IN A NUTSHELL
The SUN4Ukraine Capacity Building Programme empowers Ukrainian municipalities to plan their climate transition even in the challenging context of war and reconstruction. It supports Ukrainian cities on the path to climate neutrality with the developments of targets, climate-neutral plans (CNPs), funding/financing and multi-level structured policy-dialogue.
Co-created with Ukrainian cities and SUN4Ukraine consortium partners, the programme responds directly to the realities faced by municipalities across the country. It supports cities in addressing key challenges such as data gaps, ageing infrastructure, limited access to finance, governance barriers, citizen engagement, and integrating climate action into reconstruction efforts.
Running from October 2025 to September 2027, the programme offers a structured learning journey tailored to the needs of Ukrainian local governments. It combines a blended learning approach that includes:
- bi-weekly online training sessions with interactive workshops and peer exchanges
- periodic in-person learning events to strengthen collaboration and city-to-city learning
- tailored expert support
- a dedicated learning platform hosted on the NetZeroCities portal
Sessions are delivered primarily in Ukrainian, ensuring accessibility and enabling municipal teams to easily share knowledge across departments.
LEARNING BY DOING APPROACH
The programme follows a “learning by doing” approach. Each session provides practical
knowledge that
cities immediately apply to the development of their own Climate Neutrality Plans.
Training focuses on the key building blocks of local climate action. Cities learn how to:
- establish reliable data and emissions baselines to inform planning
- develop effective governance structures that foster cross-departmental collaboration and political commitment
- engage citizens and stakeholders in the transition
- design integrated portfolios of climate actions across sectors such as energy, mobility, waste and urban development
- develop financing strategies and investment-ready projects
Through regular learning cycles and practical assignments, city teams progressively transform knowledge into concrete strategies, projects and investment plans.
BUILDING LONG-TERM IMPACT
By the end of the programme, the 12 Ukrainian Flagship Municipalities will have strengthened their institutional capacity and developed robust Climate Neutrality Plans, helping them accelerate their transition towards climate-neutral, resilient and future-ready cities.
PARTNERSHIP WITH
EUROPEAN MISSION CITIES
A key feature of the programme is the SUN4Ukraine Partnership Programme, which connects Ukrainian municipalities with European Mission Cities already implementing climate neutrality strategies. The pairing is based on matching expertise and learning needs, as well as similar city characteristics (e.g. size, type, climate, etc.).
Each Ukrainian Flagship Municipality is paired with a European partner city to exchange experience, tools and lessons learned. The partnerships include:
- online peer-learning sessions
- study visits to European cities
- mentoring from leading climate-neutral cities such as Munich and Oslo
This city-to-city learning approach allows Ukrainian municipalities to benefit from tested solutions while sharing their own experience of urban resilience and reconstruction. This partnership will allow them to move from knowledge exchange to implementation-oriented phase.
SCALING KNOWLEDGE ACROSS UKRAINE
To extend the programme’s impact beyond the participating cities, SUN4Ukraine features the creation ofthe Ukrainian Cities Climate Hub (UCCH), planned for 2027. The Hub is designed to bring together Flagship Municipalities and other Ukrainian cities interested in climate action, creating a national community of practice.
Through the Hub, cities can:
- access training materials and tools
- exchange experiences and best practices
- learn from the progress of Flagship Municipalities
- build new partnerships and collaborations
The Hub will organise a two-day in-person training in Ukraine where Flagship Municipalities will present lessons learned from the programme and encourage replication across the country.
Join the community
Are you a Ukrainian municipality looking to advance your climate action efforts? The Ukrainian Cities Climate Hub will open opportunities to learn from peers, access resources and join a growing network of cities shaping Ukraine’s climate-neutral future.
Are you a European Mission City willing to share your experience? Your knowledge and practical insights can help accelerate the transition of Ukrainian cities and strengthen European cooperation on climate neutrality.
👉 Get involved and contribute to building climate-neutral cities in Ukraine.
Email us on: hello@sun4ukraine.eu