This issue was discussed during the first working meeting of project Steering Committee, which took place in Oblast State Administration. Mykhailo Vyshyvaniuk, Oblast State Administration Head and Ostap Dzesa, his deputy, promised to ensure all possible support for project representatives.

“We’ll work fruitfully and perfectly, like Swiss watch”, said Mykhailo Vyshyvaniuk. Ostap Dzesa said that there will be no any delay with co-financing.

Third Project Phase, which will last till 2017, presupposes co-financing of community activities in the sectors of water supply, sanitation and solid waste management. It is planned to co-finance 24 community projects in 3 target Oblast rayons. DESPRO contribution will amount for 40% of total projects budget (up to UAH 250 thousand for each project).

“We hope that we’ll manage to widely disseminate the models of decentralized services provision, developed within the project”, said Oksana Garnets, DESPRO Senior Coordinator in Ukraine. “After long-term consultations we selected Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. We do hope that local communities will build their capacities, which will permit them to develop local development plans, strategies to move forward as well as become able to attract external resources necessary to implement the processes”.

According to Ihor Zvarych, Deputy Head of Oblast State Administration, cooperation with Swiss-Ukrainian project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) is critical for Carpathians. In particular, it concerns the projects on improving the water supply and sanitation. “Inhabitants of Oblast 10 settlements use imported water”, told Ihor Zvarych the journalists. “In five towns water is supplied on schedule. If in small towns water supply is centralized by 78% and sanitation – by 85%, in rural areas this index is only 0.4%”.

Reference:

Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) was launched in our country in 2007. During first two project phases, which were implemented in AR Crimea, Vinnytsya and Sumy Oblasts, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) allocated about 8,5 million Swiss francs.

Besides ensuring support for water supply, sanitation and solid waste management projects, project initiators develop and improve national legislation on decentralization, build the capacities of associations of local self-governing bodies, ensure education and information activities related to decentralization reform, etc.

According to the materials of Ivano-Frankivsk OSA press-center (За матеріалами прес-служби Івано-Франківської ОДА)