In March, the Ukraine Support Team (UST) organized a seminar dedicated to close-to-nature forestry approaches, which are increasingly being implemented in European countries. This approach involves managing forests in harmony with natural processes, restoring biodiversity, and enhancing the resilience of forest ecosystems to climate change.
During the event, we discussed:
• European standards for forest management and the challenges Ukraine faces in the context of European integration.
• Practical examples of transitioning to sustainable forest management at the local level.
• The interconnection between forest policy, climate change, and energy security.
• Prospects for implementing the principles of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in the Ukrainian context.
The seminar brought together experts, community representatives, state forest enterprises, and civil society organizations. Together, we discussed how to transition from exploitative forest use to an ecosystem-based approach that preserves forest functions and supports community well-being.
This event is part of a broader UST initiative aimed at promoting sustainable natural resource management, tailored to the Ukrainian context and current challenges.
“Education becomes a key criterion for the return of people, a key criterion for the integration of women into community life. Because if there is no school and kindergarten, you can’t expect that the woman will return to work. Restoring access to education is critical when rebuilding communities,” UST Coalition expert Anna Novosad said.
Our expert in education Anna Novosad moderated the workshop on “Restoring access to education: dialogue on the role of Ukrainian communities in repair, restoration and reconstruction”. It was held on May 10, in Chernihiv School No. 3 on the initiative of the “U-LEAD with Europe”. This school was not destroyed during the blockade of the city by russian troops, however, it suffered much greater losses – three of its students were shot by the occupiers during the attempt of families to evacuate from the surrounded Chernihiv.
The workshop was attended by representatives of the European Commission, the NGO “U-LEAD with Europe”, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine, the State Reconstruction Agency, representatives of 12 communities from Chernihiv Region, Kyiv Region and Kharkiv Region. Prioritization and actualization of existing needs were identified as one of the most urgent issues during the discussion. Thus, according to Deputy Minister of Education Yevhen Kudryavtsev, the MMinistry of Education is already working on creating a single coordination platform that should simplify the search for donors and systematize the process of helping communities.
The UST team, in its quest to restore life in the regions, was guided by the effectiveness of the restoration process from the very beginning. To do this, we have developed and use a unique Methodology of SMART Prioritization of needs, which allows us to categorize existing needs by scale, severity and dynamics.
