A conference on Ukraine’s recovery was held in Gdańsk: what Mykolaiv region brought back from URC-2026

The largest international conference dedicated to Ukraine’s recovery — the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 — has concluded in Gdańsk, Poland. On 25–26 June, representatives of governments, international financial institutions, the business sector and Ukrainian communities discussed the country’s reconstruction, attracting investment, restoring critical infrastructure, supporting the private sector and Ukraine’s further European integration.

For the Mykolaiv region, the conference served as a platform not only for presenting the region’s needs but also for concluding new international agreements. The regional delegation was led by Vitalii Kim, Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration; Anton Tabunschyk, Chair of the Regional Council; and Oleksandr Sienkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv. They were joined in Gdańsk by representatives of the region’s local communities.

Over the two days of the conference, communities in the Mykolaiv region presented projects to international partners in the fields of water supply, energy, transport, social infrastructure and energy efficiency. Some of these have already secured funding.

NikVesti has compiled a list of the specific projects the communities are implementing, how much funding they will receive, and what the funds will be used for

An investment platform: who represented Mykolaiv region in Gdańsk

Representatives from 11 communities in the Mykolaiv region, which are members of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, attended the conference.

These included the communities of Mykolaiv, Bashtanka, Voznesensk, Novyi Buh, Nova Odesa, Kobleve, Shevchenkove, Inhulka, Kamianyi Mist, Yelanets and Zavodske.

According to the organisers, this year’s URC-2026 was set to see the signing of around 160 agreements and the announcement of over 30 new partnerships, totalling more than 10 billion euros.

Mykolaiv Region has expanded its cooperation with NEFCO

The Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration and the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of green recovery, marking the first agreement of its kind in Ukraine between a regional authority and NEFCO.

The memorandum will cover the development of energy-efficient infrastructure, renewable energy, water supply and sanitation systems, district heating, street lighting, and solid waste management.

In particular, the parties have agreed to secure over 40 million euros in grant funding from the governments of Denmark and Sweden to implement projects in Mykolaiv, Voznesensk, Nova Odesa, Pivdennoukrainsk, Pervomaisk, Novyi Buh, Bashtanka and the Koblieve community.

Vitalii Kim, Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, noted that the memorandum opens up new opportunities for the region’s development.

«For us, it is important not only to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, but also to lay the foundations for the modern development of communities. The signing of this memorandum opens up new opportunities for implementing projects in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy and municipal infrastructure,» wrote Vitalii Kim.

Mykolaiv has signed its fifth grant agreement with NEFCO

Another outcome of the conference was a new grant agreement between Mykolaiv and NEFCO, supported by the Danish government, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Impact Fund Denmark.

The city will receive €3.083 million in grant funding, with a further €300,000 or so to be funded from the city budget.

The project has two main components: the energy-efficient modernisation of a nursery school and improving the energy resilience of the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivelektrotrans». A new traction substation will be purchased for the company, a solar power station will be built at one of the depots, and an energy storage system will be installed.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that this is already the fifth grant agreement between the city and NEFCO since 2024.

«Events such as the Ukraine Recovery Conference are very important for Ukrainian cities to establish new contacts and collaborate with other European cities in planning our recovery once the war is over. But at the same time, these meetings are very important for European cities and our European partners. This is because Ukraine is gaining experience of how to remain resilient in the midst of a real war and in times of disaster. We can share this with our European partners, and this is a very valuable and precious asset, because we are paying for this knowledge with the lives of our people,» said Mykolaiv’s mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych.

As is well known, from 2024 Mykolaiv, in partnership with NEFCO, will be implementing four grant-funded projects to restore critical infrastructure. These involve modernising water supply systems to reduce water losses, installing solar power stations for critical infrastructure facilities, as well as introducing individual heating units and improving the energy efficiency of the district heating system.

Five communities in the Mykolaiv region have each received approximately 5.5 million euros

The Bashtanka community signed a grant agreement with NEFCO during the conference. According to Mayor Oleksandr Berehovyi, the community has secured 5.5 million euros to modernise its water supply and wastewater systems.

«This is an extremely important achievement for our community — securing €5.5 million to modernise our water supply and sewerage systems. It is an investment in people’s quality of life, the development of the community and its future,» wrote Oleksandr Berehovyi.

Voznesensk to insulate public buildings

The Voznesensk community has signed an agreement with NEFCO. Thanks to cooperation with the Danish government, the town has secured up to €5.5 million in grant funding under the Ukraine Green Recovery Programme, supported by the Danish government.

The funds will be used for the comprehensive thermal modernisation of two public buildings, which will reduce heat and electricity consumption.

Mayor Yevhen Velychko wrote that this result was preceded by months of negotiations, document preparation and collaboration with international partners.

«For the Voznesensk community, participating in such initiatives is an opportunity to showcase our projects, find new partners and secure resources to implement important initiatives. The project aims to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and reduce their consumption of heat and electricity. I would like to express my sincere thanks to NEFCO and the Danish Government for their trust, support and partnership,» wrote Yevhen Velychko.

Novyi Buh is set to receive modern wastewater treatment facilities for the first time

One of the largest agreements was signed by the Novobuzh community. During the conference, Mayor Maksym Lahodienko signed a grant agreement for the implementation of a project worth €6.6 million.

Of this amount, 5.5 million euros is a non-repayable grant provided by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Impact Fund Denmark and the international financial organisation NEFCO.

«For decades, our community has suffered from a lack of funding for infrastructure, and the full-scale war has only exacerbated these problems. The most pressing issue is that the community has virtually never had a fully functioning wastewater treatment system, which has posed significant environmental risks and threats to public health. Thanks to the signed agreement, a new wastewater treatment system will be established in the community and modern treatment facilities will be commissioned. We will eliminate the problem of untreated wastewater discharge and take a step towards a cleaner environment in line with European Union standards,» wrote Maksym Lagodienko, mayor of Novyi Buh.

The project involves the construction of a modern wastewater treatment system and new treatment facilities. The community notes that the problem of wastewater treatment has existed for decades, and the implementation of the project is expected to improve the environmental situation and bring the system up to modern European standards.

Koblivska community to modernise its sewerage system

During the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, representatives from NEFCO, Sweden and the Kobleve community signed a grant agreement to implement a project to modernise the wastewater system.

The project involves the reconstruction, modernisation and expansion of the existing sewerage network and pumping stations, the construction of new treatment facilities, and the introduction of a wastewater metering system for the community’s holiday resorts.

It is expected that the project will reduce pollution of natural water bodies, cut electricity consumption, improve the efficiency of the wastewater system and enhance the financial performance of the municipal utility.

In addition, a solar power station will be installed as part of the project, which will enhance the facility’s energy resilience and help reduce operating costs.

Grant funding amounts to 5.5 million euros, whilst the total cost of the project is 6 million euros. Implementation is scheduled for 2026–2028.

Pervomaisk and Nova Odesa have also secured grants worth millions

The following grants have also been signed: Pervomaisk Territorial Community – approximately 5.6 million euros in grant funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the refurbishment of a maternity hospital, including energy efficiency improvements, the installation of backup energy storage systems and shelters.

The Nova Odesa territorial community — a grant of around 4.5 million euros from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to restore an uninterrupted water supply, improve water quality and reduce water losses. The total cost of the project is around 5 million euros.

The region is seeking not only funding but also ready-to-implement projects

Particular attention was paid during the conference to the extent to which Ukrainian communities are prepared to work with international investors.

During one of the events, Anton Tabunschyk, Chair of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, noted that the main challenge today is no longer just securing funding, but also having well-prepared projects.

«For regions such as the Mykolaiv region, this is particularly acute, as reconstruction here involves rebuilding entire systems: housing, water supply, energy and infrastructure, all of which have been severely damaged. And so the key condition for readiness is no longer simply a declaration of needs, but the ability of communities to have fully-fledged, costed, technically prepared and financially sound projects at their disposal, which an investor can fund without requiring further years of preparation,» said Anton Tabunschyk.

According to him, international partners expect communities to provide fully costed technical solutions with ready documentation, which can be quickly funded and implemented.

«As a result of the conference, communities in the Mykolaiv region have secured tens of millions of euros in international aid for projects that will contribute to infrastructure modernisation, improved energy efficiency and better quality of public services,» said Anton Tabunschyk, Chairman of the Mykolaiv Regional Council.

It should be noted that during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome, communities in the Mykolaiv region also concluded a number of international agreements. In particular, Mykolaiv signed grant agreements with NEFCO and the EBRD for the development of energy and transport infrastructure, whilst the communities of Domanivka, Novyi Buh, Kobleve and Voznesensk agreed on funding or partnerships in the areas of water supply, district heating and energy efficiency. In total, Mykolaiv alone secured over 17.7 million euros in grant funding at that time.