The Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Volyn Oblast held a meeting of senior municipal officials of the southern part of the Kovel district. The event sought to revitalise horizontal contacts between municipal leaders, facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences, as well as develop joint solutions to the wartime challenges faced by the municipalities.
In his welcome speech, Anatolii Parkhomiuk, Head of the Regional Office, outlined the main goals of the event, namely creating a space for open communication, promoting the exchange of thoughts and experiences related to relevant issues and driving the development of joint solutions.
The meeting also focused on the importance of constructive cooperation between state authorities and local self-government. Olha Cheren, Head of the Kovel District Military Administration, emphasised that such cooperation had a synergistic effect on addressing issues related to the district’s defence efforts and support for units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is especially true for building defensive fortifications in the north of the Volyn Oblast and the provision of assistance to military units.
Another issue of municipal importance brought up at the meeting is the introduction of positions of veterans’ affairs commissioners in municipalities. To shed light on this issue, the event invited Valentyna Yushchuk and Nataliia Semenyuk of the Social Protection and Veteran Policy Department of the Volyn Regional State Administration. They outlined the state policy for introducing veterans assistant positions, the resources allocated for this and the scope of implementation measures.
The participants of the event discussed the actual needs for such positions, as well as the recruitment quality and the organisation of the employees’ work. Representatives of the Department answered the questions of the senior municipal officials and exchanged contact information to ensure prompt resolution of problematic issues.
Another goal of the meeting, according to Anatolii Parkhomiuk, was to get on the same page. U-LEAD experts highlighted the municipal capacity-building opportunities provided by the Programme and received feedback from the participants. This will allow U-LEAD to better adapt its tools and topics in order to maximise municipality support in the future.
Wrapping up the event, the participants noted that meetings like this are vital, as they allow for a more open discussion of urgent problems, exchange of experiences and joint solutions. This format helps to strengthen municipalities and ensure their success in overcoming wartime challenges.
