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Zaporizhzhia Oblast Fights Economic Crisis Strategically
In order to allocate limited resources to implement regional strategic development priorities in the context of economic crisis Zaporizhzhia state authorities adjust annual social and regional economic development program and budget to Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy. Oblast state authorities, representatives of businesses, NGOs and academics were involved in identifying development priorities for this year.
In the context of economic crisis in order to prioritize implementation of Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy till 2015 approved in June 2008 Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration (OSA) at the end of 2008 has initiated selection of top-priority operational goals and tasks within the Strategy. In view of this, Council on Monitoring, Implementation and Evaluation of Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy, which is a consultative body established to ensure stakeholders participation in coordination of the Strategy implementation process, together with the Working Group carried out a series of working meetings and made number of decisions in this regard.
On February 10, 2009 regular meeting of the Council on Monitoring, Implementation and Evaluation of Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy till 2015 was held. Heads of the Committees on Ecological, Innovation and Investment as well as Touristic Priorities established within the Working Group reported on the work done, including selected operational goals and tasks for the current year. M. Drazhdovych, First Deputy Head of the Main Economic Department, Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration, Head of the Working Group, informed participants that 17 operational goals (out of 25 mentioned in the Strategy) and 54 operational tasks (out of 148 mentioned in the Strategy) were selected. Among them 6 operational goals and 24 tasks under the Ecological priority, 5 operational goals and 8 tasks under Tourism priority and 7 operational goals and 23 tasks under the Innovation and Investment priority were selected. Among the main selection criteria were whether operational goals and tasks allow for the constraints caused by the economic crisis and have a stable source of funding (for example, Ecological fund).
According to O. Sin, Deputy Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration, operational goals and tasks of all programs in force should comply with the main document on oblast development, i.e. Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy till 2015. Also it was decided to adjust Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy to other oblast social and economic development programs. O. Sin suggested to discuss ecological priority with ecological NGOs later on to select operational tasks to be financed from the Ecological fund.
During the meeting it was also decided to establish Methodological Center for Tourism Development basing on the Local History Museum by hiring two additional staff members. Participants also discussed several options for establishing Regional Development Agency in the oblast as well as the possibility to create touristic and agricultural clusters within innovation and investment priority implementation.
L. Anisimov, Deputy Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council, and Co-chairman of the Council on Monitoring, Implementation and Evaluation of Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy, mentioned that the meeting became a real starting point for Strategy implementation. He emphasized that active public participation in identifying oblast development priorities to be financed from the oblast budget is a visible progress towards practical use of modern methods of public administration in regional development.
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