Tetiana Yehorova-Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR), announced that the Association's board had approved an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with a proposal to increase funding for the State Regional Development Fund (SRDF).

After resuming its operations in 2025, the Fund’s budget was only UAH 1 billion. According to the UAROR president, this is insufficient to support the regions in the recovery process. Although the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories initiated an increase in funding to at least UAH 30 billion, the draft State Budget for 2026 only provides UAH 2 billion.

‘This amount does not cover the real needs of communities. The SFRD should be a key instrument for financing development projects, particularly in frontline communities,’ emphasised Ms Yehorova-Lutsenko.

The Kharkiv and Sumy Regional Councils have already adopted a resolution in support of increasing funding for the Fund. The UAROR is calling on other regional councils to join the joint appeal.

The Association also emphasised the importance of active community participation in submitting projects through the DREAM ecosystem. This includes complying with technical requirements and preparing high-quality applications in order to obtain co-financing.

In addition, the UAROR board approved another appeal — to the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories — regarding the financial support of district councils in 2026 through the provision of state subsidies.

Ms Yehorova-Lutsenko claims that current resources are insufficient to cover employee salaries and utility bills.

‘Supporting the subregional level is a shared responsibility, not just that of district councils, which are currently effectively deprived of both powers and funding,’ concluded the UAROR President.