On February 18, 2026, the PROGRESS project team in Ukraine held a Kick-off meeting to launch the preparation of the National and local information and educational campaigns “Green Talk: Living Stories of Sustainable Agriculture”.

The online event brought together more than 70 participants, including representatives of ministries and state institutions, academic and research organizations, international partners, financial institutions, and civil society organizations. The meeting marked the official start of a coordinated communication effort aimed at strengthening awareness and practical understanding of sustainable and climate-oriented agricultural development in Ukraine.

During the Kick-off, the concept of 3 local information and educational campaigns, as well as 1 National campaign involving central executive authorities and national institutions, was presented. The campaigns will focus on raising awareness of the European Green Deal, climate-oriented and resilient agricultural production, green finance instruments, the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and practical solutions for adapting the horticulture sector to climate change.

The event opened with welcoming remarks from Mr. Oleh Vityuk, Head of the Department of Development of Service Systems in the Agricultural Sector of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, who emphasized the importance of synchronizing communication initiatives with state priorities and ongoing sectoral reforms.

The overall framework and structure of the National and local campaigns were presented by representatives from GIZ Ukraine team and International Foundation for Development, outlining the objectives, target audiences, and implementation stages. The communication concept and approaches to shaping key messages were introduced with a focus on clarity, accessibility, and practical relevance for farmers, businesses, and local communities.

As a result of the meeting, preparations for the three local and one National information campaigns were officially launched. Participants agreed on the principles for developing key messages, ensuring their practical orientation and accessibility for different stakeholder groups. It was also agreed to engage academic institutions and expert communities in the implementation process and to establish a working group composed of representatives of state authorities and educational institutions to ensure effective coordination within the project.

Based on the Partnership Questionnaire disseminated during the event, a pool of institutions and regions that expressed interest in cooperation and participation in the campaigns has been formed.

The information campaigns will be implemented in close cooperation with ministries, national agencies, and international partners. Their objective is not only to inform, but also to foster a practical understanding of how sustainable approaches and climate-oriented solutions can be effectively applied already today in Ukraine’s agricultural sector.

The project ‘Promoting Green Deal Readiness in the Eastern Partnership Countries’ (PROGRESS) is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under its International Climate Initiative (IKI) and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, as the lead agency, in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC), the European Business Association (EBA) Moldova and the State Organization ‘Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine’ (IEF).