The representatives of 9 municipalities, primarily from East and South of Ukraine, visited Ivano-Frankivsk on the 23-24th of February to learn the experience of community participation in the process of managing local sustainable development, gained through the implementation of Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme in the municipality.
This visit was in context of familiarizing the municipalities which showed interest in joining the Programme. In total, 12 representatives from 9 municipalities participated in this orientation visit, in particular from Kirovske, Ilovaysk, Artemivsk Donetska obl., Voznesensk, Nova Odesa Mykolayivska obl., Chuhuyiv Kharkivska obl., Pryluky Chernihivska obl., Hola Prystan’ Khersonska obl., and Rivne. The Mayors of the respective municipalities deputed their representatives to take part in the event, such as Deputy Mayors, secretaries of the city councils, head of the departments for the housing and communal services, chief specialists of the departments for economic development, heads of the directorates for financial management, as well as for economy and prognosis.
The orientation session for the potential partner municipalities of UNDP/MGSDP was opened by Mrs. Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecka, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine. She thanked the representatives of the municipalities for coming to Ivano-Frankivsk, one of the pilot municipalities of Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme of UNDP. Mrs. Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecka emphasized that the United Nations Development Programme supports the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to strengthen democratic governance for achievement of Millennium Development Goals which is founded on the premises of human rights and encompasses such crucial agenda as poverty reduction, quality education, quality health, environmental improvement, gender equality.
“On behalf of UNDP in Ukraine, I express our gratitude to you for considering the Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme worth participating. I am sure you will find the Programme useful in improving the quality of municipal governance and lives of the citizens in your municipality. With your participation, the experience of the Programme will get routed to eastern and southern part of Ukraine thereby creating an environment for mutual learning among the municipalities from various regions of Ukraine. The Swiss Agency on Development and Cooperation is the partner of UNDP for such expansion in 2006”, said Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecka, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine.
To make the efforts sustainable, the development process is being localised through various projects and programmes of UNDP, one of which is the Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme. MGSDP is operational in Ivano-Frankivsk municipality since June 2004. The representatives of the potential partner municipalities learned the experience of MGSDP on the local level regarding the involvement of citizens to the municipal socio-economic and environmental development, practice of functioning of the Municipal Support Unit on supporting the projects of citizens, and the Resource Centre for Sustainable Development, created by the municipality, as well as the specific features of functioning of the community organisations – buildings in the living neighbourhoods, educational establishments, NGO and entrepreneurial structures.
The participants were impressed by the efforts of the municipality on involvement of the local communities into the process of solving their most urgent problems. It is expected that following this orientation seminar the participants will bring the message to their municipalities, will go through the consultation process, and make decision on possible future partnership with UNDP/MGSDP.
This visit was in context of familiarizing the municipalities which showed interest in joining the Programme. In total, 12 representatives from 9 municipalities participated in this orientation visit, in particular from Kirovske, Ilovaysk, Artemivsk Donetska obl., Voznesensk, Nova Odesa Mykolayivska obl., Chuhuyiv Kharkivska obl., Pryluky Chernihivska obl., Hola Prystan’ Khersonska obl., and Rivne. The Mayors of the respective municipalities deputed their representatives to take part in the event, such as Deputy Mayors, secretaries of the city councils, head of the departments for the housing and communal services, chief specialists of the departments for economic development, heads of the directorates for financial management, as well as for economy and prognosis.
The orientation session for the potential partner municipalities of UNDP/MGSDP was opened by Mrs. Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecka, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine. She thanked the representatives of the municipalities for coming to Ivano-Frankivsk, one of the pilot municipalities of Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme of UNDP. Mrs. Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecka emphasized that the United Nations Development Programme supports the efforts of the Government of Ukraine to strengthen democratic governance for achievement of Millennium Development Goals which is founded on the premises of human rights and encompasses such crucial agenda as poverty reduction, quality education, quality health, environmental improvement, gender equality.
“On behalf of UNDP in Ukraine, I express our gratitude to you for considering the Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme worth participating. I am sure you will find the Programme useful in improving the quality of municipal governance and lives of the citizens in your municipality. With your participation, the experience of the Programme will get routed to eastern and southern part of Ukraine thereby creating an environment for mutual learning among the municipalities from various regions of Ukraine. The Swiss Agency on Development and Cooperation is the partner of UNDP for such expansion in 2006”, said Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecka, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine.
To make the efforts sustainable, the development process is being localised through various projects and programmes of UNDP, one of which is the Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme. MGSDP is operational in Ivano-Frankivsk municipality since June 2004. The representatives of the potential partner municipalities learned the experience of MGSDP on the local level regarding the involvement of citizens to the municipal socio-economic and environmental development, practice of functioning of the Municipal Support Unit on supporting the projects of citizens, and the Resource Centre for Sustainable Development, created by the municipality, as well as the specific features of functioning of the community organisations – buildings in the living neighbourhoods, educational establishments, NGO and entrepreneurial structures.
The participants were impressed by the efforts of the municipality on involvement of the local communities into the process of solving their most urgent problems. It is expected that following this orientation seminar the participants will bring the message to their municipalities, will go through the consultation process, and make decision on possible future partnership with UNDP/MGSDP.
