Is it easy to be a starosta/community leader? Everyone knows that it is not, and it is especially difficult and extremely responsible to be a community leader in Ukraine during wartime.
It is a responsibility and a large amount of work entrusted to you by your fellow villagers. A community leader is not only a defender of the community’s interests in local government, but also the chief «manager of the community», who knows better than anyone the difficulties and problems of each of his fellow villagers and is often the community’s only hope for change for the better.
This year, Ukraine is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the administrative and territorial reform, which is a crucial part of the decentralization reform in our country. The process of forming territorial communities and starosta districts within them has not always been easy, and even today, not all communities have elected their heads and starostas.
This makes the initiative of NIBULON’s ESG team to organize the first annual «Best Community Leader of Ukraine» contest feel especially significant for every remote corner of Ukraine.
This is our expression of gratitude and recognition of the immense contributions made by community leaders to the resilience of each region and the country as a whole – a resilience rooted in agricultural production.
It is a tribute to the working people who live in our villages, towns, and cities, and an opportunity to once again highlight their achievements and, perhaps, solve the socio-economic problems of the region.
This is the formation of a community of like-minded people, in which everyone will have access to modern knowledge and technologies, gain an understanding of the sustainable development direction of the country and the European Union, which will help to form their own sustainable development strategy at the level of the territorial community, starosta, settlement, village, or town.
If your starosta district has not yet partnered with NIBULON, you can apply for the special nomination «Building the Future of Ukraine Together» in the «Best Community Leader of Ukraine» 2025 competition until 16 November.
To submit an application, the head of your district or the leader of the community to which the district belongs, should simply fill out the self-registration form on the official competition website at https://forms.gle/ rfSYHZ4d7uJmRzqP9 or send the «Head’s Report» for 2024 to the competition organizing committee at 100hromad@nibulon.ua.
On 20 November, during the official business program of the All-Ukrainian Mayors’ Summit in the heart of Kyiv, the 10 best starostas/community leaders of 2025 and the winners of special nominations will be announced.
Participation of all starostas in the «Best Community Leader of Ukraine» contest is FREE. The same applies to attendance by ALL PARTICIPANTS in the contest in our capital on the day of the announcement and awarding of the winners, which includes round-trip travel and accommodation in Kyiv on the day of the All-Ukrainian Mayors’ Summit.
We are sincerely grateful to all our partners: ZARINA Jewelry House, AV Group, MAYORS’ CLUB, and the Association of Sustainable Development Experts for their significant contribution and support of sustainable development initiatives for rural communities in Ukraine.
We would also like to express our gratitude to the heads and mayors of more than 30 territorial communities in Ukraine for their cooperation and registration in the main block of the competition.
Register to develop the capacity and sustainability of your community together.
