On 20 November, an informational session of the Polaris Programme was held in Zhytomyr. The event was attended by representatives of local self-government, heads of relevant structural divisions of the Oblast Military Administration (OMA), representatives of the Rayon Military Administrations (RMAs), and the Regional Development Agency of the Zhytomyr Oblast.
Hromadas in the Zhytomyr oblast demonstrate remarkable resilience during these challenging times. Our task is to support them in creating a modern governance system that meets the needs of their residents. The Polaris Programme can become a partner in this process, — said Nataliia Arendarchuk, Deputy Head of the Zhytomyr OMA.
The Head of the Polaris Programme, Oleksandr Mazurkin (SALAR International), emphasised that Polaris will support hromadas in developing sustainable governance models tailored to their unique needs.
As is known, last year the Swedish government adopted a new cooperation strategy for Ukraine in the fields of recovery and reforms for 2023–2027, identifying support for local self-government as one of its priority areas. Recovery and reforms are closely intertwined in the Swedish strategy, jointly advancing Ukraine's ultimate goal — EU integration. Achieving this goal will require effective collaboration between governance structures at the national, regional, and local levels, — highlighted Oleksandr Mazurkin.
During the event, participants were not only introduced to the main areas of the Programme's work but also given a detailed overview of the types of support Polaris already offers to hromadas. In particular, the discussion focused on support for hromadas that:
- need assistance in developing an optimal school network model,
- plan to further develop Administrative Service Centres,
- aim to strengthen the capacity of starostas,
- are interested in establishing international cooperation.
Polaris supports hromadas in developing sustainable governance models tailored to their unique needs. It is worth noting that local self-government bodies can apply for expert support through the programme’s website: polaris.org.ua.
Photo credit: Zhytomyr Oblast Military Administration.
