Zaporizhzhia’s Regional Council discusses monitoring of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy till 2015, implementing small-scale projects and the completion of RGD Project Management and Strategy Implementation Training
A major focus of a recent Regional Council meeting, held July 2, 2009, was to discuss the Zaporizhzhia Regional Development Strategy and the importance of monitoring for its successful implementation. In this respect, improvements to the existing monitoring system were discussed. Particularly, the evaluative indicators were reviewed and the decision was made to conduct a survey on the corporate social responsibility of local businesses and tourism development. This survey would help to specify the evaluative indicators and is to be highly participatory and involve members of the community, NGOs, students, faculty members of the Classic Private University and tour operators. Council also decided that in order to facilitate the implementation of the strategy, a committee should be established to address issues of self-governance, administrative culture and social considerations.
Council also discussed the completion of the RGD’s 9-month long Project Management and Strategy Implementation Training Program (PMT). As a result of the PMT, approximately 40 people were trained and 23 small-scale projects have been developed in accordance with three priorities of the Regional Strategy: environment, tourism development and innovative-investment. Some projects are already at the early implementation phase by having secured financing. Importantly also, the Oblast State Administration has recognized and acknowledged these achievements by allocating funds required for new PMT within the oblast budget starting next year. This will most certainly provide significant impetus for ensuring continued and sustained implementation of the region’s development strategy.
As part of new budgetary allocation, 60 000 UAH were granted to a small-scale project developed through the PMT. The project Buy Zaporizhzhia Products – Choose ours will use these funds to develop and broadcast a promotional video.
Currently, a contest is underway to locate the most suitable advertising company to develop and broadcast this video.
Council also discussed the importance of sharing Zaporizhzhia’s experience in order to upscale best practices and successes to other regions in Ukraine. In this respect, RGD experts and former PMT participants have been disseminating project management skills and experiences at the oblast level. On June 26-27, 2009, Oksana Orhiets (Deputy Head of Berdyansk Rayon State Administration and former PMT participant) and RGD Regional Expert Vladimir Nazarenko jointly held a workshop in Prymorsk. They assisted representatives of 5 rayons (4 sea cost rayons - Prymorsky, Berdyansky, Pryazovsky and Yakymivsky rayons) and Rozivsky rayon of Zaporizhzhia oblast) to transform ideas into real projects.
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