Representatives of 15 municipalities of the Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv Districts of the Kharkiv Oblast took part in the event organised by the Regional Office of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme. Taking into account the current security situation in the region, the urban municipality of Valky hosted the discussion of key results and new prospects of cooperation between municipalities and U-LEAD.
Valerii Skrypnichenko, Mayor of Valky, greeted the participants, briefly spoke about the municipality development and shared the experience of cooperation with U-LEAD.
Maryna Honcharenko, Head of the Regional Office, presented the results of Phase 2 of the Programme. She spoke in detail about the achievements in cooperation with municipalities of the Kharkiv Oblast, in matters such as decentralisation, strengthening municipal capacities, infrastructure development and attracting foreign aid. She also focused on new directions that will become priorities shortly such as fostering international intermunicipal partnerships and boosting project activities.
U-LEAD’s main tool for improving municipal capacity is educational initiatives for local self-government officials. Tetiana Filatova, Adviser on Local Self-Government at the Regional Office, presented the main components of educational and informational products available to municipalities. These are comprehensive training and expert support programmes, as well as communication channels for local self-government bodies: “Effective communication between municipalities and experts of the Programme will enable strengthening interaction and facilitate more effective cooperation.”
Nataliia Oleksenko, Head of the Department of Economic Development and Investments of the Solonytsivka Settlement Council, stressed that the expert support is both so diverse and sometimes so specialised that it can be useful for local self-government officials, starostas and even employees of municipal facilities and institutions.
Officials representing municipalities that received international technical and humanitarian assistance from U-LEAD shared their experience of using it. For instance, Ihor Kuzmenko, Deputy Head of the Tsyrkuny Village Military Administration, extended his gratitude for the provided equipment, including generators, loaders, minibuses and a toolkit for repairs, which was essential for the recovery of the municipality after de-occupation and for overcoming the aftermath of hostilities. According to him, U-LEAD’s support came at some of the most trying times for the municipality and was the first aid that had a direct impact on rebuilding infrastructure.
Oksana Verkhohliad, Deputy Head of the Zolochiv Settlement Military Administration, also emphasised the importance of the timely assistance that the municipality received under the Programme. She noted that material support contributed to the prompt restoration of critical infrastructure facilities, especially under constant threat.
When discussing the prospects of cooperation with foreign municipalities, Iryna Karabut, head of Krasnokutsk, shared her municipality’s experience in establishing international partnerships. According to her, municipalities of the Kharkiv Oblast do not wish to limit themselves to receiving international technical assistance. Instead, they are raring to become equal partners in global projects. Ms Karabut asserted that the municipalities of the Kharkiv Oblast had a unique experience of recovery in the conditions of war, which they were ready to share.
Maria Chernenko, Head of the Rohan Settlement Military Administration, seconded this, highlighting the importance of establishing new international contacts that would help municipalities both in the post-war period and when affected by active hostilities.
Summing up the meeting, Maryna Honcharenko noted that offline events of this scale had not been held by U-LEAD in the Kharkiv Oblast for about five years, so the event was of utmost importance for the exchange of opinions and experiences. The participants actively discussed current issues, shared the success stories of their municipalities and expressed readiness for further cooperation:
“In the end, all participants agreed that the exchange of experience and implementation of good practices is one of the most effective tools for managing municipal development. The U-LEAD with Europe Programme has become a platform that brings these developments together and scales them up. Municipal officials underlined the importance of holding events like that and pledged to hold such meetings more often, as offline communication lends fresh impetus for the development of local self-government.”
