Vitalii Bezgin, Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, joined the Switzerland–Ukraine Municipal Cooperation Forum online, which was held in Basel on 10 September.

The forum brought together political leaders, heads of administrations and representatives of relevant organisations from Switzerland and Ukraine. Its main aim is to shift municipal cooperation between the two countries towards specific initiatives and joint projects.

The participants discussed the role of city-to-city partnerships in reconstruction and strengthening resilience, as well as practical models for such cooperation. Special attention was paid to areas where cooperation between communities can already yield practical results, including energy supply, water infrastructure, governance, and public services.

In his address, Vitalii Bezgin emphasised that Switzerland is one of the MinRehion’s strategic partners. The Ministry is currently the beneficiary of Swiss international technical assistance projects worth more than USD 200 million. These cover support for the decentralisation reform, regional development, energy efficiency, digitalisation, and housing policy.

A distinct area of cooperation is the development of horizontal links between Ukrainian and Swiss communities. According to MinRehion, there are currently five partnerships in place with Swiss cities, including Bern, Zurich, and Geneva. It is important to increase the number of such partnerships, and their practical outcome should be specific joint projects between communities.

The Minister also emphasised the importance of municipal cooperation in preparing Ukrainian communities for European integration.

‘Municipal cooperation is also important for our European integration. Communities should be prepared to work in line with the principles of the EU Cohesion Policy and to effectively use European resources. We are preparing for this right now. I express my gratitude to the Swiss Government, Swiss towns and cantons, and the Embassy of Ukraine for their consistent support,’ said Vitalii Bezgin.

A key part of the Forum was the bilateral exchange of experience. Ukrainian communities are interested in Switzerland’s experience and in partnerships for reconstruction, whilst the Swiss representatives are keen to learn from Ukrainian communities’ experience in digitalisation, technological solutions, and ensuring resilience and operational capacity in emergency situations.

The Forum also hosted City Labs working sessions, during which representatives from Ukrainian and Swiss cities worked together on specific ideas for future cooperation.

The Forum was jointly organised by the Swiss Government, the cities of Basel, Bern, and Zurich, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine to Switzerland, Ukrainischer Verein Schweiz, and the Support and Recovery Platform (SRP).