The Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project and Sumy Regional Military Administration signed a MoU for 5-year cooperation

The MoU was signed by Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE project manager, and Oleg Hrygorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration.

Sumy region was selected as a partner region for the DECIDE project.

  • The five-year cooperation includes:
  • support for the implementation of the reform of specialized secondary education in terms of forming a network of academic lyceums and advisory support for communities;
  • support for the implementation of the reform of vocational education;
  • strengthening cooperation between communities on the joint formation of academic lyceums, which includes a grant program for the creation of new laboratories;
  • support for the renewal of regional development strategies with a focus on education;
  • development of agglomerations with a focus on educational services;
  • development of a system of career guidance for children and adolescents and grant programs for the creation of career guidance hubs;
  • internship programs for youth in OVA and local councils;
  • DECIDE Summer Clubs initiatives “We are at home in Ukraine”;
  • professional development programs for community leaders, heads and employees of education departments and administrations of all communities of the region.
Valentyna Poltorak, Deputy Head of the NGO DOCCU and DECIDE Project Manager; Oleh Hryhorov, Head of the Sumy Regional State Administration; and Viktoriia Hrobova, Director of the Department of Education and Science of the Sumy Regional State Administration, February 2026.

“We are sincerely glad to welcome Sumy region among DECIDE partners for the next five years. Sumy region is a real outpost of Ukraine, and I am convinced that our project will become a reliable ally for communities in building quality education.

At the regional level, we will focus on strategic planning with a focus on restoring human capital, building effective cooperation between communities, as well as on professional development programs for community leaders and managers in the field of education.

All municipalities of the region, without exception, will have access to seven key support programs: implementing the reform of the senior specialized school and creating academic lyceums, launching and scaling up the career guidance system for children and adolescents with the involvement of business, strengthening democratic governance and strategic planning, expanding youth participation in decision-making and community development,” – Valentyna Poltorak, DECIDE project manager.

“Today we are establishing long-term cooperation in which education is considered a tool for community development. It is important for the region that decisions in the educational sphere are strategic, consistent with regional priorities and needs of communities and the region,” said Oleh Hryhorov, Head of the Sumy regional state administration.

Valentyna Poltorak, Deputy Head of the NGO DOCCU and DECIDE Project Manager, and Oleh Hryhorov, Head of the Sumy Regional State Administration, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on five-year cooperation between the DECIDE Project and the Sumy Regional State Administration, February 2026.

Also, 4 pilot partner hromadas will be selected in the region, with which the DECIDE project will work in specific areas.

The project is scheduled to be implemented by August 2030 within Phase 2 of the DECIDE Project.


The DECIDE project is implemented by the NGO DOCCU and Zurich University of Teacher Education – International with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.