Position Statement by the “Legal Development Network” Civic Associationregarding the key challenges facing the development of local communities in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions amid a full-scale war

Publication date: September 7, 2026

Prepared based on the findings of civil society organizations and charitable foundations in southern Ukraine, data from the LINK local coordination platform — administered by the Legal Development Network since 2023 — and taking into account the INSO/CHDC security incident rating (2022–2026)

1. Summary of the Issue

More than four years of full-scale war have radically changed the conditions under which communities in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions provide services to the population, make decisions regarding recovery, and engage residents in development efforts. Some communities face daily shelling and lack access to basic services, while others have stabilized and can plan development strategies; still others experience both situations simultaneously.

The Legal Development Network and its partners have identified four interrelated challenges, the resolution of which will determine the resilience and future of the region’s communities:

• access to services for people in communities with varying levels of capacity and security conditions, including ensuring that the services provided meet the actual demands (needs) of community residents;
• the lack of a flexible approach to communities’ transition from emergency humanitarian response to long-term recovery and strategic planning;
• the loss, shortage, and insufficient replenishment of the human capital necessary for community development (including the return of community residents to their homes);
• the low capacity of local self-government bodies and local civil society organizations to utilize instruments of democratic governance and ensure meaningful resident participation in community recovery and development processes.

The Legal Development Network and its partner organizations emphasize that these challenges are systemic, recurring in various communities across the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, and require not isolated, ad hoc interventions, but coordinated action by government authorities at all levels, international partners, civil society organizations, and the business community.

We call on civil society organizations and charitable foundations, international partners, executive authorities, and local governments to support the recommendations for addressing the identified challenges in communities across southern Ukraine and to incorporate these recommendations into their ongoing activities.

We invite you to join this statement by filling out the Google Form.

The Context of the Development of Local Communities in the Kherson and Mykolaiv Regions

2. Position

The Legal Development Network and its partner organizations are convinced that none of the four challenges can be addressed in isolation: the quality of services, readiness for recovery, the availability of human capital, and the meaningful participation of residents are all interconnected components of community resilience. With this in mind, we publicly declare the following.

• Access to quality services should not depend on how close a community is to the front lines or on its resource capacity. The state and local governments must jointly guarantee a minimum set of basic and social services for every community, based on up-to-date data on the actual needs of the population. Services must adhere to the principles of a people-centered approach and meet the actual needs (demands) of community residents.
• The transition from humanitarian response to strategic recovery should not follow a one-size-fits-all model for all communities, but rather be based on an individualized, regularly updated assessment of the security situation, available resources, and the political will of local authorities.
• Human capital is a critical resource for community recovery, and its loss threatens communities’ long-term capacity for development. Creating adequate living conditions for community residents and facilitating their return requires not only financial but also managerial and infrastructural decisions on the part of government authorities, as well as support from international partners and local civil society organizations.
• Community residents should not be passive recipients of aid, but active participants in making decisions about their own future. Genuine participation is possible only under conditions of mutual trust, transparency in government actions, and a practical—rather than merely declarative — willingness on the part of local governments to respond to residents’ initiatives.

The Legal Development Network and its partners emphasize that addressing these challenges requires coordinated action at all levels—from village and city councils to regional military administrations, state authorities, donors, and international partners.

3. Recommendations for Addressing Challenges:

3.1. Challenge Regarding the Development of Services in Communities

Local governments

1. should conduct a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the community’s needs (demographics, number of children, people with disabilities, and older adults) as a basis for determining the list of necessary services;
2. establish, where they do not yet exist, or strengthen municipal institutions (social service centers);
3. involve community residents (including those who have moved outside the community) in decision-making (regarding service development);
4. establish a systematic partnership at the community level between local governments, civil society organizations, and the business sector.

To the designated social policy departments of regional and district administrations:

Develop a mechanism to increase wages and motivation for social workers in frontline and remote communities, including incentive packages for staff working in challenging security conditions.

Civil society organizations and charitable foundations

1. should participate in conducting community needs assessments;
2. should organize informational events for the public regarding available services and digital government services;
3. should develop and distribute an easy-to-understand guide (“roadmap”) of services that includes contact information. The guide should function in real time (remain up-to-date), reflect the actual state of access to services in the community, and indicate the level of public satisfaction.

To donors and international partners

1. support the creation and development of mobile services (mobile social, medical, and administrative centers) for remote and hard-to-reach communities;
2. strengthen the material and technical infrastructure (equipment, communications, internet) of communities.
3. Legal Development Networks and Partner Organizations
4. ensure high-quality mutual referral of beneficiaries among humanitarian actors;
5. initiate systematic coordination with state and local authorities to fully meet the needs of community residents.

3.2. Call for Humanitarian Response or Long-Term Recovery

Local governments

1. should participate in the development and maintenance of a unified database on the situation in the community (infrastructure damage, residents’ needs, population displacement patterns) as the basis for decisions on the transition from response to recovery;
2. should ensure vertical communication with district and regional authorities regarding the community’s urgent needs.

Regional military administrations

should develop and implement transparent criteria for assessing a community’s readiness to transition from humanitarian response to strategic recovery planning, taking into account the specific security context of each community.

International partners

should require and support the inclusion of emergency response plans in community development strategies as a mandatory component, enabling the integration of long-term planning with preparedness for sudden deteriorations in the situation.

Civil society organizations and charitable foundations

1. should continue to provide emergency assistance in areas of active hostilities;
2. strengthen the capacity of local actors (localization) to gradually transfer responsibility for recovery to the local level;
3. provide assistance to community members who have been displaced outside the community to minimize the risk of families returning to frontline communities without sufficient justification.

3.3. The Challenge of Human Capital for Community Development

Local governments

1. should develop human resources programs that include attracting and retaining qualified personnel (in particular, targeted training, relocation bonuses, and providing housing and basic living conditions for specialists willing to move to the community), drawing on examples of successful practices from other communities;
2. create remote work opportunities for professionals who have left the community but are willing to advise local governments on issues such as architecture, law, project management, and so on.

Regional and district administrations, the Ministry of Social Policy

1. should advocate for changes in approaches to compensation for professionals in the social sector and other shortage occupations in frontline and rural communities, taking into account the challenging working conditions;
2. should introduce mandatory insurance for professionals working in frontline communities.

Higher education institutions, specialized training centers, and non-governmental educational institutions

1. should develop targeted training and retraining programs for community residents, including training women in professions traditionally considered male-dominated;
2. should involve older adults in mentoring and career guidance programs.

Civil society organizations, charitable foundations, and businesses

1. should support mentoring programs and knowledge-sharing initiatives among active residents of different generations, as well as initiatives to create jobs and conditions that enable families to return to the community;
2. Include a mandatory component of psychosocial support in every human resources or business project, as economic projects (business grants) will not yield results if the recipient is in a state of crisis.

3.4. The Challenge of Participation at the Local Level

To local self-government bodies:

1. raise awareness and develop the skills of local government employees regarding levels of public engagement and the use of participatory tools to increase community members’ trust in the government;
2. implement a digital pathway for accessing services.

Regional councils, members of local and regional councils

should support legislative and organizational initiatives aimed at simplifying the procedures for using public participation tools (petitions, participatory budgeting, public hearings) at the local level.

Civil society organizations and charitable foundations

1. should conduct training and information campaigns for the public and local government officials on available participation tools and how to use them;
2. should strengthen the role of local leaders and promote successful examples of participation.

To active residents, opinion leaders, veterans, and youth:

join existing consultative and advisory bodies attached to executive committees, and initiate the creation of new platforms for dialogue with authorities where they do not yet exist.

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