Link: Two Years of Coordination and Plans for the Future of Humanitarian Response

Publication date: August 14, 2025

Author: Valentyna Chabanova-Babak, Content Manager, Link Platform

Over two years of operation, the local humanitarian response coordination mechanism Link has helped identify more than 6,302 needs in 24 hromadas in the South of Ukraine. Now it faces a more complex task — to learn to work even more effectively under conditions of reduced funding and growing security risks. The mechanism is implemented by the Legal Development Network in cooperation with the Czech Humanitarian Organization “People in Need” and with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom.

At a time when humanitarian response is facing new challenges, the Legal Development Network brought together partners and representatives of hromadas for an open discussion about the future.

Executive Director of the Legal Development Network Olha Nastina (in the center)

“Our future achievements and what we will be proud of at the end of 2025 depend on our past work and our current actions. Therefore, today we will discuss key issues and challenges: how we can be most useful for organizations, for hromadas, and for Ukraine as a whole,” notes Executive Director of the Legal Development Network Olha Nastina.

Results of the Link Mechanism Over Two YearsSince 2023, Link specialists have visited 337 settlements — 85% of those included in the hromadas retaken by Ukraine in Mykolaivska and Khersonska Oblasts. In total, 2,994 unaddressed and unmet needs of residents of these hromadas were verified (as of July 27, 2025). This became possible due to the formation of a reliable network of informants — establishing connections with local activists, social workers, educators, and representatives of local self-government. Currently, the network of informants includes more than 900 people, thanks to whom the information is updated and verified every two weeks.

Program Director of the Legal Development Network Oleksii Tertyshnyi

“For us, verification of information means confirmation of a need from two or more sources living in a particular settlement who are not subordinate to each other. After verification, the need becomes relevant and appears in the system,” explains Program Director of the Legal Development Network Oleksii Tertyshnyi.

To ensure high-quality processing and collection of information, the team developed its own CRM system. It is available on the website link.ldn.org.ua both for local humanitarian coordination specialists and for hromada representatives.

For hromada representatives, the “Hromada Cabinet” is available with the following functionality:
● Submission of new needs, which are subsequently verified by the Link team;
● Editing of already submitted needs;
● Tracking the status of a need in real time;
● Analysis of the history of aid provision. 

Representatives of civil society organizations interested in providing assistance in areas where the Ukrainian Government regained control can register in the “Partner Cabinet”, which provides the following functionality:
● Viewing all current needs by hromadas, settlements, and categories;
● Viewing the most urgent requests;
● Tracking the history of aid provision.

As of today, in Mykolaivska Oblast and Khersonska Oblast, 153 international and national civil society organizations have been verified through the LINK platform.

“The Link platform facilitates the operational activities of civil society organizations. This resource contains up-to-date information and provides the opportunity to quickly see those requests that remain unaddressed and require response. Behind each request is a particular person who confirms its relevance,” says Oleksii Tertyshnyi.

On the website link.ldn.org.ua, video tutorials on using the “Hromada Cabinet” and the “Partner Cabinet” are available, as well as news and an interactive map of humanitarian needs. 

Link Mechanism Work Plans for 2025

The Legal Development Network team sees 2025 as a period of qualitative changes in the work of the Link platform. Oleksii Tertyshnyi outlined ambitious development plans that affect every aspect of humanitarian response.

First of all, the platform is preparing to integrate new types of assistance that are constantly emerging in hromadas in response to people’s needs. This means that the system will become more flexible and able to quickly adapt to the new challenges faced by areas retaken by Ukraine.

Special attention will be paid to the development of the platform’s analytical capabilities. Additional analytics will enable both organizations and international partners to make more informed decisions regarding resource allocation and intervention planning. This information will become a powerful tool for strategic planning in the humanitarian field.

Automation of the platform will be another key area of development. The goal is to reduce manual work and accelerate the processes of verifying and processing needs, making the system more efficient and less dependent on the human factor.

The team also plans to significantly expand the geography of its work to cover an even greater number of settlements through field visits to hromadas. Although the security situation sometimes limits such opportunities, the organization is determined to use every chance to expand its presence on the ground.

The educational component also holds an important place in the plans. Training is envisaged for all those wishing to join the Link network, whether they are hromada representatives or staff of civil society organizations. Such educational activities will help increase the effectiveness of using the platform and attract new active users. 

Finally, the team plans to continue and deepen the analytical support of its activities. The data accumulated on the platform represents a unique value for understanding which requests in hromadas remain relevant and have not yet been addressed by any humanitarian organization. This information can serve as a basis for more targeted planning of humanitarian interventions and for identifying gaps in aid provision. 

How Link Helps Hromadas and Partners Act Together

The Link platform serves as a bridge between humanitarian organizations that have the capacity and ability to provide assistance in areas retaken by Ukraine in Khersonska and Mykolaivska Oblasts, and hromadas that are in need of and seeking such assistance.

Second from the right: Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Department of the Novovorontsovska Settlement Council Kateryna Holubets (Khersonska Oblast)

“Thanks to the Link platform, schools in Osokorivka, Myroliubivka, and Liubymivka recently received generators. The education sector often uses this platform because cooperation between the hromada and partners is the kind of connection that is not always easy to establish independently, and the specialists of the Link platform help to make it happen,” said Head of the Humanitarian Affairs Department of the Novovorontsovska Settlement Council Kateryna Holubets (Khersonska Oblast). 

Thanks to the cooperation of partners, the Link team, and hromada representatives, 1,681 needs of residents of areas retaken by Ukraine have been met.

Senior Civilian Protection Officer of the international humanitarian organization Nonviolent Peaceforce Natalia Verlan

“We see how significant an impact the Link mechanism has in hromadas and for civilians who are receiving services. We advocate for as many partners as possible to join the platform, provide their services, and meet the needs verified by the Link platform,” noted Senior Civilian Protection Officer of the international humanitarian organization Nonviolent Peaceforce Natalia Verlan.

Going forward, the Link platform will continue to work on effective interaction between areas retaken by Ukraine and non-governmental organizations, giving partners a reliable picture of needs and hromadas the opportunity to receive assistance.This material was prepared by the Legal Development Network in cooperation with the Czech Humanitarian Organization “People in Need” and with the financial support of the Government of the United Kingdom.
The conclusions, interpretations of the collected information, etc. presented in the material are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the project’s donors and partners.

If you have notices an error on the web-site, please, highlight the text and press ctrl-enter.