Introduction

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe with an estimated population of 41 million in 2022. Around 70% of the population lives in urban areas, with a large concentration around the capital city, Kyiv, as well as in the Donetsk region. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the built environment and critical infrastructure have been severely impacted also causing large humanitarian concerns for millions of civilians, including internally displaced persons and refugees. 

The war has affected the availability of Ukrainian expertise within urban development, including of urban planners and designers. This particularly affects smaller cities and towns, including more recently formed hromadas, that often lack expertise and capacity on a number of fronts, in particular in relation to urban development and planning, as well as project design and implementation. This gap especially affects the capacities of small towns and cities in developing and implementing the “complex recovery programmes” called for by the government under Law#2254-IX. 

In collaboration with the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development (hereafter called Ministry for Restoration), UN-Habitat has engaged select regional administrations (Oblasts) and local governments (hromadas) for the preparation of urban recovery plans. Through its Urban Lab in Ukraine, UN-Habitat supports participatory urban recovery planning that promotes an effective, inclusive and resilient urban recovery through the creation of an enabling environment. The Urban Lab functions as a platform for engagement of local and international expertise and collaborators, addressing solutions for immediate (short-term), medium and long-term (strategic) recovery efforts. 

Strengthening capacities forms part of creating the enabling environment needed to promote sustainable, effective, inclusive and resilient urban recovery. Capacity building thus forms a crucial part of UN-Habitat’s support to Ukraine, and is expected to be undertaken through various modalities and at various levels, such as through cross-learning initiatives, on-the-job training and tailored capacity building efforts. UN-Habitat is looking for an Implementing Partner to design and deliver capacity development activities with a view to enhance knowledge and improve skills/ capacities across key stakeholders to implement sustainable, inclusive and green recovery, reconstruction and development with evidence-informed decision-making. 

Main activities to be carried out during the Assignment

Under the general supervision of UN-Habitat’s Head of Office in Ukraine, the selected Implementing Partner will be responsible for the achievement of the following tasks: 

• Undertake more detailed training needs assessments with 8 hromadas to inform the detailed planning and the design of the tailored capacity building and training component, including thematic scope;

• Design the capacity building activities that are to be delivered for each hromada (8) - 8-10 thematic training modules per hromada are developed depending on context and needs capturing at least the following broad indicative thematic areas: approaches and practice of integrated and inclusive urban and territorial planning; principles for resilience, sustainability and circularity; evidence-based design and the effective use of data; governance and collaboration; local economic development and project finance; project development and fund-raising;

• Deliver capacity building activities with all hromadas with the participation of stakeholders at different levels or sectors, including women and youth, as relevant; 

• Monitor the process and extract lessons learned and recommendations. 

Overall timeframe 

The work outlined in this EOI is scheduled to commence by 1 August 2024 and completed by 31 January 2025.

Submission requirements and contact information

Expression of Interest must be delivered by email no later than 30 June 2024 17:00 hrs (CET) to the e-mail address: unhabitat-ukraine@un.org.

Other 

Please note that this EOI notice does not constitute a solicitation. UN-Habitat reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement at any time in the Expressions of Interest/or solicitation process. Submitting a reply to an EOI does not guarantee that a Cooperation Partner will be considered for receipt of the solicitation when issued and only Cooperation Partners who are deemed qualified by UN-Habitat upon completion of evaluation of submission, will receive the final solicitation document.