As part of the working visit of the Polaris Programme leadership to Kharkiv oblast, which included Oleksandr Mazurkin, Programme Manager, SALAR International; Susanna Dellans, Team Leader of the Polaris team and SALAR International Representative in Ukraine; as well as Programme experts, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration and the Polaris Programme.
The document provides for the implementation of a number of initiatives aimed at supporting community recovery, improving public service delivery, and strengthening local capacities.
"On behalf of the Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov, we are actively cooperating with international partners to restore our region. The signed memorandum with the Polaris Programme will allow us to implement important initiatives — from restoring educational infrastructure to reconstructing critical facilities. This is an important step in strengthening the resilience of our communities,” emphasised Yevhen Ivanov, Deputy Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
The parties also discussed ongoing initiatives in hromadas across the oblast, new infrastructure projects, as well as plans to establish a situation centre for security monitoring, emergency response, and operational management under martial law.
“We are glad to be in Kharkiv oblast and to work together with hromadas where support is most needed. Despite extremely challenging security conditions, Kharkiv demonstrates leadership and unity. Together we will focus on community recovery, effective governance, accessible services, and support for education development — based on data, dialogue, and a long-term vision of growth,” said Susanna Dellans, Head of the Polaris Programme team and SALAR International Representative in Ukraine.
During the working visit, the Polaris delegation also met with its partner hromadas in the oblast — Valky, Zlatopil, and Blyzniuky — and additionally held a meeting with Chuhuiv hromada, further strengthening ties at both community and regional levels.
