In Kyiv, Carin Jämtin and Georg Andrén, Governors of the Swedish counties of Västernorrland and Värmland, alongside representatives of the Embassy of Sweden, met with representatives of Ukraine’s national local government associations and the Polaris Programme.

Together with Tobias Lindenkäll and Linn Ekholm, officials from the County Administrative Boards of Västernorrland and Värmland responsible for civil preparedness and defence, participants discussed how hromadas are functioning during the war, decentralisation, and cooperation across different levels of government. Particular attention was given to practical experience: the Swedish participants asked many questions about how local authorities respond to security risks, power outages, and other crises caused by the war. Representatives of the associations shared experiences from hromadas across different regions of Ukraine, as well as approaches that help them maintain their capacity under difficult conditions.

Sweden has long supported decentralisation in Ukraine, and can draw from Ukraine’s extensive experience of crisis preparedness, resilience and maintaining essential services under exceptionally challenging circumstances. Direct dialogue between representatives of local and regional government on both sides is an important part of this cooperation.