be tailored to each city’s needs while considering national circumstances, especially the recovery challenges posed by the ongoing war. It will help cities overcome structural, institutional and cultural barriers to progress.

In the next phase, the Flagship Municipalities will partner with the EU Mission Cities, transitioning from exchanging knowledge to taking decisive action. These partnerships will align expertise with capacity building needs, and match cities according to similarities and relevance of their climate neutrality challenges.

Further on, SUN4Ukraine will also invite all municipalities who responded to the project’s call to cities to join the journey toward a climate-resilient and sustainable future within the Ukrainian Cities Climate Hub. The goal is to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and promote best practices for Ukraine’s recovery and sustainability.

“It is an honour and a privilege to work with remarkably resilient and aspiring Ukrainian cities and we look forward to building together a sustainable network of net zero cities across Europe”, said Lesya Tymoshenko, Coordinator of SUN4Ukraine.

ENDS//

Notes to editors:

1.  Launched in May 2024 under the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and funded under Horizon Europe, Sustainable Urban Net Zero Network for Ukraine (SUN4Ukraine) is a four-year project focused on supporting Ukrainian cities in their pursuit of climate neutrality. In the wake of the severe disruptions caused by Russia’s war of aggression, this project focuses on systemic and efficient recovery, aligning with climate objectives and involving citizens and stakeholders to reach Ukraine’s climate objectives. 
2. The SUN4Ukraine project partners are Eurocities, Energy Cities Association, ARUP, Council of European Municipalities and Regions, LGI Sustainable Innovation, Ro3kvit Urban Coalition for Ukraine, Center for environmental initiatives “Ecoaction”, The Democratic Society Aisbl, Kyiv School of Economics, Demos Research Institute Helsinki, Cedos think tank, Association of Ukrainian Cities, and Climate-KIC Holding B.V. The project’s associate partner is the United Nations Development Programme.
3. Eurocities wants to make cities places where everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, is able to move around safely, access quality and inclusive public services and benefit from a healthy environment. We do this by networking more than 200 larger European cities, which together represent some 150 million people across 38 countries, and by gathering evidence of how policy making impacts people to inspire other cities and EU decision makers. Connect with us at https://eurocities.eu/ or by following our LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
4. See below a map of SUN4Ukraine’s 12 selected Ukrainain Flagship Municipalities: