International Workshop in Zaporizhzhya: “Regional Development Strategic Planning: Following Steps”- March 29, 2006
On March 29, 2006, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, the Canada-Ukraine Partnership Project for Regional Governance and Development (RGD Project), which is managed by the Canadian Urban Institute and funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, held its second International Workshop on “Regional Development Strategic Planning: Following Steps” to engage stakeholders in discussion about the current status of regional governance and development in Zaporizhzhia and to better understand the needs and concerns of local stakeholders and citizens. Representatives of academia, local government, business and civil society organizations, as well as leading Canadian, European, and Ukrainian experts on regional governance, development and planning issues participated in the workshop.
Ms. Dalia Bardauskiene and Mr. John Gladki facilitated the morning session, which began with a review of the feedback collected from participants on the previous workshop and discussion on how to improve upon the first workshop. Workshop participants then broke out into smaller groups to discuss and prioritize Zaporizhzhia’s needs with respect to strategic development. Aggregate results were then shared and categorized into more general groups, such as Creation of Regional Investment Attractiveness, Solving Ecological Problems, Creation of Developed Transport Infrastructure, Improvement of Information Collection Methods and Access to it, Political Culture of Society, and others.
Participants again broke into smaller groups to map the ideal organizational structure under which regional strategic development can function effectively. The groups presented three different structures to demonstrate possible methods for collaboration between local government, mass media, working groups, experts, and regional project representatives in the Oblast strategic plan development process. They stressed the importance of involving representatives of different circles of society, such as NGOs, business, academia, and individual initiatives, in the working groups’ activities.
A roundtable discussion took place in the afternoon, in which a small group of workshop attendees participated and were joined by Mr. Oleksandr Sin, Deputy Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration. The goal of the roundtable was to discuss the findings and recommendations of reports prepared by Ukrainian experts on regional governance and development, civil society and gender issues. Ms. Kazachkovskaya, the expert on civil society issues, spoke about strategies for improving the effectiveness of civil society organizations (CSO), such as: increasing CSO professionalism, CSO image improvement, social partnership development, and consolidating efforts and coordinating activities. During the discussion after her presentation, Mr. Sin noted the government is ready to collaborate with CSOs, but there is a lack of constructive suggestions from them. The following questions were discussed and propositions made: 1) the creation of a new position on strategic planning in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration is now being considered; 2) it would be useful to have a workshop on the strategic development experience of other polluted areas; 3) we should actively involve youth in the strategic plan development process, as they are very energetic and full of fresh ideas; and 4) it would be more useful to have a study tour to Lithuania instead of Canada, because there would be no language barrier. Mr. Sin also said we should have a calendar plan of activities approved by Oblast State Administration within the next two months.
The discussions throughout the workshop on the needs of Zaporizhzhia in terms of regional governance, development and planning will allow the RGD Project to produce positive and sustainable results with the Oblast Development Strategic Plan.
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