Representatives of the municipalities of the Zakarpattia, Lviv, Volyn, Rivne and Zhytomyr oblasts took part in an info session on building international partnerships.
“As part of the “Bridges of Trust” initiative, we managed to pave the way for starting dozens of partnerships with European municipalities. Here it is important to understand that international cooperation means not only assistance in the provision of humanitarian aid, but primarily seeking possible ways for joint development in the form of implementation of joint projects between Ukrainian municipalities and their foreign partners. The partnership will be truly effective when it will be mutually beneficial for all parties to the cooperation,” said Mykola Siusko, Head of the Regional Office in the Zakarpattia oblast.
Experts explained to the participants what municipal partnership entails, its types, purpose and tasks. According to Yuliya Polishchuk, Advisor on Decentralization and Local Self-Government in the Cherkasy oblast, a successful partnership is based on the interest of each party in the positive outcome of joint efforts.
“The basic principles of partnership are shaped at the very beginning of establishing cooperation. These principles include transparency and Integrity of relations, equal access to cooperation and mutual benefit. First and foremost, municipalities should assess and analyse their own situation and needs, and then proceed to the stage of establishing partnerships,” said Yuliya Polishchuk.
Tetiana Tatarchuk, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Chernivtsi oblast, offered advice to municipalities on finding international partners.
“Determining the purpose of potential cooperation and its directions is the first thing that the municipality’s senior officials should do. During a full-scale war, we see help from international partners in the form of humanitarian shipments or financial support, but partnership has a much broader scope. It can be cooperation in the municipal infrastructure, education, healthcare, culture or exchange of best practices in the implementation of development projects,” the expert added.
According to Tetiana Tatarchuk, new cross-border cooperation programmes will be launched soon, making the international partnership of municipalities even more important. Such partnerships will be essential for Ukrainian municipalities, facilitating their participation in a number of international projects.
The experts introduced the municipalities to the main channels for finding international partners. The event discussed U-LEAD’s initiative “Bridges of Trust” that helps Ukrainian municipalities develop cooperation with European municipalities. Municipal representatives were advised to regularly monitor the websites of international organisations, embassies or associations of local self-government bodies posting information about seeking partners. Another important channel for finding partners can be international forums, conferences or exhibitions.
Bohdan Kyrlyk, Head of Velykyi Bereznyi, Zakarpattia oblast, shared his practical experience in the development of international partnerships. This municipality has many years of experience in cooperation with municipalities from Slovakia, Poland, Romania and other countries. This allowed them to implement a number of international projects in various directions.
“Although we started international cooperation without having experience and knowledge, we gradually managed to put everything in order. U-LEAD’s experts do an important job by explaining the partnership development algorithm to municipalities. Municipal representatives receive unique step-by-step instructions that will allow them to establish effective international partnerships,” said Bohdan Kyrlyk.
We remind you that the “Bridges of Trust” initiative began its second phase.