Earlier, the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Zakarpattia Oblast held a meeting for representatives of the authorities, local self-government and NGOs. The participants talked about finding partners for joint initiatives, grants and competitive proposals, as well as about creating project departments as an integral part of the structure of the local council.
According to Pavlo Lohvinov, Head of the Regional Office in the Zakarpattia Oblast, the event came about in response to constant inquiries from municipalities regarding the attraction of international funds for the development of territories as well as the difficulties that arise when seeking partners and motivating professionals involved in project work.
“It is important for municipal leadership to have a specific vision of the sectors and priorities that need development and will contribute to increasing the capacity of the municipality, as well as to understand the importance of interaction with public sector institutions that can strengthen municipalities,” he said.
Speakers shared successful cases of cooperation and options for the assistance offered by U-LEAD in this area with heads of municipalities.
Mykola Siusko, Deputy Head of the Operations Unit of the Programme, spoke about the support for municipalities to increase the efficiency of their project activities. In particular, U-LEAD experts are compiling a database of international and domestic foundations that fund project initiatives of municipalities, as well as a list of public organisations that includes their experience, contact details and sector. This is necessary so that municipalities can build partnerships and implement initiatives more quickly and efficiently.
At the eventful meeting, the participants learned about the possibilities of municipal development by attracting or creating qualified project management personnel, as well as about successful cases of organising the system of project activities in municipalities of the Zakarpattia Oblast.
The Kolochava rural municipality has created a project department and has experience in implementing “hard” projects. According to Vasyl Khudynets, head of the municipality, they initiated it, while U-LEAD experts provided advisory support at the stage of writing project applications.
The Velyki Luchky rural municipality also has project managers on its staff. Its head, Vasyl Koshtura, shared his experience with his colleagues, emphasising the practical considerations and specific aspects of international donors’ requirements regarding accessibility and the need to involve the public at certain stages of project implementation.
Lesia Loiko, Head of the Agency for the Promotion of Sustainable Development of the Carpathian Region FORZA NGO, spoke about the most effective models of cooperation between local self-government and the public sector, in particular about a full partnership, when an NGO implements a project for the benefit of the municipality as well as performs project management. The spokeswoman emphasised:
“Grants are a great tool for addressing municipal problems. There should be a position of project manager and a person responsible for the implementation of projects in the staff. It is essential to inform local council members and residents about initiatives and their co-financing. Joining forces with neighbouring municipalities is a great idea to attract better investments. The project implementation process must be transparent, clear and open.”
One of the participants of the meeting, the head of the Dubove municipality Denys Kahanets, stated the following:
“This event is so needed and important. Firstly, it is an opportunity to learn about new initiatives, successful projects and international support programmes. Secondly, to discuss with colleagues the possibilities of joint projects and the creation of long-term partnerships, which, according to Nataliia Nosa, Executive Director of the International Association of Regional Development Institutions (MAIRR), yield better results. Thirdly, having learned new information, we discussed fresh ideas with project creators and are currently working on the development of more than ten projects.”
Earlier last year, the Dubove municipality, with the support of the U-LEAD Programme, implemented a project to introduce a local renewable energy systems network. Ecosphere NGO received over UAH 1.5 million in grant funding for this project.