Within the framework of partnership between Novohrad-Volynskiy City Council and the UNDP-led Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme the presentation of successful joint experience of local communities’ projects on sustainable development was held. In course of this meeting, its participants learned about the success stories watching the documentary film “One Step Higher: How Ukrainian Communities Are Helping Themselves”, created by UNDP also based on the experience of Novohrad-Volynskiy communities. Speakers encouraged the representatives of local community-based organisations for more active participation in solving their own priority development problems.
Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality has been the Programme’s partner since 2005. Ever since, it has used widely the community-based development approach and supported 17 communities in carrying out their local sustainable development projects amounting to 2.5 mn hryvnias, generating direct benefits to more than 28’000 citizens of the municipality and revealing outstanding partnership results among local authorities, entrepreneurs and international donors for the communities in this region of Ukraine. Technical assistance from the United Nations Development Programme to Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality is supplemented by two bi-lateral donors – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ukraine.
Summarizing the experience of the city’s participation in the Programme, Mr. Mykola BOROVETS, Novohrad-Volynskiy City Mayor, said during the meeting with the local communities: «During the period of our cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, the representatives of local government and communities learned a lot and utilized their knowledge for practical solving of the local development problems. After all, UNDP is an organisation propagating changes and transferring knowledge, experience and resources to help people build better life. It is now time for the local government and communities to utilize the knowledge and experience gained in their common work, even without participation of international donors».
Mr. Mykola BOROVETS, Novohrad-Volynskiy City Mayor, defined the strategic direction of the activities of Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality that involve community into the municipal governance and support their projects based on the principle of cost-sharing from the local budget and the funds of the community organisations themselves. In future, according to his words, the local budget funds will be in top priority allocated for solving the development problems of those communities which will initiate the project to solve them, will be ready to actively participate in the implementation of the appropriate project and monitor it, as well as to take the responsibility for further operation and maintenance of the newly created objects.
«Due to our cooperation with the Programme and support from the city council over the past two years our building at Ivana Franka Str., 32 has turned from the one without any sewerage and water supply system, and with no normally functioning energy system, into one of the most attractive and modern buildings of the central part of the city. Therefore, it is in our power to improve our own living environment. The community only has to want it, get organized, and show initiative and persistence in achieving its goal», - said Lyubomyr MALETYCH, Head of the Association of Co-Owners of Multi-Apartment Building “Kedr”.
The success stories were presented to the participants during watching the new documentary film “One Step Higher: How Ukrainian Communities Are Helping Themselves”, created by UNDP. This film is based on the experience of Novohrad-Volynskiy communities, and besides that of the communities in Crimea and Chernobyl-affected areas where UNDP is supporting local communities to help themselves.
Major expectation of the Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme is that the approach of wide community involvement into the decision-making process on the local development becomes the own strategy of its partner city councils which will continue to actively cooperate with the local communities for solving their priority problems even without the financial support from the Programme. The Programme will remain the resource centre and will continue providing consultative, advisory and technical support, as well as working to improve the policy and legislation in this area.
For further details please contact Mrs. Olena URSU, UNDP/MGSDP Monitoring and Communication Expert by tel. 8 (067) 290 36 42, or via e-mail olena.ursu@undp.org.ua
Summarizing the experience of the city’s participation in the Programme, Mr. Mykola BOROVETS, Novohrad-Volynskiy City Mayor, said during the meeting with the local communities: «During the period of our cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, the representatives of local government and communities learned a lot and utilized their knowledge for practical solving of the local development problems. After all, UNDP is an organisation propagating changes and transferring knowledge, experience and resources to help people build better life. It is now time for the local government and communities to utilize the knowledge and experience gained in their common work, even without participation of international donors».
Mr. Mykola BOROVETS, Novohrad-Volynskiy City Mayor, defined the strategic direction of the activities of Novohrad-Volynskiy municipality that involve community into the municipal governance and support their projects based on the principle of cost-sharing from the local budget and the funds of the community organisations themselves. In future, according to his words, the local budget funds will be in top priority allocated for solving the development problems of those communities which will initiate the project to solve them, will be ready to actively participate in the implementation of the appropriate project and monitor it, as well as to take the responsibility for further operation and maintenance of the newly created objects.
«Due to our cooperation with the Programme and support from the city council over the past two years our building at Ivana Franka Str., 32 has turned from the one without any sewerage and water supply system, and with no normally functioning energy system, into one of the most attractive and modern buildings of the central part of the city. Therefore, it is in our power to improve our own living environment. The community only has to want it, get organized, and show initiative and persistence in achieving its goal», - said Lyubomyr MALETYCH, Head of the Association of Co-Owners of Multi-Apartment Building “Kedr”.
The success stories were presented to the participants during watching the new documentary film “One Step Higher: How Ukrainian Communities Are Helping Themselves”, created by UNDP. This film is based on the experience of Novohrad-Volynskiy communities, and besides that of the communities in Crimea and Chernobyl-affected areas where UNDP is supporting local communities to help themselves.
Major expectation of the Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme is that the approach of wide community involvement into the decision-making process on the local development becomes the own strategy of its partner city councils which will continue to actively cooperate with the local communities for solving their priority problems even without the financial support from the Programme. The Programme will remain the resource centre and will continue providing consultative, advisory and technical support, as well as working to improve the policy and legislation in this area.
For further details please contact Mrs. Olena URSU, UNDP/MGSDP Monitoring and Communication Expert by tel. 8 (067) 290 36 42, or via e-mail olena.ursu@undp.org.ua
