Press Release

UNIDO advances practical solutions and partnerships for Ukraine’s water utilities

15 September 2026

Truskavets, Ukraine, 15 September 2026 – UNIDO is supporting Ukraine’s water utilities by strengthening technical capacity, sharing European experience and building partnerships for practical modernization. At a two-day conference in Truskavets, Lviv Oblast, 50 participants representing 18 oblasts and more than 90 professionals joining online identified priorities for more reliable, efficient and sustainable water and wastewater services, building on collaboration between the Ukrainian Association of Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprises "Ukrvodokanalekologiya" and the UNIDO project "Green industrial recovery through municipality-based development in Ukraine."

Caption: Water utility representatives from 18 oblasts at the conference in Truskavets, Lviv Oblast, organized by UNIDO with support from BMZ.

Photo: © UNIDO

Held on 2-3 September under the title "From Recovery to Resilience: Green Pathways for Ukraine’s Water Utilities," the conference brought together water utilities and municipalities, national authorities, international development partners, technology and engineering companies, sector associations and civil society.

Discussions focused on immediate operational challenges and longer-term modernization, including European standards, energy efficiency and independence, digitalization and smart metering, water-loss reduction, wastewater treatment, workforce development, international utility partnerships and preparedness of critical infrastructure.

The conference marked the concluding stage of a broader UNIDO-Ukrvodokanalekologiya capacity-building initiative. Four technical webinars attracted 340 registered participants from water utilities across all regions of Ukraine, covering standards and technical regulations, sustainability and energy efficiency, ESG and energy management and water and energy conservation.

The initiative also included a study visit to Dresden, Baruth and Berlin, Germany. Ukrainian utility representatives examined European approaches to wastewater treatment, renewable energy, energy-efficient technologies, utility management and implementation of EU directives, while exchanging experience with municipal utilities and sector institutions operating at different scales.
The Truskavets conference brought these lessons into the Ukrainian context. A session on the transition from emergency response to preparedness, restoration and development highlighted vulnerability-based prioritization, pre-positioning of critical equipment, physical protection, backup power and alternative water sources as complementary elements of utility preparedness.

The conference also brought in complementary UNIDO expertise. Under the EU-funded EU4Green Recovery East Programme, findings from assessments of Ukraine’s wastewater treatment infrastructure, including three pilot plants in Drohobych, Kremenchuk and Pustomyty, highlighted priorities related to infrastructure reliability, sludge treatment, process-level data and metering, informing further work on process optimization and energy efficiency.

Participants also addressed the sector’s human-capital needs. A concept for a practical training platform for water professionals in Lviv emphasized combining infrastructure investment with skills development through practical training environments, laboratories, simulations and professional standards.
Further sessions explored smart water management, digital metering and data-driven approaches to reducing water losses, sustainable investment, European regulatory requirements and cooperation between Ukrainian municipalities and international partners.

The discussions identified opportunities for continued cooperation, including practical workforce training, stronger international partnerships, improved emergency preparedness, digital water management and infrastructure modernization aligned with European standards and local needs.

Background:

“From Recovery to Resilience: Green Pathways for Ukraine’s Water Utilities” is one of seven pilot initiatives developed under the project “Green industrial recovery through municipality-based development in Ukraine.” The pilots translate international expertise into locally tailored solutions in areas including energy-efficient municipal planning, circular economy, urban mining, wastewater treatment, integrated water and energy management, renewable energy and sustainable water management.

The project is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) under the UNIDO green industrial recovery programme for Ukraine (2024-2028), with financial support from the Government of Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine. The conference was organized in cooperation with Ukrvodokanalekologiya and Truskavets City Council.