In recent years, regional development strategic planning has become common practice in Ukraine. With stimulating national policies, international technical assistance and local leadership initiatives, many Ukrainian oblasts and cities now have development strategies in place. However, effective monitoring and evaluation of regional development strategies continue to constitute a major challenge in the participatory strategic planning process. Although many strategic plans contain specific sections on the importance of monitoring the strategy implementation, the monitoring procedure itself is usually missing. Understanding the importance of having an actual monitoring procedure in place, many oblasts have tried to develop it by using a unique approach based on their specific perception and experience. Read more...

RGD held the 2^nd training module of the ALP in Dnipropetrovsk Regional Institute of NAPA, November 24 - 30, 2011 and in Lviv Regional Institute of NAPA, December 8-14, 2011. For the first time, training participants presented plans of their future training curricula to their peer audience for review and feedback. ALP participants didn’t just look through the proposed materials, but also worked on better identifying target audiences and clarifying the expected results of the future trainings in RED being developed. During that 2^nd ALP module many training participants discovered for the first time a number of new methods (“case study”, “aquarium”, “open space”, “paradox” and “take a stand”) and instruments of interactive learning for working with groups of trainees. RGD trainers suggested participants to choose five interactive training methods to demonstrate in detail. Read more...

On November 10, 2011 the RGD project convened a Regional Forum in Zaporizhzhia, entitled “Strong Regions, Strong National Economy - Charting Ukraine’s Roadmap for Regional Economic Development”, dedicated to advancing regional economic development (RED) in Ukraine. The forum attracted over 100 participants, including regional and national decision-makers, senior civil servants, private entrepreneurs and academics from across Ukraine, international and Canadian experts, CIDA representatives, RGD team members and experts. The event provided an opportunity to tap into international best practices, innovative tools and approaches, as well as knowledge on how to access relevant resources and networks in order to strengthen the economic potential of Ukraine’s regions. The forum showcased the lessons learned in formulating and implementing a full-cycle strategic planning process that was successfully piloted in Zaporizhzhia. Participants witnessed how Zaporizhzhia’s strategic planning process has allowed the region to leverage funding for strategic priority projects from local, national and international sources, thus advancing their regional development agenda. Read more...