Chernihiv Approves Development Strategy: An Important Step Toward Community Recovery

The Chernihiv City Council has adopted the City Development Strategy through 2027. This is the result of several months of collaborative work by city council representatives, experts, civil society organizations, the business community, and local residents.

The NGO “Active Society of Ukraine” was one of the active participants in this process—from conducting analyses and sociological research to drafting proposals for the document.

The Lack of a Strategy—A Challenge for the City’s Development

Until recently, Chernihiv remained one of the few regional centers in Ukraine that did not have a community development strategy.

In the context of a full-scale war, strategic planning takes on particular importance. Chernihiv, located near the front lines, continues to overcome the consequences of Russian aggression, rebuild damaged infrastructure, and respond to the new needs of its residents.

The Strategy is intended to serve as the foundation for setting development priorities, planning reconstruction, and coordinating decisions across various areas of community life.

Collaboration Between Authorities, Civil Society Organizations, and Residents

The process of developing the Strategy began in early 2026. An important component of this process was engaging Chernihiv residents through surveys and discussions. This allowed for the diverse views and needs of the people to be taken into account during the preparation of the document.

The NGO “Active Society of Ukraine” (ASU) was directly involved in this process: it participated in the working group, analytical activities, sociological research, and the development of proposals for the Strategy.

For ASU, this is an important step in developing a partnership between civil society and local government bodies for the reconstruction of the Chernihiv region.

The adoption of the Strategy is just the beginning

The reconstruction of Chernihiv is not just about repairing buildings, roads, and public infrastructure. It also involves supporting residents, developing the economy, restoring social services, and creating a safe and accessible environment.

The strategy helps identify shared priorities, but its adoption alone does not guarantee that the planned changes will be implemented. It is important that the defined goals be translated into concrete actions, and that the results of their implementation be open to public scrutiny.

The NGO “Active Society of Ukraine” and the Public Association “SpilnoDiya Chernihivshchyna” will continue to monitor the implementation of the Strategy and provide support to representatives of the Chernihiv City Council in this process.

The Next Step: The Development Strategy Through 2034

At the same time, we are already working with the community to develop a new project, which we plan to present in early 2027.

Its goal is to prepare a thorough analysis of the current state of the Chernihiv territorial community, its challenges, needs, and opportunities across various spheres of life.

This study is intended to serve as the foundation for developing a balanced Development Strategy for Chernihiv through 2034.

This initiative is being implemented by the NGO “Active Society of Ukraine” as part of the “Partnership for the Recovery of the Chernihiv Community” project, which is part of the “Impulse” project.

The “Impulse” project is implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation and the Eastern Europe Foundation with funding from Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida).

Source: Public Space