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Forum of Slovenian-Ukrainian Cooperation begins in Lviv

29. 5. 2025 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe, Ukraine

Lviv, Ukraine, 28 May 2025 – Forum of Slovenian-Ukrainian Cooperation officially opened today in Lviv, bringing together over 80 participants from Ukraine, Slovenia, and wider for three days of dialogue, knowledge exchange, and cooperation. Organised by the Centre for European Perspective (CEP), with the support of U-LEAD with Europe programme and City of Lviv, the Forum is a cornerstone of the CEP Programme “Recovery and Reconstruction in Ukraine”, supporting local resilience through international municipal partnerships.

With Ukraine’s recovery and EU path deeply interconnected, the Forum serves as a platform for transforming solidarity into action, across topics such as housing, waste management, decentralised governance, and European integration.

The Forum began with addresses by Lviv’s Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, Deputy Minister Oleksii Riabykin, and Slovenia’s State Secretary Srečko Đurov. Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, delivered a keynote address underlining the central role of Ukrainian municipalities in recovery efforts.

During the opening part of the event, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and the German GIZ, confirming a strong framework for cooperation and support in Ukraine through CEP’s “Recovery and Reconstruction in Ukraine” programme. At the heart of the Forum are the International Municipal Partnerships, an initiative that connects municipalities like Kočevje, Hrastnik, Pereschepyne, and Drohobych to share policy expertise and implement locally led reforms.

In a dedicated panel, Slovenian and Ukrainian mayors exchanged experiences in tackling pressing local needs from housing strategies to rebuilding infrastructure and restoring citizen trust in public services.

Another key side event launched the pilot project “Establishing a Sustainable Waste Management System in Samar Raion” in Pereschepyne. The session with mayors of the Samar Raion explored both the local challenges (such as landfill overuse, lack of funding and war-induced waste) and lessons learned from Slovenia’s transformation into an EU waste management powerhouse.

The Forum also highlights Slovenia’s strategic role in supporting Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, through a side panel titled “Ukraine’s Path Toward the EU”. Participants from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Slovenian Ministry for Cohesion, and the European Parliament shared insights on how Ukraine can build the institutional capacity to navigate complex EU processes.

On 30 May, the Forum will host a dedicated panel on housing policy with officials and experts from Lviv, CEDOS, Drohobych, and Hrastnik. The discussion will highlight how municipalities are addressing the housing crisis, including for internally displaced persons.

Second workshop for strengthening Nursing and Midwifery in North Macedonia

28. 5. 2025 | North Macedonia - Nursing and Midwifery, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance

From 27–28 May 2025, the second set of workshops under the project “Advancing Nursing and Midwifery Education and Establishing the System for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in the Republic of North Macedonia” took place at the NLB Gallery in Skopje.

The workshops were opened by H.E. Mr Gregor Presker, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to North Macedonia, who expressed Slovenia’s strong commitment to supporting the country’s health system reform efforts. His remarks were followed by Dr Pia Vračko, Health Policy Advisor at the WHO Country Office in North Macedonia, who emphasised the importance of international collaboration in strengthening health professions.

Over two days, the workshops gathered 35 participants from medical and healthcare faculties, healthcare professionals, and representatives from the Ministries of Health and Education to discuss essential reforms in nursing and midwifery education. The programme focused on:

Reviewing the proposed national curriculum for nursing and midwifery;
Planning faculty-level implementation of curriculum reforms;
Enhancing the role of nurses in family medicine and integrated primary care.

A dedicated training session on day two targeted family doctors and head nurses, highlighting best practices in the Slovenian primary care system, skill-mix innovation, and patient-centred care.

On 28 May, a meeting was also held with the Minister of Education, Dr Janevska, to present recommendations for transforming undergraduate nursing and midwifery education.

We thank the Ministries of Health and Education of North Macedonia, our Slovenian experts, the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia, the Angela Boškin Faculty of Health Care, the WHO Office in North Macedonia, and the Slovenian Embassy in Skopje for their continued support. We are also grateful to NLB Banka Skopje for hosting the workshops.

Zaključilo se je drugo varnostno usposabljanje za diplomatsko osebje

28. 5. 2025 | Peace and security, POTC, PR

V sredo, 27. maja, se je tridesetih udeležencev usposabljalo na “Varnostnem usposabljanju za diplomatsko osebje”. Varnostno usposabljanje je bilo namenjeno profesionalnim diplomatom.

• Grad Jable, 27. 5. 2025

Click here to read this article in English.

Varnostno usposabljanje je bilo namenjeno vsem profesionalnim diplomatom, ki jih Republika Slovenija napotuje v države z nizko stopnjo varnostnega tveganja in niso imeli predhodnega znanja s področja zagotavljanja osebne varnosti.

Cilj usposabljanja je bil, da so udeleženci, po uspešno zaključeni udeležbi, sposobni prepoznati različne varnostne grožnje, razumeti osnove varnostnih postopkov in protokolov na DKP, poznati osnove ravnanja v spremenjenih varnostnih razmerah na DKP in na poti, prepoznavati aktivnosti nadzora, uporabljati ukrepe za zmanjšanje varnostnih tveganj ter uporabiti ukrepe in metode za zmanjševanje stresa v visoko stresnih situacijah.

Usposabljanje ne bi bilo možno izpeljati brez podpore Ministrstva za notranje zadeve in policijskih trenerjev ter predavateljev.

Za več informacij o usposabljanju in še več nas lahko spremljate na družbenih omrežjih:

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Naslovna slika je bila ustvarjena s pomočjo umetne inteligence.

Sodelovanje z lokalnimi skupnostmi uspešno predstavljeno na seminarju

22. 5. 2025 | Peace and security, POTC, PR, Regional cooperation

V sredo, 21. maja 2025, smo na gradu Jable gostili strokovnjake, ki so od blizu predstavili sodelovanje z lokalnimi skupnostmi v procesih ohranjanja in grajenja miru.

Click here to read this article in English.

Celodnevni seminar je udeležence seznanil z načini s katerimi se lahko prispeva k ohranjanju miru s sodelovanjem z lokalnimi deležniki, prav tako pa so bili naslovljeni načini podpiranja vključevanja, odpornosti in lokalne odgovornosti.

Naslovljene so bile teme kot so NATO doktrina za civilno-vojaško sodelovanje (CIMIC), sodelovanje s skupnostmi v Bosni in Hercegovini, razvojno sodelovanje v Ukrajini ter Ugandi, CIMIC sodelovanje v Afganistanu, lokalni projekti Rdečega križa Slovenije v Bosni in Hercegovini ter deljenje izkušenj s terena Slovenske karitas na področju razvoja lokalnih skupnosti.

Cilj je bil udeležence seznaniti kako pomagati osebju misij in operacij pri razvoju ustreznih spretnosti, ki so potrebne za uspešno sodelovanje z lokalnimi skupnostmi.

Zahvaljujemo se vsem govorcem in udeležencem za uspešno izveden seminar.

Za več informacij o usposabljanju in še več nas lahko spremljate na družbenih omrežjih:

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Forum of Slovenian–Ukrainian Cooperation in Lviv

20. 5. 2025 | Decentralisation, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe, Ukraine

Ljubljana, 20 May 2025 – From 28 to 30 May 2025, the Centre for European Perspective and the City of Lviv are hosting the ‘Forum of Slovenian-Ukrainian Cooperation: Strengthening Partnerships for Recovery and Reconstruction’, organised by the Centre for European Perspective (CEP) in cooperation with U-LEAD with Europe, implemented by GIZ, and supported by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. The event is part of the broader programme “Recovery and Reconstruction in Ukraine”, the cornerstone of Slovenia’s development cooperation with Ukraine in 2025–2026.

The Forum will bring together Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities, government representatives from Slovenia and Ukraine, EU officials, mayors of Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities, representatives of Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv regional administrations, to exchange good practices in local and regional recovery and reconstruction, explore future cooperation, and discuss Slovenia’s targeted support for Ukraine’s EU accession process. Special focus will be placed on the role of international municipal partnerships (IMPs) in Ukraine’s post-war recovery, reconstruction and development. Thematic panels will take place, focusing on several key topics, such as waste management and housing policy.

The CEP Programme ‘Recovery and Reconstruction in Ukraine’ builds on mutual solidarity between the Slovenian and Ukrainian communities, aiming to foster long-term partnerships for the rebuilding of Ukraine. The Forum in Lviv will reaffirm Slovenia’s role as a committed partner in Ukraine’s recovery and European future.

Call for applications: Comprehensive Protection of Civilians (CPoC) Training, Slovenia (UN-Certified)

15. 5. 2025 | Peace and security, POTC, PR, Security

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR “Comprehensive Protection of Civilians (CPoC) Training” IS NOW OPEN (CLICK HERE) – deadline August 3rd, 2025

Kliknite tukaj za branje članka v slovenskem jeziku.

This autumn, POTC is organising its UN-certified Comprehensive Protection of Civilians (CPoC) Training. The training will be held at Jable Castle, Mengeš, from 6 – 10 October.

The Comprehensive Protection of Civilians (CPoC) Training focuses on the protection of civilians (PoC) by addressing the responsibilities of states, international organisations, and other actors to safeguard individuals, particularly non-combatants, from harm during armed conflicts, natural disasters, and other forms of violence. PoC includes shielding individuals from physical violence, forced displacement, sexual violence, and denial of essential resources and services. The principles of PoC are rooted in international humanitarian and human rights laws and are vital for upholding human dignity during conflicts and crises. The training is primarily designed for police and civilian personnel, including decision-makers, members of non-governmental organisations and individual civilian experts, who are to be deployed to international missions and operations or who are working in civilian crisis management, with no prior knowledge or skills in preventing or responding to violence against civilians.

The working language of the training is English, and participants are expected to be fluent in English (C1 level or higher). The aim of the training is for the participants to understand the conceptual, legal and operational framework in protection of civilians, and to provide the participants with understanding of PoC practice in UN (and EU) missions and operations, effective tools used in practice, skills and knowledge for working in missions with a PoC mandate, understanding of the basic legal framework and documents, understanding the connection between climate change and security and an understanding of UN, EU and NATO operational concepts for PoC.

The residential part of the course will take place between 6 and 10 October 2025 at Jable Castle in Loka pri Mengšu, Slovenia. Participants will also have to complete the mandatory e-learning modules prior to arriving in Slovenia. Attendance is free of charge for all selected participants. The POTC will also cover: – local transport costs between the airport and the hotel; – local transport between the hotel and the course venue; – lunch, beverages and other refreshments provided during the training course at Jable Castle; – additional financial support is available for up to 10 international participants – see more in the information pack.

More information can be found in the Information Pack. A tentative course programme will be made available a few weeks prior to the training activity.

Participants can apply to the course through the registration form via this link. The selected participants will be notified roughly a week after the application deadline.

For any additional questions, feel free to send us a message at: [email protected]

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