Representatives of the Halytska, Dolynska and Horodenkivska communities studied the experience of their Danish colleagues in municipal management and involving residents in community decision-making.
Ukrainians will adopt the experience of Gulborgsund Municipality in inter-municipal cooperation. This was reported by the regional office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, according to Vikna.
During the week, specialists from Ukrainian communities visited the municipality of Gulborgsund in Denmark as part of the “Bridges of Trust” initiative launched by the U-LEAD with Europe Programme to get training and learn how the municipality operates.
The study visit program covered different areas of work of Gulborgsund Municipality, particularly municipal cooperation and NGO support, spatial planning, citizen involvement in strategic planning, administrative services, green transformation, etc.
It is worth noting the outpouring of support for Ukraine and Ukrainians in Denmark at this difficult time for our country, which can be felt everywhere, both in the presence of Ukrainian flags and in communication with municipal representatives. The powers of local governments in Ukraine and Denmark are very similar, and the Danes have successfully overcome the challenges faced by Ukrainian municipalities, so our communities definitely have something to learn from their Danish counterparts. First of all, it is about the management of education, pre-schools, cultural institutions, the provision of quality administrative services and the involvement of residents in decision-making, so the experience gained during the trip is very relevant to the powers of our territorial communities. Specialists from the Ukrainian municipalities had the opportunity to communicate directly with their colleagues from Gulborgsund and to learn about the challenges and achievements discussed by the municipal representatives during training sessions and visits to practical cases. This is the first study visit to the Danish municipality, and we are planning to give thematic training on how to cooperate with business and share experience in establishing inter-municipal cooperation,” said Maksym Chopey, U-LEAD with Europe’s Decentralisation and Local Government Advisor.
During the study visit, the main focus was studying cooperation experiences between the municipality and the public sector. There are 400 public and voluntary associations in Gulborgsund. Supporting the public sector and young people is a priority for the municipality, so they regularly inform NGOs and associations about funding opportunities and create an enabling environment for their operation.
We were impressed by the system of local government in Denmark. In particular, the Halytska community would like to adopt the approach to establishing cooperation with the civil society sector, with which the municipality implements many different projects. The municipality also has a very high level of spatial planning. We learned about several projects for one of the town squares and the harbour. Our community is also paying a lot of attention to updating its planning, so this experience is very valuable for us,” says Viktoria Debenko, Deputy Head of the Halytska community.
Representatives of the Carpathian communities studied how the municipality serves citizens and provides administrative services. The local centre for administrative services and the municipal library share a large public space.
The library has sections for adults and children, reading and computer areas. There is also a room for events and board games. The library also has STEM laboratories and rooms for creative activities and various practical skills.
Another important focus of the study visit to Denmark was to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian communities and learn about local energy efficiency initiatives. Since 2017, the municipality has been actively developing and promoting a green economy among its people. The experience was particularly interesting for the Dolynska Territorial Community, one of Ukraine’s energy efficiency leaders.
“Local self-government in Denmark has a long development history, while our communities in Ukraine are just taking the first steps towards building systemic solutions. Building a strong state without a strong local government is impossible. Such exchange of experience and study of best practices helps our communities improve the competence of their employees and strengthen their capacity,” concludes Maksym Chopey.
In the future, Ukrainian communities will adopt Gulborgsund’s experience in cooperating with other municipalities and the business sector.
The U-LEAD with Europe: Ukraine, Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Programme, is a multi-donor action of the European Union and its Member States – Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia to support Ukraine in strengthening local governance. U-LEAD with Europe promotes transparent, accountable and multi-level governance in Ukraine that is responsive to the needs of citizens and empowers communities.