While opening the forum Vyacheslav  Nehoda, First Deputy Director of Regional Policy and Local Self-Governance of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine thanked MGSDP for organizing the event, which in his opinion facilitates sharing valuable experience, successful practices of local self-governance, helps to analyze the work done and plan for future.

 

 National Forum of Partner Municipalities meets annually since project inception in 2004 for sharing experience, analyzing activities and developing proposals for the next year and elaboration of action plan for implementation of joint local self-governance projects.

 

MGSDP work is aimed at creating effective approaches and mechanisms of decentralized municipal governance for effective public service provision. The Project is operational in 29 partner municipalities in 12 Regions of Ukraine.

 

The Project develops capacity of local communities and partner municipalities to jointly participate into decision-making process and support internalization of community-based approach to national/local legislation and policy thus strengthening social, economic and ecologic governance in Ukrainian municipalities.

 

During 2004-2011 the Project has supported 266 local community projects worth USD 3 781 thousand. The projects are partly related with  energy-efficiency and environment protection in particular reconstruction of the sewage systems, water supply, heating, windows insulation and reconstruction of toilets at the schools and kindergartens.  

 

During the meeting the participants got familiarized with the priorities of the Government and the Ministry of Regional Development and Housing and Municipal Economy of Ukraine on local self-governance. In addition, they have discussed major direction on solid waste management, in particular through implementation of inter-municipal cooperation, analyzed the achievements of 2011 and discussed the priorities for the next year.
 

During 2011, MGSDP has supported 23 local community projects, produced analytic publications “Electronic Governance in Ukraine – Effective Governance for Local Authorities”, “Solid Waste Management in Ukrainian municipalities, participation of local communities in separate garbage collection and recommendations for local self-governance bodies”. The Project has updated the academic course “Sustainable Development” jointly with the Academy of Municipal Management. The course has received an approval of the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine and has been recommended for teaching at Ukrainian universities.

 

The participants reviewed the results of the joint UNDP and Coca-Cola Company project “Every Drop Matters” (EDM). In context of EDM 6 community projects were approved aimed at rehabilitation of water streams in Rivne, Novograd-Volynskiy, Dolyna, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Tulchyn. Also, the training for the schoolchildren of 3-9 forms on rational usage of water resources based on the course “Sustainable Development”. In particular, Ivano-Frankivsk shared experience of involving the schoolchildren to implementation of community project on water stream rehabilitation. School community Rivne shared peculiarities  of training on rational water usage. In course of discussions and presentations the participants have elaborated recommendations on improving cooperation for maximizing benefit for the citizens.
 

The partner municipalities of UNDP/MGSDP are: Bakhchysaray (AR Crimea), Voznesensk (Mykolayiv Region). Galych  (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), Hola Prystan' (Kherson  Region), Dzhankoy (AR Crimea), Dolyna (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), Zhytomyr, Іvano-Frankivsk, Kagarlyk (Kyiv Region), Kalynivka (Vinnytsia Region), Kirovske (Donetsk Region), Krasnogvardiyske (AR Crimea),  Lviv, Mykolayiv (Mykolayiv Region), Mohyliv-Podilskiy (Vinnytsia Region), Novovolynsk (Volyn Region), Novoozerne (AR Crimea), Novograd-Volynskiy  (Zhytomyr Region), Nyzhnegorskyi (AR Crimea), Pervomayske (AR Crimea), Rivne, Rubizhne (Lugansk Region), Saky  (AR Crimea), Scholkine (AR Crimea), Tulchyn  (Vinnytsia Region),  Ukrayinka (Kyiv Region), Vinnytsia (Vinnytsia Region), Yevpatoria (AR Crimea), and Zuya (AR Crimea).

 

For more details, please, contact  Olga Romaniv, UNDP/MGSDP Monitoring and Communication Officer, by tel: (044) 584-34-75 or e-mail: olga.romaniv at undp.org.ua