On 17–18 September, the XI Lviv Eco Forum 2026 took place in Lviv — an industry event dedicated to the resilience and recovery of Ukraine’s water sector in wartime conditions. The forum brought together around 400 heads of water utilities and municipalities from various regions of Ukraine and from abroad, as well as representatives of the government, international financial institutions, experts and technology companies.
Over two days, participants discussed the continuity of water supply under military threats, the protection of critical infrastructure, long-term modernisation of water supply and wastewater systems, as well as preparing cities for winter and possible attacks on the energy system. Particular attention was paid to the energy resilience of enterprises, the financial viability of water utilities and tariff policy, new management models, public-private partnerships, attracting investment, and the introduction of modern European technologies for wastewater treatment and reducing losses in networks.
Opening the forum, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi thanked critical infrastructure workers for their work under constant shelling and stressed the importance of support from international partners for the water sector.
«It is a great honour that you have come to Lviv to exchange views on how we will plan our lives tomorrow. We are living in wartime. Every community has endured dozens, hundreds of attacks… And our rescue service workers and water utility staff must constantly be the first to respond, to give life, to ensure there is water… Our great thanks also go to our international partners for your help. All those who are involved with water are, in fact, people with great hearts,» said Andriy Sadovyi
The Mayor also emphasised that close cooperation and consolidation of communities are essential to address the sector’s systemic economic problems.
A separate block of discussions focused on the shift from purely humanitarian aid to the strategic reconstruction of critical infrastructure facilities. Head of the UNICEF regional office in Lviv Nienke Voppen outlined the priorities for the organisation’s further cooperation with Ukrainian communities and the relevant ministries, in particular ensuring that families and children have access to safe drinking water, wastewater services and heat supply.
A key component of Lviv Eco Forum 2026 was the specialised “Danish Water Days”. During this block, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Denmark in Ukraine Jakob Nielsen highlighted the scale of destruction in the water supply and wastewater sector, which, according to the World Bank, is estimated at 4.6 billion US dollars. He stressed that Denmark continues to provide financial support to Ukraine and is interested in developing partnerships in the water sector, particularly in the context of “green” development and EU integration reforms.
Head of Lviv municipal water utility “Lvivvodokanal” Dmytro Vankovych drew attention to the practical value of Danish experience for Ukrainian water utilities. According to him, during the “Danish Water Days” Danish specialists shared their expertise in water resources management, ensuring water quality, and financial models for managing the sector. He believes these approaches can be adapted to Ukrainian realities to build a sustainable model for the operation of the water sector and ensure reliable and clean water supply.
Alma Brink Røn, a representative of AVK Holding A/S, expressed Danish business’s interest in long-term cooperation with Ukrainian partners. She stressed that the Danish industrial sector holds in high regard Ukraine’s experience of resilience and operating under wartime challenges, particularly in the field of cyber security, and is ready to share its own technological solutions.
Summing up the results of the forum, President of the Association “Ukrvodokanalekologiya” Dmytro Novytskyi stressed that, to ensure sustainable water supply in wartime conditions, water utilities need to move from constant emergency response to systematic preparation for winter, possible damage to networks and interruptions in energy supply. He also noted the need to strengthen the economic resilience of water utilities, renew management systems and attract investment. The proposals developed during the discussions are to be set out in a resolution that will be submitted to Parliament, the Government and international partners.
The Lviv Eco Forum 2026 was organised by the Association “Ukrvodokanalekologiya” with the support of Lviv municipal water utility “Lvivvodokanal”.