Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing proposals to strengthen partnerships between UK local authorities and Ukrainian municipalities under the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership.

As I saw myself in my visit to Ukraine from 21-24 September, delivery of the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership is a whole-of-government effort, with departments leading on commitments relevant to their responsibilities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) works with Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) and Devolved Governments to support deeper links between regional and local governments and wants to see more UK and Ukrainian authorities twinned in ways that deliver benefits for communities in both countries. Local authorities have hosted Ukrainian professionals for exchanges of expertise, supported business links, worked on resilient urban development and reconstruction, shared experience on culture and tourism, and donated life-saving equipment. The Government is also encouraging schools, universities and other institutions to build similar links, including through the UK-Ukraine university twinning scheme, which has established more than 100 partnerships. Progress on implementation of the 100-Year Partnership is reviewed through our regular bilateral engagement, including the UK-Ukraine Strategic Dialogue, and the Government updates Parliament in the usual way.