On November 25-26, 2024, the Lviv Municipal Partnership Forum, organized by our Ukrainian partner Cities4Cities, brought together municipal and international stakeholders with a shared goal: strengthening partnerships between the European Union and Ukraine to promote European integration and the country’s reconstruction.
Among the speakers, Edward Mayor, president of the NGO Stand With Ukraine, participated in a panel focused on local initiatives for reconstruction. Alongside Ostap Protsyk, Cities4Cities expert and panel moderator, the panel included Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv; Arad Benkö, Ambassador of Austria to Ukraine; Martina Quick, Deputy Head of Mission at the Swedish Embassy in Kyiv; and Ihor Vyshnyak, National Programs Manager for the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative.
Since the creation of Stand With Ukraine in February 2022, at the outset of the large-scale Russian invasion, we have strongly believed that local governments play a crucial role in supporting Ukraine. This is why Stand With Ukraine is dedicated to building lasting bridges between French and Ukrainian cities, calling for partnerships that go beyond humanitarian aid and pave the way for mutual collaboration fostering solidarity, economic development, and long-term relationships.
In his speech, the president of SWU highlighted the strong solidarity of French cities with Ukraine since the start of the war, while calling for better structuring and coordination of these initiatives. Understanding the priorities of Ukrainian territories in terms of reconstruction and development is crucial to identifying what French local governments can offer in terms of resources, expertise, and investments. In this context, Stand With Ukraine presented the MistoMatch initiative, an innovative platform designed to facilitate partnerships between cities.
This platform was born out of a shared need: French cities want to provide concrete and sustainable support, while Ukrainian communities seek to build strong relationships to rebuild. MistoMatch offers a framework to align needs and resources, while fostering human connections that inspire joint projects. For Stand With Ukraine, these partnerships are not only acts of immediate solidarity but commitments that will shape the future.
Finally, Edward Mayor emphasized that these local relationships are part of a broader dynamic, strengthening political engagement at the national and international levels. City collaborations help anchor support for Ukraine in shared human values, while fostering its integration into the European community. This commitment was recognized by Cities4Cities, which awarded, on behalf of Stand With Ukraine, the “Ambassador of Cities’ Friendship” award, in recognition of Stand With Ukraine’s significant contribution to strengthening partnerships between European and Ukrainian municipalities.
