Working group for coordination of projects and programs activities providing international technical assistance has been created in MINREGIONBUD. Its overall goal is to strengthen the coordination between the projects initiated by international organizations for the development of Ukrainian housing and communal sector as well as to inform people on related to reforming achievements in the sphere. These are the issues, which were underlined by Mr. Anatoliy Blyznyuk, Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing of Ukraine, during his speech at the first meeting of the newly created body.

“We are committed for cooperation and cooperation in a way so that people understand that we are doing it for them! We’d like them meeting our activities. I am sure that only jointly we’ll move forward quicker with our reforms”, said Anatoliy Blyznyuk.  

It is expected that working group activities will result in synergetic effect of all international technical assistance projects. That is why each project and its experience will be jointly analyzed by national and international experts. Four areas will be studied: regional development, housing and communal sector, construction and information support.

Mrs. Oksana Garnets, DESPRO Senior Coordinator in Ukraine, informed on project activities promoting the development and implementation of innovative decentralized approaches to public services provision on a local level, i.e. in the sphere of rural water supply system and solid waste management (newly created model of decentralized public services is summarized; best practices in the above spheres are published). DESPRO also facilitates the effective dialogue among different branches of government, supports a broad discussion on reforms in the regions and promotes regional socio-economic development. The project launched the mechanisms of efficient knowledge management: strengthening the expert networks and communities of practice, creating informational web-portal, establishing the resource centre, etc.

Besides MINREGIONBUD experts and DESPRO, representatives of USAID, German Agency for International Cooperation, Canadian and Sweden Agencies for International Cooperation, SDC, European Commission, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United Nations Development Program, Clean Technologies Fund and ESP took part in the meeting.