LocationsExperts unite to revive Mykolaiv
The Mykolaiv Recovery and Development Office addresses the city’s most pressing needs
Viktor Sikalenko heads the Mykolaiv Development Agency, a municipal institution. Thanks to cooperation with the EU, UNDP in Ukraine, and other partners, the agency has opened the Recovery and Development Office of Mykolaiv City and is now implementing numerous projects.
The Recovery and Development Office has become a platform for dialogue and collaboration with international institutions to develop plans for improving urban services and reconstruction.
“We hired experts on energy efficiency, critical infrastructure, culture, governance, administrative services, youth policy development, business support, and, separately, on the reintegration of veterans and their families,” Sikalenko notes. “These experts act as grant managers and specialists overseeing their respective areas.”
For instance, to implement a green transition project, the agency engaged Daniel Bodu, an expert who collaborates with the Department of Energy Efficiency and Innovation. He trained city officials on project development and grant application processes. As a result, they secured funding and installed solar panels at Mykolaiv’s social institutions, such as hospitals and administrative service centres, as part of energy efficiency projects.
“The Recovery and Development Office is a platform for dialogue where community needs are identified,” Sikalenko explains. “Our partners respond to these needs and inform us how they can support a particular project. We then facilitate cooperation between the partner and municipal departments or civil society organizations. Our role includes mentorship, as well as monitoring the success and effectiveness of the project.”
The office exemplifies the synergy between local authorities, international partners, and UNDP. Together with the Government of Sweden, they developed a framework for such offices, methodological guidelines, and training programmes for local government bodies. With financial support from the EU, the office space was fully equipped, and thanks to assistance from the Government of Denmark, they are strengthening its operations by engaging specialized experts.
The most popular request from the community remains clean drinking water, but the energy independence of the city is also a key priority. To address this, the office is developing projects aimed at ensuring that electricity generation is not concentrated in one facility, but it is spread throughout the city. For this purpose, they have planned the installation of co-generation units in 2025, which can produce electricity from various types of fuel and which are independent of the central power grid.
A separate focus of the office’s work is the reintegration of veterans. This involves creating platforms and centres where veterans and their families can receive psychological, technical, and other forms of support to reintegrate into civilian society.
Despite all the current challenges, the Recovery and Development Office is also striving to implement long-term projects, particularly those related to climate change.
“This includes planting trees that are more resistant to drought, with the understanding that they won’t be regularly watered,” Sikalenko says. “Our technical (non-potable) water is not suitable for all tree species.”
UNDP and the Government of Denmark also funded the creation of the Development Strategy of the Mykolaiv Community until 2027. The strategy focuses on enhancing security, resilience, competitiveness, and quality of life.
“We’re trying to fulfil this list of tasks according to the described established strategies,” Sikalenko says. “One specific and, in my opinion, the most important document is the Master Plan, which presents an ideal model for the city’s functioning from the environmental, economic, and other perspectives. We base our project implementation on these two strategic and long-term documents. This is how we’re laying a foundation for so that all the changes that are to occur in our country and city will to take place smoothly.”
Photo credit: Ivan Antypenko / Reporters / UNDP in Ukraine
