On 23 June 2016, the DESPRO Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine and the Luhansk Oblast State Administration signed the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation.
The signing of the memorandum provides for the cooperation with the aim of improving awareness of the population of Luhansk Oblast on the decentralisation reforms process in Ukraine, development of local self-government, increasing the activity of civil society in the territory of the Oblast, and dealing with social matters.
The cooperation will take place in the following forms:
·         carrying out joint information events, round table discussions, public discussions, training courses, "friendship trains", etc. on the topics of decentralisation and reform of local self-government in Ukraine;
·         educational and methodological support and advanced training of personnel of the local self-government in the Oblast;
·         carrying out training for personnel of the governmental authorities and local self-government bodies.
It should be noted that the idea of establishing such cooperation arose exactly during the public discussion in Severodonetsk that was held by the DESPRO Project on 14 June 2016. The today's signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation became possible due to the preliminary arrangements reached between the representatives of the Project and the Luhansk Oblast State Administration. The initiative on the part of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration showed the concern of the executive power and awareness of the necessity of pooling efforts for reforming the local self-government, development of capabilities of the bodies of local self-government, and development of professional skills of the officials of local self-government in Ukraine.
Short link to the news: http://despro.org.ua/~nXLwG