A new cycle of info sessions on ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructure in municipalities was launched as part of Wednesdays with U-LEAD on May 22.
At the end of 2023, state bodies coordinating national security issues began to actively develop a system for ensuring the stability of critical municipal infrastructure; they empowered the municipalities and entrusted them with tasks accordingly.
“This topic is key to outlining the full range of local self-government’s responses, as its mandate to ensure the resilience of critical infrastructure and civil defence is a way to exercise constitutional human rights to life and well-being. Proper performance of these tasks requires knowledge of the legal framework in civil defence, given how closely these duties intertwine. Expert advice will help municipal officials see the connections between documents and harmonise them,” said Olena Tertyshna, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Chair of the Working Group on Safety.
At the session, Vasyl Kundryk, U-LEAD’s expert on regulatory and legal issues of ensuring the resilience of municipalities and critical infrastructure, and Serhii Terelia, Adviser on Municipal Management and Recovery at the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Zakarpattia Oblast, clarified changes in legislation and basic documents on civil defence, as well as talked about the planning documents required by the local self-government and how they connect to each other.
The experts pointed towards the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of Critical Infrastructure” and defined facilities and operators of critical infrastructure. They also explained what the resilience of critical infrastructure means.
“This is the condition of critical infrastructure, which ensures its ability to function normally, to adapt to the ever-changing context, to withstand and promptly recover from the effects of threats of any kind,” said Serhii Terelia.
Another key document for municipalities is Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 70 dated 23 January 2024 “On Approval of the Procedure for the Organisation and Oversight of the Implementation by State Authorities and Local Self-Government Bodies of the Civil Defence Laws”.
“Current legislation and the system of management and oversight require local self-government bodies to keep a significant number of planning documents in the field of civil defence, so the national system for ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructure has developed new tasks, responsibilities and powers for local self-government bodies,” said Vasyl Kundryk.
According to the Resolution, the State Emergency Service and its subdivisions must conduct comprehensive inspections, field audits and targeted checks of civil defence compliance by the self-government bodies.
These should be carried out according to checklists attached to the above Resolution as appendices. The experts provided clarifications on Appendix 3, which specifically concerns local self-government and contains basically all requirements for planning documents: the Emergency Response Plan, the Yearly Civil Defence Plan, the Accident Mitigation and Response Plan, the Civil Defence Plan for the Special Period, etc. Participants learned how to properly develop and implement these documents to ensure effective protection of the population and territories in case of emergencies.
The experts emphasised that planning documents in the field of civil defence should build towards a comprehensive approach to ensuring the resilience of municipalities.
At the end of this info session, the experts announced the next ones that will focus on specific aspects of ensuring the resilience of critical infrastructure facilities.
