Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUN4Ukraine (Sustainable Urban Net Zero Network for Ukraine)
Reporting period: 2024-05-01 to 2025-10-31
SUN4Ukraine aims to bring together Ukrainian cities with the EU 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, through capacity building, technical expertise, twinning, multi-level governance and policy to support them in adopting climate neutrality targets and incorporating climate neutrality into reconstruction plans. SUN4Ukraine has selected and works with 12 Ukrainian Flagship Municipalities who receive technical support and participate in a capacity building programme to develop Climate Neutrality Plans, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. A needs assessment is undertaken to understand the specific needs of each of the Flagship Municipalities informing detailed design of support. Technical support will guide Flagship Municipalities through the process of setting targets and the gap to be filled, identifying mitigation actions, engaging citizens and establishing new governance, designing Climate Neutrality Plans, and funding/ financing their implementation. Connections with funders and financiers will also be made to facilitate implementation. The capacity building programme will build the skills and capabilities of Flagship Municipalities, and include at its core, the peer learning, exchanges and study visits of Flagship Municipalities to Mission cities. A Ukrainian Cities Climate Hub will be established to bring Flagship Municipalities and other Ukrainian cities together to encourage mentoring, ongoing partnerships and replication. The lessons learned from technical support and the capacity building programme will be synthesised into guidance made available via the Hub and Mission Platform. Policy dialogues and recommendations, and good practices on multi-level governance will be developed to ensure Ukrainian cities can become climate neutral by 2050. A targeted communication and dissemination strategy will complement and support implementation. SUN4Ukraine will bring increased visibility to the Cities Mission and achieving its second objective of all European cities becoming climate neutral by 2050.
The first reporting period of the SUN4Ukraine project, covering the period between May 2024 and October 2025, was marked by extensive preparatory work essential for the delivery of the project results. The project achieved significant milestones, most notably the selection of 12 Ukrainian Flagship Municipalities (FMs) as frontrunners, through an open call to Ukrainian cities in September-October 2024. SUN4Ukraine has also laid the foundation for close collaboration between the selected Ukrainian Flagship Municipalities and EU Mission Cities by selecting 14 Mission Cities through an open call to the Mission Cities in May - June 2025 and pairing them with their Ukrainian counterparts for peer learning and knowledge exchange programme.
Substantial analytical groundwork was completed to identify and assess the needs of Ukrainian municipalities in order to enable providing them with tailor-made support. Comprehensive desk research summarised key national and local policies, barriers, and opportunities towards climate neutrality. Analysis of the survey results obtained from 105 municipalities’ responses to the call to Ukrainian cities was followed by Ukrainian Support Needs Assessment Process (U-SNAP) which generated detailed reports on their needs and challenges.
Significant progress has been made to enable expert support and technical assistance to Ukrainian cities through development of the Climate Neutrality Plan (CNP) framework and template, providing a structured guide for municipalities to plan and monitor their green transition. The Support Expertise Fund was launched, allowing FMs to apply for additional technical support to strengthen their climate action efforts through focused and strategic activities.
Furthermore, a comprehensive two-year multi-faceted Capacity Building Programme (CBP) was designed and launched in October 2025, offering foundational knowledge to Ukrainian cities for the composition of Climate Neutrality Plans.
SUN4Ukraine also laid the foundations for multi-level governance policy development and collaboration with the key stakeholders and relevant projects. Ukrainian Stakeholder Roadmap was created and the first in-person Multilevel Policy Dialogue was organised in Kyiv in October 2025, kick-starting work on identifying the policy gaps and barriers impeding climate neutrality and energy transition in Ukraine.
SUN4Ukraine formalized collaboration with NetZeroCities through a Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening ties with the EU Cities Mission. Moreover, supported participation of 12 Ukrainian Flagship Municipalities in the Cities Mission Conference in May 2025 in Vilnius and organised two special Ukraine-focused panel discussions there.
Substantial analytical groundwork was completed to identify and assess the needs of Ukrainian municipalities in order to enable providing them with tailor-made support. Comprehensive desk research summarised key national and local policies, barriers, and opportunities towards climate neutrality. Analysis of the survey results obtained from 105 municipalities’ responses to the call to Ukrainian cities was followed by Ukrainian Support Needs Assessment Process (U-SNAP) which generated detailed reports on their needs and challenges.
Significant progress has been made to enable expert support and technical assistance to Ukrainian cities through development of the Climate Neutrality Plan (CNP) framework and template, providing a structured guide for municipalities to plan and monitor their green transition. The Support Expertise Fund was launched, allowing FMs to apply for additional technical support to strengthen their climate action efforts through focused and strategic activities.
Furthermore, a comprehensive two-year multi-faceted Capacity Building Programme (CBP) was designed and launched in October 2025, offering foundational knowledge to Ukrainian cities for the composition of Climate Neutrality Plans.
SUN4Ukraine also laid the foundations for multi-level governance policy development and collaboration with the key stakeholders and relevant projects. Ukrainian Stakeholder Roadmap was created and the first in-person Multilevel Policy Dialogue was organised in Kyiv in October 2025, kick-starting work on identifying the policy gaps and barriers impeding climate neutrality and energy transition in Ukraine.
SUN4Ukraine formalized collaboration with NetZeroCities through a Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening ties with the EU Cities Mission. Moreover, supported participation of 12 Ukrainian Flagship Municipalities in the Cities Mission Conference in May 2025 in Vilnius and organised two special Ukraine-focused panel discussions there.
The SUN4Ukraine project aims to contribute to the following results:
• Enhanced innovation capacity of local/ regional administrations and accelerated uptake of shared, smart and sustainable zero emission solutions in Ukraine;
• Increased future deployment of innovative solutions tackling both climate mitigation and adaptation aspects;
• Increased capacity among Ukrainian cities, to design and implement their Climate Neutrality Plans to achieve climate-neutrality by 2050
• Development of new co-creation methods and approaches that ensure a better engagement of citizens and stakeholders, long-term planning and a better integration of their needs within the community’s strategies and plans.
• Enhanced innovation capacity of local/ regional administrations and accelerated uptake of shared, smart and sustainable zero emission solutions in Ukraine;
• Increased future deployment of innovative solutions tackling both climate mitigation and adaptation aspects;
• Increased capacity among Ukrainian cities, to design and implement their Climate Neutrality Plans to achieve climate-neutrality by 2050
• Development of new co-creation methods and approaches that ensure a better engagement of citizens and stakeholders, long-term planning and a better integration of their needs within the community’s strategies and plans.