Interim assessment of the progress of the Vinnytsia Green Deal for 2022–2024

Vinnytsia’s Green Deal was adopted in January 2022, on the eve of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, along with a roadmap for its implementation.

Is Vinnytsia managing to stick to its green agenda? This was analysed by the team at the Resource and Analytical Centre “Society and Environment” as part of the project “Vinnytsia’s Green Course: From Strategy to Practice”, implemented by the Synergy Sustainable Development Agency and the Resource and Analytical Centre “Society and Environment” in cooperation with Vinnytsia City Council, with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.

You can download the briefing note “Interim Assessment of the Implementation of Vinnytsia’s Green Deal for 2022–2024” via the link.

The findings of the assessment of the progress made in implementing Vinnytsia’s Green Deal were presented and discussed during the event ‘Vinnytsia’s Green Transformation: Policy, Communities, Energy’, attended by representatives of Vinnytsia City Council, civil society organisations and community groups.

“Mid-term reviews are highly effective in the implementation of any comprehensive strategic document, - noted Nataliia Andrusevych, Chair of the Board of the Society and Environment Research Centre, during the presentation of the document.  - After all, we carry out specific tasks and do not see the bigger picture, and it is very important to understand what has been achieved and what has not, as well as what the main challenges and achievements are.”.

It was the team at the ‘Society and Environment’ Research and Analysis Centre that helped Vinnytsia develop its own Green Deal and a roadmap for its implementation:

“In fact, Vinnytsia’s Green Deal is a model of sustainability, consistency and green transformation. It is a fine example of a local-level initiative, given that there is no comprehensive national-level document that brings together all the elements of the green transition in line with the objectives and targets of the European Green Deal. This is the only such case in the whole of Ukraine where all the elements of the green transition are comprehensively set out in a single document.”, - emphasised Natalia Andrusevich.

As noted by Olga Remeshevska, Director of the Department of Reconstruction and Development at Vinnytsia City Council, the implementation of this strategic document within the community is continuing despite the challenges posed by the full-scale war:

«The path that Vinnytsia chose over 15 years ago – specifically the installation of solar power stations at municipal facilities and businesses – is now attracting the attention of other local authorities, who wish to learn from our experience. We are now scaling this approach up to the residential sector. The full-scale war has acted as a catalyst: it has forced us to accelerate our progress towards energy independence. We already have several practical case studies with international partners on the creation of energy islands that ensure the autonomous operation of critical infrastructure facilities. A separate focus is on providing information support for residents: the Office for Decarbonisation and Energy Efficiency is operational, where anyone can receive specialist advice. We consider it very important to study and implement European experience in this field».

You can download the briefing note “Interim Assessment of the Implementation of Vinnytsia’s Green Deal for 2022–2024” via the link.

This initiative is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation as part of the project “Vinnytsia’s Green Course: From Strategy to Practice”, which is being implemented by the Synergy Sustainable Development Agency and the Society and Environment Resource and Analytical Centre in collaboration with Vinnytsia City Council.