Five reasons for representatives of local governments to participate in educational events

Peace building activities cover all spheres of human life. Therefore, implementing the project "Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Ukraine - Step Forward", one of the activities was dedicated to the development of local governments in Eastern Ukraine.

The trainers, Oleh Kulinich and Yuri Orel, conducted an event in Kharkiv on September 22-25. According to the participants, it took place "just at the right time and for the right target group".

During the training, local government representatives mastered the following topics:
- Effective communication between authorities and community residents: methods, channels, and tools.
- How to ensure transparency and openness of local governments.
- Meaningful cooperation of local governments with the media and civil society organizations.
- Gender aspects in the activities of local governments.
- Inclusiveness in the formation and implementation of local policies.
- Design approach in the provision of public services
- Finding innovative/creative solutions to local problems.

During the event, the trainers and the group managed to create a friendly educatory environment, as well as to learn from each other. In our opinion, the development of a network of cooperation between representatives of the five regions, who are ready to consult each other and share their best practice approaches, has become an important achievement for each participant.

So, summing up the three days of work, education and communication, participants concluded that the efforts of the organizers and trainers inspired them to start implementing innovative approaches at the local level, taught them to work with communities more efficient, involving their residents in cooperation and decision-making.

The event was held in the frames of the "Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Ukraine – Step Forward" project, implemented with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by IFA (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding programme zivik.