#SRER Association of Ukrainian Cities held a two-day training in Kyiv

        Representatives from Ivano-Frankivsk took part in the training, which presented the second part of the Training Program for Capacity Development of Targeted Municipalities.

        On April 16-17, 2024, the Association of Ukrainian Cities held a two-day training for representatives of Ukrainian municipalities in Kyiv.
Yevhen Synoverskyi, Head of the Investment Project Attraction and Support Division of the Department of Investment Policy, Projects, International Relations, Tourism and Promotion, Anastasia Bakhir, Chief Specialist of the Investment Project Attraction and Support Division, and Anna Yatskiv, Chief Specialist of the International Technical Assistance and State Funds Coordination Division, participated in the training, which presented the second part of the Training Program for Capacity Development of Target Municipalities, which was developed by the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

       In addition to the delegation from Ivano-Frankivsk, the event was attended by representatives of 11 municipalities in Ukraine implementing local initiatives under the Support for Rapid Economic Recovery of Ukrainian Municipalities (SRER) project, as well as representatives of UNDP Ukraine and the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

       The aim of the training is to strengthen the capacity of municipal and utility officials to form partnerships between local governments, the business community and public sector, and executive authorities. This partnership will become a powerful basis for building a favorable business environment and joint project activities.

      The training is part of a comprehensive training program developed by the Association of Ukrainian Cities as part of the Support for Rapid Economic Recovery of Ukrainian Municipalities (SRER) project, which will help strengthen the capacity of target municipalities and develop the capacity of local teams to implement economic recovery projects in partnership with businesses and other stakeholders.

      During the first training, community representatives learned more about inter-municipal international partnerships as a separate tool for successful participation in grant competitions.

     Oleksandr Slobozhan, Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, in his welcoming remarks informed about the SRER and announced the second part of the Training Program aimed at strengthening the capacity of communities, developed by the Association of Ukrainian Cities and formed at the request of communities.

     "It is important that at the final stage of the Project implementation in the 12 target municipalities, the infrastructure for effective business operations will be created, which will benefit both the business environment and the entire community, and thanks to the Training Program, the project teams will already have the necessary skills to implement the following initiatives. After the successful implementation of local initiatives, the Association of Ukrainian Cities will replicate this experience among other municipalities in Ukraine and is always ready to support communities," emphasized the Executive Director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

     Mustafa Sait-Ametov, UNDP Ukraine Regional Development Program Manager, addressed the participants: "I would like to thank our partners, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, for this wonderful training course. It is very pleasant to see such a high level of enthusiasm and interest among the participants. This course has been able to provide SRER participating municipalities with the knowledge they need to implement local initiatives in a compliant manner and to the highest standards. This will allow the municipalities to confidently achieve their goals and ensure quality results that will benefit the participating communities and at the same time serve as positive examples for others."

     Danylo Kin, Research Fellow at the SE "SRIGC", spatial planning expert, presented a comprehensive plan for the spatial development of the community, in particular, focused on the components and procedure of development.

     Oksana Tsyfulyak, representative of the electronic platform Prozorro.Sale, gave recommendations on the use of land auctions, which are effective tools for attracting land users and increasing revenues to local budgets. She shared information on new tools to improve the exercise of rights to manage communal property and the nuances of preparing lots for lease and privatization through electronic auctions. She also presented best practices in municipal property management.

     Tetyana Medvetska, local government expert in the southern territories of the Project, spoke about the legal framework for spatial planning of community territories and the impact of globalization on community development planning. She also spoke about how to effectively regulate land relations in settlements and provided information on the adaptation of legislation on community land management to European legislation.

     Tetyana Medvetska also presented the key principles of Ukrainian legislation on communal property and described the forms and methods of its management.

     Vitaliya Povismak-Yevmina, local government expert in the eastern territories of the Project, noted the role of stakeholder engagement in the formation and implementation of public policy at the local level, presented tools and methods for organizing interaction between local governments, executive authorities, businesses and civil society organizations. She spoke about the principles of anti-corruption policy in local government, presented its strategy and shared the results of the implementation of anti-corruption tools.

     Tetyana Melnyk, an expert on municipal infrastructure restoration at the Association of Ukrainian Cities, told the participants about the nature and planning of community restoration.

     As part of the two-day training, representatives of municipalities visited and got acquainted with the practices of organizing the work of "VCENTRI HUB: Holosiiv" and "VCENTRI HUB: Obolon".

     "The VCENTRI HUB" is an open public space where civil society institutions can hold workshops, trainings, seminars and other public events free of charge. The open space was created on the basis of the "Communication Center", is adapted for people with disabilities and is aimed at civil society organizations that want to get involved in strategically important issues of the city.

      Myroslava Smirnova, Kyiv City Council member, Director of the Department of Public Communications at the Kyiv City State Administration, delivered a welcoming speech, spoke about the network of public spaces and emphasized the effectiveness of such platforms.

     Dmytro Ruban, First Deputy Director of the Department of Public Communications of the Kyiv City State Administration, gave a detailed presentation on the activities of "VCENTRI HUB", including practical aspects of the public spaces.

      Advice from "VCENTRI HUB" experts was very useful and valuable for representatives of 12 target municipalities, as communities are creating similar spaces in their localities as part of the "Support for the Rapid Economic Recovery of Ukrainian Municipalities" (SRER) project.

     The participants of the event expressed their gratitude to the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the UNDP team in Ukraine for supporting the communities, noted the great value of the SRER project for each municipality, for the recovery of the whole of Ukraine, and for the opportunity to share experiences and gain new knowledge.

     Upon completion of the training, Oleksandr Slobozhan and Mustafa Sait-Ametov presented representatives of 12 municipalities with certificates of successful completion of the Training Program for Developing the Capacity of Targeted Municipalities to Implement Measures to Restore and Develop Economic Potential at the Local Level, developed by the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

     It is worth reminding that the Association of Ukrainian Cities is one of the partners of the SRER project, which helps to strengthen the capacity of municipalities and local project teams in Ukraine. In addition to the above-mentioned training program, the Association of Ukrainian Cities provides advisory and technical support to municipalities and project partners at all stages of the implementation of initiatives (implementation, monitoring, and reporting), and after successful implementation of projects, will disseminate these best practices to other communities.

    The SRER project is funded by the German Government through the German federal company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine. It focuses on supporting the rapid economic recovery of communities, in particular through the reconstruction and improvement of infrastructure that is essential for business development, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.