The Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Donetsk Oblast hosted a meeting with heads of municipalities of the region. The event focused on the use, monitoring and reporting of international technical assistance, including from U-LEAD.
“Municipalities of the Donetsk Oblast received a lot of technical assistance from the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and other partners, which included vehicles, generators, tools and other equipment. Proper recording of the assistance received, as well as monitoring and reporting its use, is paramount. Our team decided to hold a dialogue event to discuss the assistance received with the heads of municipalities and provide clarification on its reporting,” said Viktoriia Trotsenko, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Donetsk Oblast.
According to Ms Trotsenko, in the Donetsk Oblast, the municipalities of Cherkaske, Selydove, Novohrodivka, Myrnohrad and Hrodivka received assistance in July – September as part of the initiative “Strengthening Local Resilience. Support for Emergency Repairs in Municipalities”.
Yuliia Tertychna, Adviser on Decentralisation and Local Self-Government at U-LEAD, underlined that international technical assistance (hereinafter ITA) should be understood as financial and other resources and services provided by development partners under Ukraine’s international agreements on a free and non-refundable basis in order to support Ukraine.
Ms Tertychna clarified the types of ITA and the step-by-step procedures for local self-government to receive and use it. The expert explained each stage of this process in detail and emphasised the importance of compliance with the applicable laws. The procedures for transferring property to other municipal institutions and monitoring the use of ITA were addressed as well.
Viktor Smirenskyi, Municipal Finance and Governance Adviser at U-LEAD, told the heads of municipalities of the Donetsk Oblast about the budgetary accounting and reporting of ITA.
“Any received international technical assistance must be properly recorded. Be sure to comply with the memorandum signed between the local self-government and the aid provider. This document contains information about the intended purpose of ITA, the cost of transferred material assets and operational documentation. As for movable assets, they must be recorded as prescribed by law and put on the balance sheet,” the adviser explained.
The expert named the key requirements for the preparation of all documentation for proper reporting of ITA. Viktor Smirenskyi explored the monitoring of the use of ITA and spoke about the liability for violating these requirements.
The head of the Cherkaske Settlement Military Administration, Oleksii Kryvokon, spoke about the experience of receiving and using technical assistance:
“The U-LEAD with Europe Programme is a long-standing partner of our municipality that always supports us. Technical assistance in the form of vehicles and tools is especially valuable, as we would have had a very hard time overcoming a number of wartime challenges without it. The vehicles are being used to the max, helping the residents of our municipality with evacuation or other issues at all times. I’m grateful for this meeting, the clarifications of the experts and the communication. I learned a lot of useful information and got answers to our long-pressing concerns about reporting of technical assistance.”
Oleksii Kryvokon firmly believes that the vehicles and tool kits received will help the Cherkaske municipality more efficiently respond to the effects of Russian aggression, restore infrastructure and improve living conditions for its residents.
“The assistance provided to the Novohrodivka municipality by U-LEAD was vital and relevant. Our utility company, to which the received equipment and tools were transferred, used to manage garbage collection and other services. However, it lacked the necessary infrastructure to address the humanitarian needs of the municipality’s residents. We employ the vehicles we received to deliver humanitarian aid, which we previously had troubles with. We are very grateful for your assistance and further support,” said Kostiantyn Drobot, Acting Head of the Novohrodivka City Military Administration.
The head of the municipality also stressed the importance of this type of dialogue event that facilitates communicating with colleagues, sharing experiences and receiving expert clarifications, including on the reporting of international technical assistance.
“It was great to talk with the heads of the municipalities of the Donetsk Oblast and hear about their experience in utilising the assistance provided by U-LEAD. We are well aware that in these trying times, cooperation and partnership in solving common challenges are key. We will continue to provide institutional support to the municipalities of Donetsk Oblast and work to strengthen their capacity in the future,” summarised Viktoriia Trotsenko.
