Over 500 representatives of local and regional authorities from Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions gathered in Uzhhorod for a practical presentation of the public investment management (PIM) reform currently being implemented in Ukraine.
The event also brought together representatives from the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories, the DREAM Project Office, civil society, the expert community, and international partners.
This series of meetings is taking place across Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the capacity of regional and local authorities and to increase their awareness of new approaches to public investment management. Regional presentations are held in an open dialogue format, ensuring that every participant receives answers to key questions and that their suggestions are heard. Communities must feel comprehensive support to ensure the successful implementation of the PIM reform at the local level.
Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories, Oleksii Riabikin, emphasized during his opening remarks that preparation and training are crucial for effective practical work, high-quality project development, and securing international assistance for implementation.
"The reform serves as a bridge to EU structural funds. To align our vision with available resources, we must set clear and well-justified priorities. People expect transparent, comprehensible, and consistent decisions. The team of the Ministry and the DREAM Project Office is ready to provide all necessary assistance and support to communities to effectively implement the reform and attract as much funding as possible for the country's development at all levels," said Oleksii Riabikin.
The event covered the legislative framework of the reform, institutional support, the importance of strategic and medium-term planning, the methodology for creating public investment projects and programs, sectoral project portfolios, and the Single Project Pipeline (SPP).
Special attention was given to the principles and stages of developing the Medium-Term Plan of Priority Public Investments (MIP), which forms the foundation of the reform.
Communities and Regional State Administrations (RSAs) have already begun the process of establishing management structures within the framework of the PIM reform and developing medium-term plans in line with their local development strategies. Those that lack approved strategies or have outdated ones must adopt or update them accordingly.
Viktor Nestulia, Head of the DREAM Project Office, presented the key components of the reform, outlined the legislative framework, and explained each stage of implementation — from establishing governance structures and preparing the MIP to forming sectoral pipelines and SPPs at both regional and local levels. He also announced a series of practical training webinars aimed at providing methodological support to project implementers on the procedures for developing and approving the MIP.
Nadiia Kovalska, Training Manager of the DREAM Academy, spoke about the institutional setup required for the reform, particularly regarding the roles of local units and authorities.
Oleksandr Matsapura, Head of Partner and User Relations at the DREAM Project Office, and Inna Melnyk, Department Manager, shared with participants the specifics of medium-term planning, specifically the formation of MIP at the national, regional, and community levels. The second part of the meeting focused on the methodology for creating PIPs and programs, sectoral pipelines, and SPPs, as well as possible funding mechanisms.
Additional attention was given to government-led initiatives to strengthen the capacity of project initiators, in particular, the creation of an interagency project preparation unit (PPU) and expert-consultative support (PPF).
To gather feedback on awareness of the PIM reform and collect proposals for improving its implementation processes, we kindly ask you to complete the following survey: https://forms.gle/x3Ga7QdaKV1C77Pd7
You can find a general overview of the reform here: https://bit.ly/46auV5p
The event was held jointly by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, the DREAM Project Office, and Open Contracting Partnership with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine as part of UNDP's flagship partnership with the European Union "EU4Recovery — Empowering Communities in Ukraine", as well as the "Support to Inclusive Recovery for Resilience and Human Security in Ukraine" project funded by the Government of Japan.
