The Ukraine–Italy Forum at URC2025: a wide-ranging partnership between Ukrainian and Italian communities
On 9 July 2025, Rome (Italy) hosted the Ukraine–Italy Local Government Forum, a major event held as part of the international Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (URC2025). The forum was organised on the initiative of the international movement “Friends of Ukraine”, in partnership with the NGO “Dobrobat” and with the support of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy (CNAUI).
The aim of the event was to create a lasting platform for sharing experience in:
– local government;
– the recovery of communities;
– attracting investment;
– inter-municipal cooperation;
– cultural dialogue between communities in Ukraine and Italy.
The forum brought together delegations from Ukrainian and Italian municipalities, local authority representatives, heads of education departments, heads of regional military administrations, civil society organisations and international partners.
Programme highlights:
– an official opening attended by representatives of the parliaments and government bodies of Ukraine and Italy;
– a panel discussion, “The Ukrainian experience: challenges and opportunities for community recovery”
– decentralisation, governance, the role of culture and civil society;
– a panel discussion, “The Italian vision: partnership and cultural dialogue”
– the place of municipalities in Italian democracy, sustained dialogue;
– an education panel focusing on safe learning, psychological support, shelters, vocational education, health holidays for children and schooling in wartime.
Partnership agreements and outcomes
During the forum, memoranda of cooperation were signed between:
– Erice (Sicily) and Truskavets;
– Trapani and Nizhyn;
– Silvi (Abruzzo) and Trostianets.
In addition, the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy concluded memoranda with 14 Ukrainian communities, opening a new era of inter-municipal cooperation.
What the participants said
Larysa Levchun, President of CNAUI:
“Signing agreements like these is not just a gesture of people’s diplomacy. It confirms that the Ukrainian community in Italy is an active participant in the recovery process and in international dialogue. We are ready to back our words with deeds.”
Oksana Rohova, coordinator of the Department of International Cooperation:
“This forum has opened new horizons for partnership between municipalities. From idea to implementation — we can already see concrete steps. Ukraine is ready to share, to learn and to act together with its European partners.”
Nataliia Nevalenna, curator of the “Brotherhood Across Borders” project:
“The twinning project is a story of trust, shared values and the will to build the future. Italian cities have shown a sincere desire to help — and we value that enormously.”
Vadym Sydiachenko, Head of the CNAUI Representative Office in Ukraine:
“Our task is to turn these agreements from a formality into effective tools for development. We can already see the partnerships taking on real substance.”
The forum in Rome was a vivid example of how international solidarity turns into concrete steps: partnership agreements, educational programmes, exchanges and cultural projects. The joint work of Ukrainian and Italian communities shows that the road to Ukraine’s recovery is also a road to European mutual understanding, unity and action.
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