The U-LEAD with Europe Programme, together with the Sumy Regional Military Administration, held an info session to help municipalities clarify the legal framework for the powers of local self-government regarding religious communities and national minorities, as well as religious policy at the local and regional level.
The info session was in two parts, first discussing the communication between local self-government and religious communities and then the use of non-medical rehabilitation tools. Yurii Hladenko, Director of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Religions of the Sumy Regional State Administration/Regional Military Administration, provided explanations to the participants of the event.
Hryhorii Starykov, Recovery and Development Adviser at the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Sumy Oblast, commented on the event:
“The first part focused on the between religious communities and senior municipal officials. As you know, they often provide essential humanitarian aid and contribute to equipping bomb shelters. These efforts obviously need coordination to be as effective as possible.”
According to him, representatives of local self-government were also interested in their scope of powers to review land lease agreements with certain religious communities and the possibility of banning/restricting the activities of communities that are subject to Draft Law No. 8371. Certain municipalities of the oblast already have relevant experiences, so those present were curious about the outcomes of their cases.
During his speech, Yurii Hladenko emphasised that the municipalities of the oblast, as well as the entire country, expected the adoption of the Government’s Draft Law No. 8371 dated 19 January 2023, which will legitimise the joint activities of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience and local self-government bodies and regional authorities regarding the activities of religious organisations with centres of influence outside of Ukraine, in a state that has launched armed aggression against Ukraine.
He also stressed the multi-confessional nature of Ukraine’s population, encompassing followers of various faiths represented by 98 types of religious associations and independent religious organisations, of which 24 organisations are operating in the Sumy Oblast. There are no open interfaith confrontations in the religious environment of the Sumy Oblast, and these relations are not expected to deteriorate either.
In the second part of the event, the speaker talked about the options for municipalities to use non-medical rehabilitation tools to support veterans, their families and IDPs from the frontline regions, especially children.