Kyiv, 20 August 2025 – The National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service (NAUCS), in partnership with the Higher School of Public Administration, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the “Association of Civil Advisors of Ukraine” NGO, has launched a second round of a programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of local government bodies and promoting youth internships in the civil service.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine is supporting the programme, with funding from the Government of Denmark. 

As part of the local government capacity-building programme, 16 local government bodies will receive methodological guidance and support throughout the entire internship process in 2025: from the selection of interns and the development of internal documents required to organise the process before the programme’s implementation, to individual mentorship and subsequent evaluation of results and assistance with employment.

“Internships in local government bodies are not just an opportunity to gain initial experience,” commented Nataliia Aliushyna, the head of NAUCS. “It’s a chance for young people to acquire effective communication skills and implement their own ideas in collaboration with communities. At the same time, internships help to shape a culture of transparency, openness and barrier-free accessibility in local government.”

“The involvement of young people in community governance is an investment in its sustainable development. After all, it is young people who bring new approaches, energy and a modern vision that are necessary for quality change. It is important for NAUCS to instil in young people the understanding that an internship, and subsequently a job in the public service, is a successful career start and an opportunity to contribute to the development of their community and the country.”

The following local government bodies from 13 regions of Ukraine were selected for the Internship Programme based on an open competition:

• Zhmerinka City Council Executive Committee, Vinnytsia Oblast
• Dorosyni Village Council, Volyn Oblast
• Lutsk City Council, Volyn Oblast
• Dubovyky Village Council, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
• Mariupol City Council (relocated), DonetskOblast
• Kurne Village Council, Zhytomyr Oblast
• Blahovishchenske Village Council (relocated), Zaporizhzhia Oblast
• Otyniya Village Council, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
• Fastiv City Council, Kyiv Oblast
• Kropyvnytskyi City Council, KirovohradOblast
• Dobrosyn-Maheriv Village Council, Lviv Oblast
• Kuialnyk Village Council, Odesa Oblast
• Zinkiv City Council, Poltava Oblast
• Merefa City Council, Kharkiv Oblast
• Kharkiv Regional Council, Kharkiv Oblast
• Pryluky City Council, Chernihiv Oblast

Representatives of the selected public authorities have already undergone three-day offline training under the short-term qualification improvement programme called “Organisation and support of youth internship programmes in public authorities,” as well as an online course called “Organisation of youth internships in public authorities” on the Diia.Osvita platform.

“We are convinced that the future of our state is being created at the local level – in communities where young people face daily challenges but also have the opportunity to participate in decision-making and policy formation,” said Vladyslav Yatsuk, the head of the Youth Policy Department at the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine. 

“Through this programme, we are building a bridge between young people and government, overcoming stereotypes and opening doors to public service. We believe this is how a generation of leaders capable of changing the country is raised.”

The implementation of the Internship Programme in 2025 is taking into account the experience from the first round of the programme in 2024, which involved nine local government bodies and more than 30 interns.

According to the results of the national study “Ukrainian Youth 2024,” only 18% of young people consider working in the civil service, a decrease from 24% in 2023. The reason for this may be stereotypes about the sector and high competition in the labour market.

“The results of the first iteration of the programme proved that internships are an effective mechanism for promoting public service among young people and overcoming existing stereotypes,” said Viktoriia Demidova, project manager for the UNDP in Ukraine project “Civil society and youth support.”

“We see great demand and motivation on the part of local government bodies to attract young people, as well as a desire of young people to understand how local government works. In 2025, together with our partners, we scaled up the programme and we’ll continue to support local government bodies that create conditions for the involvement and development of young professionals.”

The next stage of the programme is the launch of internship programmes in 16 communities in various regions of Ukraine. The graduates of the training will be involved in developing effective internship programmes for young people in local government bodies and will contribute to promoting public service among young people.

The “Association of Public Advisors of Ukraine” NGO is helping communities implement the programme.

The youth internship programme in local government bodies is being implemented by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Higher School of Public Administration in cooperation with the “Association of Public Advisors of Ukraine” NGO, with support from UNDP in Ukraine and funding from the Government of Denmark.

Media inquiries:

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications and Advocacy, yuliia.samus@undp.org