CBSS Launches Project to Build Resilient Communities Across Ukraine, Moldova and the BSR

The CBSS and its partners have launched the Resilient Communities Learning Platform (RESCOM) project, a new initiative aimed at strengthening community resilience across Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltic Sea Region. 

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and its partners have recently launched a new initiative, the Resilient Communities Learning Platform (RESCOM), aimed at strengthening community resilience across Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltic Sea Region (BSR).

RESCOM seeks to help local communities stay strong and resilient, and maintain social cohesion and democratic engagement, particularly in the context of ongoing crises such as the war in Ukraine.

“Resilience is more than just crisis preparedness,” said Felix Schartner Giertta, RESCOM project manager at the CBSS. “It’s about how a community can be equipped as a whole to overcome challenges – basic elements like trust, social relationships and democratic participation determine how a population faces the crises and challenges it encounters.”

RESCOM intends to foster collaboration between city administrations in Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) to improve their ability to respond to external shocks, including political and social crises. By engaging local stakeholders in the culture and creative sector (CCS), the project empowers them to play a key role in urban planning and community development.

“With RESCOM, we are able to exchange experiences on societal resilience between Ukraine and the Baltic Sea Region – strengthening local communities from the Baltic to the Black Sea,” said Schartner Giertta.

The Resilient Communities Learning Platform (RESCOM), running from September 2024 to December 2025, is an extension of the CBSS-led and Interreg-financed BSR Cultural Pearls initiative on culture-driven social resilience.

By equipping local authorities in Ukraine and Moldova with tools and practices developed through the BSR Cultural Pearls project, RESCOM aims to foster strong, democratically active communities in mid-sized cities.

“The new RESCOM project is a prime example of how Interreg Baltic Sea Region project partners can leverage their experience to support Ukraine while also broadening their own perspectives,” said Elena Kolosova, Senior Advisor for External Relations at Interreg Baltic Sea Region.

Through webinars, workshops, and study visits, RESCOM provides a platform for mutual learning and knowledge exchange on community resilience. Ukrainian and Moldovan partners will also benefit from job shadowing opportunities in BSR cities, helping to create a stronger network of resilient communities across the region.

Co-funded by the Swedish Institute’s SI Baltic Neighbourhood Programme, RESCOM brings together local and regional authorities from these regions to exchange experiences and best practices on community resilience.

The RESCOM project partners are the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS); the County House of Culture, Anenii Noi, Moldova; Härnösand Municipality Public Library, Sweden; Izolyatsia Foundation, Ukraine; and the Rivne Oblast State Administration, Ukraine.

As the lead partner, CBSS is responsible for the overall coordination and communication of the project. It serves as the main point of contact between the BSR Cultural Pearls project and RESCOM, ensuring that the initiative benefits from the knowledge and experience of both programmes.