UNIDO advances pilot twinning projects for green municipal recovery in Ukraine
8 January 2026 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), is enabling Ukrainian municipalities to drive recovery and reconstruction through green industrial solutions. Through seven pilot projects launched under the “Green industrial recovery through municipality-based development in Ukraine” initiative, international best practice is being translated into concrete local action, strengthening municipal services, promoting green solutions and supporting sustainable economic recovery anchored in industry and job creation.
Grounded in a municipality-based development approach, the pilots enable local authorities to design and implement recovery pathways tailored to their specific needs while aligning with national green reconstruction priorities. Through structured cooperation with European counterparts, Ukrainian municipalities are accessing practical tools, technologies and institutional know-how that reinforce local governance, improve service delivery and build long-term resilience.
The seven pilot initiatives include:
- Energy-efficient municipal planning: Smila (Cherkasy Oblast) twinned with Jonava (Lithuania) to develop a Municipal Energy Plan and strengthen capacity for energy-efficient planning.
- Circular economy solutions for light industry waste: Khmelnytskyi twinned with the Swedish Institute (Sweden) and Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (NUCC) Oslo (Norway), to create a sustainable system for recycling light industry waste;
- Urban mining for reconstruction: Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions twinned with the Fraunhofer Institute (Germany) to advance urban mining solutions for post-war reconstruction
- Modern wastewater treatment infrastructure: Brovary (Kyiv Oblast) twinned with Jena (Germany) and Grodziski Powiat (Poland) to modernize wastewater treatment infrastructure
- Integrated water and energy management systems: Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (Odesa Oblast) twinned with Ulm and Neu-Ulm (Germany) to implement modern water and energy management systems
- Inter-municipal biogas production and renewable energy: Truskavets, Boryslav, and Drohobych (Lviv Oblast) twinned with Wathlingen (Germany) to develop inter-municipal biogas production capacity
- Green pathways for Ukraine's water utilities: A comprehensive capacity building programme for the Association of Water and Sewerage Enterprises of Ukraine “Ukrvodokanalekolohiya" leverages international standards for green and sustainable water management
The pilots emphasize the transfer of international best practices through direct, results-oriented collaboration. By aligning local recovery priorities with tested solutions, the initiative is laying the foundation for scalable and replicable approaches to green infrastructure, circular economy applications and sustainable municipal services. Bringing together municipalities, public utilities, research institutions and private sector actors, the pilots demonstrate how multi-stakeholder partnerships can accelerate implementation, unlock economic opportunities and deliver tangible results at the local level. Targeted training programmes, study tours and joint strategic planning further strengthen capacities while fostering lasting cooperation between Ukrainian and European municipalities. The diversity of partners and thematic focus areas highlights the flexibility of the twinning model to generate impact across energy, water, waste and circular economy sectors, while creating clear pathways for replication and scale-up across Ukraine.
Additional information on each pilot project—including objectives, partners and expected results—is available in dedicated factsheets accompanying this press release, which further illustrate the contribution of municipality-based development to Ukraine’s green recovery.
For more information, please contact Dorina Nati, d.nati [at] unido.org
