On 10 June 2025, the cooperation between the Ukrainian city of Uman and the Swedish Kristianstad officially established — the partnership agreement was signed by the heads of the municipalities during a visit by the Ukrainian delegation to Sweden.

The partnership was made possible thanks to Cities4Cities within the “International Municipal Cooperation” sphere of the Polaris Programme.

The two communities first connected in autumn 2024. From the start, they identified key areas for deeper cooperation: waste management and green energy, civil protection and crisis preparedness, cultural and youth exchanges, sports cooperation, and local democracy development.

Camilla Palm, Chair of Kristianstad Municipal Council:

“I cannot imagine the situation you are facing, but I am deeply impressed by your fight. I very much look forward to visiting you and have great hopes for our cooperation.”

Iryna Pletniova, Mayor of Uman:

“We had a great visit to a beautiful city and learned about its history. We met other Ukrainians, visited the youth centre. I hope this partnership will be useful for both sides — for the future and for our children. After the war, we look forward to welcoming you to Uman. Perhaps we will organise a joint festival!”

As part of the visit, the Uman delegation visited Mötesplats Ukraina — a community space for Ukrainians in Kristianstad, the Kulturhuset Barbacka youth centre, and the Naturum biosphere centre, where the partnership agreement was signed.

Halyna Kucher, Head of Uman City Society for Friendship with Foreign Countries, added:

“For us, this visit and the signing of the agreement are not just formalities. We saw Kristianstad’s genuine readiness for cooperation and openness to sharing experiences. It is especially important to involve young people and to build partnerships between our communities on a human level — this lays the foundation for long-term relations.”

Among the first initiatives are exchanges in waste management, green energy, and civil protection among municipal services (online), as well as a visit of Ukrainian youth to Kristianstad in autumn 2025 to exchange experiences in working with youth centres and youth councils.