Second round of selection for partnership with the Swedish–Ukrainian Polaris Programme under the direction “Institutional Capacity Development of the Starosta Institute” has been completed
The application period lasted from 8 to 22 May 2025.
A total of 87 applications were received from hromadas in 20 oblasts of Ukraine. Specifically, the applications came from:
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35 urban hromadas
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30 settlement hromadas
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26 rural hromadas
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6 military administrations of settlements
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1 hromada located in a temporarily occupied territory
The most active oblasts were Chernihiv – 19 applications, Rivne – 12, and Kharkiv – 9.
How the selection process was conducted
The selection took place in three stages:
1. Preliminary stage – application scoring
Applications were evaluated based on a number of criteria:
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population size in starosta districts
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number of starosta districts in the hromada
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availability of an Administrative Services Centre (ASC)
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negative impact of war (de-occupied hromadas)
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mountainous area status
Each criterion was assigned a score, which resulted in a preliminary application ranking.
2. Motivational stage – interviews
Programme experts held interviews with representatives of 21 hromadas that had the highest ranking scores and submitted motivational applications. Based on these discussions, the level of readiness and motivation for participation was assessed.
3. Final stage – selection of partner hromadas
Following the three stages, a final list of 12 hromadas was recommended for participation in the second round of support under the “Institutional Capacity Development of the Starosta Institute” direction. For two of these, a final decision on signing a Memorandum of Cooperation will be made following additional expert visits.
New partner hromadas of the Programme:
| № | Hromada Name | Oblast | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostroh | Rivne | 229 |
| 2 | Rohatyn | Ivano-Frankivsk | 213 |
| 3 | Ivano-Frankivsk | Ivano-Frankivsk | 212 |
| 4 | Shumsk | Ternopil | 188 |
| 5 | Sarny | Rivne | 156 |
| 6 | Obukhiv | Kyiv | 152 |
| 7 | Storozhynets | Chernivtsi | 144 |
| 8 | Rokytne | Rivne | 140 |
| 9 | Rozdilna | Odesa | 125 |
| 10 | Kazanka | Mykolaiv | 119 |
| 11 | Kurnen | Zhytomyr | 98 |
| 12 | Boyarka | Kyiv | 95 |
In total, 22 hromadas are now cooperating with the Polaris Programme under the direction “Institutional Capacity Development of the Starosta Institute”.
Support for other hromadas
Hromadas that were not selected for direct partnership will still have the opportunity to:
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participate in online training programmes for starostas,
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receive consultative support from Programme experts to address urgent challenges.
To access such support, please fill out the form available on the Programme website:
🔗 https://www.polaris.org.ua/rozvytok-spromozhnosti-instytutu-starost
