The project announced today at the International Support for Ukraine Conference in Kyiv is valued at up to $19.7 million over six years (2015–2021), is aimed at increasing economic opportunities for Ukrainians in a strengthened democracy.
This project will promote effective democratic governance and economic development at the local level in four different regions of Ukraine, representing a mix of geographic, economic and cultural contexts. The project’s main activities will be developed through three interrelated program components:
- Empowering local governments to implement an “open government” model to create transparent and participatory decision-making processes. To meet this model, local governments will train at least 1,600 city officials and stakeholders on how to design and implement city development planning and monitoring while applying participatory budgeting tools.
- Stimulating and supporting the growth of locally based small and medium-sized enterprises, with a focus on women entrepreneurs. Planned activities under this component will:
- assist partner cities to create eight business service centres and four start-up business incubator programs, which will be created and managed by city councils to support business projects;
- assist partner cities to establish and support eight business associations and use public-private partnerships for four infrastructure and local development projects; and
- provide training on social entrepreneurship and business services for marginalized social groups (women, youth, and persons with disabilities) in 16 cities.
- Facilitating collaboration between local, regional and national governments to promote decentralization and intergovernmental dialogue. Planned activities will:
- assist partner cities and regions to develop and implement 16 local economic development strategies and four regional strategies (including at least four investment attraction and four environmental sustainability strategies); and
- assist partner regions and national counterparts to conduct 12 regional development forums, four national-municipal forums, and three gender-equality forums.
The project will be implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). The FCM is a not-for-profit membership organization comprising elected municipal officials and affiliate members from all regions and various-sized communities throughout Canada. For more than 25 years, the FCM has worked in collaboration with DFATD to strengthen the capacity of hundreds of local governments in more than 55 countries around the world.
