This became clear during the Local Systemic Development Forum “Partnership for sustainable hromada development: enhancing economic potential on the ground” recently held in Kharkiv.

By Dmytro Synyak  

Within the framework of the Local Systemic Development Forum “Partnership for sustainable hromada development: strengthening economic capacity on the ground” recently held in Kharkiv, several representatives of donor organisations gave advice to Ukrainian hromadas.

Ksenia Sidorkina, deputy director of the USAID project “Agrarian and Rural Development Support”, spoke of the necessity to use electronic maps that reflect all hromada resources and features.

“Imagine that I am an investor with a suitcase of money, and you have 50 hectares of land I need for my business development,” she suggested. “So, tell me how much time will pass, until I can build, for example, a factory in your AH? When you have a digital hromada asset accounting system based on GIS technology, or, more simply, an electronic map of your own territory, the investor needs very little time to analyse all the information contained therein and make a decision.

“Be inclusive, because you need to include everyone in your team to succeed,” said Patrick Reider, Director of the USAID Agrarian and Rural Development Support Project. “Even if you think that your hromada members will not agree to your offer, still invite them. Be sure to get involved all women – they are as intelligent as men. My third advice to you: invest in your village.

“As far as local economy is concerned, hromada should create business environment, a platform for business development,” said Barry Reed, Programme Manager, “Decentralisation Offering Better Results and Efficiency” (DOBRE).

Alica Henson, deputy head of USAID's Democratic Governance East (DG-East) project, said that at the moment her project works only in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, but noted that in future, the number of oblasts may be larger.

Olesya Zaluska, Deputy Director of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine (CEP) Programme, reported on a significant budget allocated by the US Government to the programme for creating a business climate in Ukraine – USD 41 million. And Serhii Chernov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Council and at the same time the president of the All-Ukrainian Association of Local Self-Government Bodies “Ukrainian Association of Rayon and Oblast Councils”, presented his vision of partnership for the creation of stable and inclusive AHs.

In the frames of the Forum a presentation of the youth organisation “Future Farmers of Ukraine”, which already includes 10 centres and 300 participants, was held. Subsequently, the youth from the hromadas-partners of the Local Systemic Development Programme presented their view of what true hromada development means to the younger generation. The boys and girls presented their video reports, the best of which received valuable prizes.

The highlight of the Forum was a game-based competition on sustainable development.

At the end of the event, land managers of hromadas-partners, that have undergone training in the framework of the Local Systemic Development Programme, were solemnly awarded with the relevant certificates.

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE