Decentralisation: New Opportunities for the Development of Communities with the Assistance of the DESPRO Project

On 15 February, Deputy Head of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration Vadym Danielian had a meeting with representatives of the DESPRO Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine: Director Juerg Christen, Experts Vyacheslav Kozak and Vyacheslav Sorokovsky, and Program and Legal Associate Yulia Lokshyna. During the meeting, the prospects of bilateral cooperation to support power decentralisation process in Luhansk Oblast were discussed. 

Greeting the partners on behalf of Oblast Head Yurii Harbuz, Vadym Danielian noted: "We actively lend support to the initiatives of amalgamation shown by communities, adopt experience of other Oblasts and countries, and engage experts. Therefore, we welcome your proposals and guarantee assistance in the implementation of projects aimed at the support of decentralisation". 

The DESPRO is the Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine financed by the Swiss Confederation through the Swiss Cooperation Office (SDC) and implemented by the Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development (Skat) managed by its Director Juerg Christen. 

The mission of the project is to optimize the administration system and facilitate efficient local government in Ukraine, which fact, in its turn, will create a new impulse both for democratic processes and the provision of services at the community level. 

"This year, we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Project in Ukraine, Juerg Christen underlined. - Over the period, we have become authoritative players in the area of decentralisation". He also noted that the geographical boundaries of cooperation gradually expended and today it was important to combine efforts, in particular, in Luhansk Oblast. 

During the meeting, there were discussed the possibilities for active cooperation in the area of water supply as a resource for the development of community. The DESPRO experts shared their successful experience in the area of development and implementation of water supply and sanitation projects in other Oblasts - from the stage of strategic planning to the provision of the relevant service. 

On the instruction of the Head of the Oblast State Administration, Vadym Danielian arranges for visits by the DESPRO representatives to the amalgamated territorial communities and those settlements in the Oblast where the amalgamation process is going on to learn their activities. There was reached an agreement that the DESPRO experience in other Oblasts would be studies and shared in order to improve the public awareness. Also, there were discussed other options of involvement of the Oblast authorities in the implementation of future projects jointly with the DESPRO Project. 

Source: Official website of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration