This paper is one of nine drafted by national entities in Ukraine as part of a UN-Habitat-commissioned collection entitled Thematic Paper Series Informing Urban Recovery Approaches in Ukraine. Municipal governance is central to Ukraine’s recovery because many of the country’s most important recovery decisions and service-delivery challenges are managed where people live: in territorial hromadas through local self-government bodies (LSGBs). Decentralization reforms since 2014 expanded local powers, resources and responsibilities, enabling hromadas to deliver services and respond to crises with greater resilience. The full-scale invasion has further expanded the role of municipalities as first responders, humanitarian coordinators and managers of recovery, while simultaneously placing major pressure on their finances, staffing and institutional capacity.
The paper examines the evolution and functioning of municipal governance in Ukraine, including local powers, finances, human resources, citizen participation, inter-municipal cooperation and digital transformation. It highlights the importance of strengthening municipal capacity, accountability, fiscal sustainability and data systems so that recovery investments can translate into equitable, transparent and sustainable outcomes.
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