The sixth German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference will take place in Leipzig from November 13 to 15, 2023. Participants can look forward to an ambitious program of discussions, exchange formats and networking opportunities. Connective Cities will actively contribute to the conference with its expert forum on "Integrated urban development for reconstruction: planning and implementation". Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, patron of the German-Ukrainian municipal partnership network, and Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze have already confirmed their participation and will contribute to the success of the conference with their presentations and keynote speeches.

The aim of the conference is to strengthen the network of German-Ukrainian municipal partnerships, to highlight opportunities for action and cooperation between Ukrainian, German and other European partner municipalities in times of war and to send a signal of solidarity with Ukrainian municipalities and regions.

The conference is directed at mayors, and representatives of German, Ukrainian and selected European municipalities and municipal utilities that maintain partnership relations with each other. The conference will take place at the Congress Hall at the Zoo in Leipzig. For other interested parties and those who are unable to travel to the conference, a livestream broadcast and virtual participation in hybrid workshops is planned.

The conference provides an opportunity for a moderated exchange between the partnerships on current needs, projects and challenges of German-Ukrainian cooperation in times of war and with regard to reconstruction. Best practice examples from European municipal cooperation will be presented, including on the topics of water supply, energy efficiency, digitalisation, gender and integrated urban development.

Connective Cities will be represented at the conference with an expert forum entitled "Integrated urban development for reconstruction: planning and implementation". Today, Ukrainian municipalities are already planning the city of tomorrow. The challenge is not only to rebuild cities, but also to make them more sustainable. In particular, the reconstruction of urban infrastructure will require major investments in the future. To do this, Ukrainian municipalities need both the capacity for integrated, sustainable urban planning and the know-how to manage and implement it across all city departments. This know-how can be strengthened through exchange and peer learning with German municipal experts. Best practice examples from Germany and Ukraine will be presented during the expert discussion.

The overall programme of the conference will also include panel discussions on strengthening local self-government, as well as an exchange on sustainable reconstruction and the role of Ukrainian, German and other European partner municipalities and municipal enterprises in reconstruction. Expert excursions on the topics of urban development, migration, fair trade or structural change will complement the conference programme.

A round table for German and Ukrainian (Lord) Mayors and District Administrators will be organised as a high-level segment in the course of the conference on 14 November 2023 by the German Association of Cities in cooperation with the German Association of Districts and the German Association of Cities and Towns.

The event will be held in German and Ukrainian as well as English (simultaneous interpretation).

Preliminary programme

Monday, 13 November 2023

• Thematic city tours
• Moderated exchange among partnerships of the Ukraine Network
• Dinner with interpretation

Tuesday, 14 November 2023

• Welcome by the host city Leipzig and the partner city Kyiv
• Presentation of a best practice from Leipzig: A municipality generating local, decentral and European impacts
• Introducing the partnerships and municipalities
• Parallel expert forums on best practices from municipalities integrated urban development, etc.
• Simultaneous panel discussions on local self-government and many other topics
• Welcome speech by the Minister-President of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer
• Round Table for German and Ukrainian mayors and chief district executives
• Welcome speech by German Federal Minister Svenja Schulze

Wednesday, 15 November 2023

• Welcome speech by the Mayor of the City of Leipzig, Burkhard Jung
• Welcome speech by German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
• Video message by Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selensky (tbc)
• Panel discussion on sustainable reconstruction and the involvement of European municipalities
• Presentation by Professor Timothy Snyder (tbc)
• German Federal Minister Svenja Schulze: Outlook for the Reconstruction Conference in June 2024
• Simultaneous field trips on urban development, migration, fair trade and structural change

Further information:

Updated programme as download (pdf)

Conference webpage of the SKEW