First UA-SI mentorship visit begins at the Municipality of Domžale

First UA-SI mentorship visit begins at the Municipality of Domžale

9. 11. 2023 | PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe

On November 7th, we began the first three-week mentorship visits under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ at the municipality of Domžale.

The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ and aims to provide targeted transfer of knowledge and experience on the part of Slovenian municipalities and build the institutional capacities of Ukrainian municipalities, as well as establish arrangements for fostering cross-border partnerships between Slovenian and Ukrainian municipalities.

The first mentorship is taking place in the Slovenian municipality Domžale, which currently hosts two mentees from the Ukrainian municipality Hnivan. The programme of the mentorship is rich, encapsulating the needs mentioned by the Hnivan municipality (strengthening civil protection service at the municipality) as well as addressing topics crucial for further development of the municipality, such as project management, project writing and topics related to EU enlargement process on the local level. The municipality of Domžale, with its rich experience in civil protection, offers great knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved in the civil protection system of the municipality. Another expressed interest of Hnivan municipality was the waste management system of municipality Domžale, so the first site visit of the mentorship focused on the work of the central wastewater treatment plant Domžale-Kamnik, the history of the construction of the wastewater treatment plant, funding of the construction, as well as the upgrade of the plant, pointing out all the advantages for the people, region and environment.

In the next weeks, representatives of Hnivan hromada will learn more about project planning, preparation and management, project funding, civil protection and emergency preparedness and resilience building through interactive workshops and site visits.

Photos of the visit can be seen below:

Obisk_predstavnikov_občine_Hnivan_7nov2023-35

 

The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Estonia and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.

On SI-UA development cooperation at the 12th EUSDR Annual Forum

On SI-UA development cooperation at the 12th EUSDR Annual Forum

26. 10. 2023 | Decentralisation, local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, Slovenian Development Assistance, U-LEAD: with Europe

At the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region held under the Slovenian Presidency, CEP’s Executive Director, Ms Nina Čepon, contributed to the panel discussion titled ”Bottom-up recovery and transformation of Ukraine–Supporting Ukraine and Moldova on their way to the EU” on the 24th of October.

She shed light on CEP’s impactful collaboration with Ukrainian municipalities, a process initiated back in 2018 under the scope of the Programme ‘U-LEAD with Europe’ implemented by the German organization GIZ in Ukraine. The dedication to enhancing Ukrainian municipalities continues through our ongoing development project titled ‘Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Ukraine’ funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’.

This project remains committed to transferring knowledge tailored to specific needs and providing sustainable assistance to Ukrainian municipalities as they advance in their development, modernization and contribute to the Ukrainian path toward EU membership while dealing with the everyday challenges of wartime. Activities are focusing on topics such as green transition, civil protection and resilience, economic development, anti-corruption and transparency in local governance, and deliver an important skillset to raise their absorption capacities in terms of donor engagement, namely those of efficient planning, project appraisal and obtainment of external funding.

Čepon emphasised that Ukrainian municipalities are set to play a pivotal role in post-conflict reconstruction and development in Ukraine as they are forward-looking, and they strive toward economic development and other objectives despite being faced with their complex everyday circumstances at this time. Slovenia’s wealth of experience in modernization and the EU accession process promises to bring significant, concrete value.