Review of the II All-Ukrainian Summit of Mayors & Global Congress – Ukrainian Construction Congress 2025

On November 20, 2025, in the heart of Khreshchatyk in Kyiv, the first day of the II All-Ukrainian Summit of Mayors took place — an event that became a platform for launching the large-scale international initiative Global Congress 2025. The event was organized by the Mayors’ Club Ukraine, Economy of Trust Ukraine, MENA International, the Public Organization “Sustainable Communities and Water Bodies of Ukraine,” in partnership with the Regional Development Agencies of Kyiv and Odesa Regions and with the support of Portmone, Epicentr and Zarina.

The II All-Ukrainian Summit of Mayors brought together more than 200 representatives of local self-government and business, international partners, educational institutions, and leading experts from various fields to discuss important strategic decisions regarding the development and reconstruction of Ukrainian communities. The event was opened by Oleksandr Mazurchak, First Vice President of the Mayors’ Club, and Henry Shterenberg, Founder of Economy of Trust Ukraine and Head of the Investment Council of the Mayors’ Club. This was followed by a ceremonial signing of several Memoranda of Cooperation with leading Ukrainian and international organizations, including the NGO “Association of Small Cities of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the MENA International Trade and Diplomacy Organisation, and the Association “Ukrainian Environmental Alliance.” The signing of these official documents marked an important step toward expanding partnerships and increasing investment opportunities for all of Ukraine.

Also during the first part of the day, Henry Shterenberg and Dr. Emad Ballak, Founder of the MENA International Trade and Diplomacy Organisation, officially presented the international initiative Global Congress, designed to become a new platform for integrating foreign investors and donors into Ukraine’s reconstruction processes.

One of the event’s key topics was community security, addressed by Vitalii Rusanov, Director of the Regional Development Agency of Kyiv Region. Participants were presented with a project aimed at strengthening the protection of Ukrainian communities from Shahed drone attacks, offering new tools to enhance the safety of local infrastructure and civilians.

Later, Andrii Kiktenko, Commercial Director of Portmone, presented a new product — “SmartCity,” a comprehensive ecosystem for digitizing urban services that enables the delegation of transport and/or administrative services and digital democracy in a single application. 

The summit continued with a large information session dedicated to grant and investment programs for 2025–2026. Serhii Novosolov, Green Finance Mechanisms Specialist at UNDP; Ihor Lepioshkin, Advisor to the GIZ Project “Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive in Ukraine”; Andrii Hinkul, Urban Planning Expert at UN-Habitat; Tetiana Chuzha, Business Development Manager at the Polish Investment and Trade Agency; and Yana Konok, Head of the NGO “Association of Sustainable Development Experts,” presented available support programs, mechanisms for increasing financial resources, and real opportunities for community financing in the coming years.

The next section focused on rural development. Oleksandr Stolovyi, researcher of rural areas, writer, chief project architect, and urbanist, highlighted the underestimated potential of Ukrainian villages, which are capable of becoming new points of economic growth.

In the second half of the day, significant attention was given to the international initiative Agro Food Hubs Ukraine, aimed at modernizing Ukraine’s agricultural sector, creating agro-industrial parks, and supporting the export of Ukrainian products. This section featured presentations from Dr. Emad Ballak, Ivan Synetar, Ambassador of Economy of Trust Ukraine and the MENA International Trade and Diplomacy Organisation for Ukraine’s reconstruction, and Oleksii Hrynevych, Founder of Black Cat Technology.

Later, representatives of leading Ukrainian educational institutions presented academic programs and admission plans for 2026, focusing on training specialists needed for the country’s reconstruction and community modernization, both of which require increased human capital.

One of the key components of the summit was the awards ceremony for the winners of the “Best Starosta of Ukraine 2025” competition — recognition of the dedicated daily work of local leaders responsible for development in every village.

The day concluded with an information session on psychological and physical rehabilitation of veterans. Participants discussed a multi-level approach to restoring service members, using the example of a project in Znamianka, and the roles of communities, the state, and civil organizations in developing infrastructure necessary to support veterans. Moderator Vadym Vashchenko also presented a video about a rehabilitation project using hippotherapy. Additionally, Colonel Oleksii Dmytrashkovskyi presented a veterans’ theatre project by TRO Media, demonstrating how culture and creativity can become effective tools for reintegrating service members into civilian life.

The II All-Ukrainian Mayors’ Summit — Global Congress 2025 demonstrated that Ukrainian communities are ready to move forward with confidence, expand international partnerships, and adopt new development tools, while keeping at the center of attention the people of Ukraine – those who lay the foundation for the nation’s future.

On November 21, 2025, the second day of the II All-Ukrainian Summit of Mayors & Global Congress took place as part of the Ukrainian Construction Congress 2025. This day was dedicated to exploring models for community development and practical case studies built on international cooperation and shared experience.

The working day was opened with a panel discussion on Global Solidarity and Global Innovations: the Direct Impact of Digitalization on Community Recovery, moderated by Henry Shterenberg, CEO of Economy of Trust Ukraine and Chairman of the Investment Council of the Mayors’ Club. The panel featured Anastasiia Tkachova, Deputy Director of the Infrastructure Department of the Sumy City Council; Emad Ballack, Founder of the MENA International Trade and Diplomacy Organisation; Mohammad Farajallah, Editor-in-Chief of “Ukraine in Arabic”; Alex Hrynevych, Founder of Black Cat Technology and expert in digital transformation; and Noa Katarina, Founder of Scalar and Director of the International Relations Department at the MENA International Trade and Diplomacy Organisation.

This insightful discussion demonstrated that the implementation of modern digital solutions, the integration of artificial intelligence into urban governance models, and projects such as the construction of data centers are already becoming key drivers of innovative recovery for Ukrainian communities. These tools simplify the process of attracting investment and help ensure better living conditions for citizens.

The program then continued with practical workshops focused on direct knowledge exchange between communities, business representatives, and leading Ukrainian and international experts from various sectors. During the workshop “Smart Community: Energy Efficiency and Climate Innovations” the first speaker was Andrii Kiktenko, Commercial Director of the company Portmone, who explained how the digital product Smart City can help communities optimize the operation of several municipal software services simultaneously. Emil C. Lüth shared European experience in scaling eco-technologies in urban environments, while Alex Grynevych spoke about new opportunities for community digitalization. Special attention was also given to the U_CAN pre-briefing and pilot municipal projects, within which communities will implement real opportunities for introducing innovative, climate-neutral solutions across Ukraine.

The next workshop was devoted to the topic “Reconstruction and Investment: The Role of Business in the New Model of Municipal Development.” Participants discussed how, under current conditions, communities can build a sustainable development model based on partnerships between government authorities, business, and international financial institutions. Among the speakers were Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation; Liudmyla Prokopechko, Head of the Dobroslav Settlement Council; Angelina Ursul, Project Manager of the Kuyalnyk Village Council; as well as invited experts Dr. Emad Ballack and Ivan Synetar, who spoke about local investment opportunities and challenges, effective cooperation with business, and potential public-private partnership models for community projects.

The final part of the program was the workshop “Industrial Parks: Transforming Greenfield and Brownfield Sites into Opportunities for Investors and Economic Recovery of Communities.” Kari Nöjd from SWECO presented the industrial parks platform developed by SWECO in cooperation with Economy of Trust Ukraine and funded by the Government of Finland. Ivan Synetar and Alex Hrynevych, in a discussion moderated by Henry Shterenberg, focused on the fundamentals of international economic diplomacy and digital tools for the effective attraction of foreign investors to industrial parks and industrial zones.

The second day of the II All-Ukrainian Mayors’ Summit & Global Congress demonstrated that a real concept of cooperation between communities, citizens, business, and international partners is only now beginning to take shape. Ukrainian communities are no longer merely “waiting for support” — they are emerging as active initiators of change, capable of designing their own growth models and integrating into global markets.