Strong hromadas – a strong state. This will be a slogan of the 3^rd Forum of amalgamated hromadas, devoted to the issues of economic development of territories, to be held in Kyiv.

The event will take place on 5 December with the support of Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman. It was he who presented the Concept of Local Self-Government Development in April 2014 as Vice Prime Minister and managed to get it approved and launched as a key element of change of public administration in Ukraine.

Over 4 years, 850 capable hromadas have already been formed in Ukraine, uniting about 4 000 local councils and more than seven million people. Financial decentralisation provided 3-7 time increase of the AHs’ budgets. In addition, the state provides financial support for the development of territories.

According to the Forum’s organisational committee, the economic development of the regions is the next stage of the decentralisation reform. A wide range of administrative powers and resources have already been transferred to the ground, including agricultural land outside settlements. The available opportunities have already allowed to significantly increase hromadas’ budgets. Therefore, they face the task of multiplying their revenues by attracting entrepreneurial capital, co-investing in infrastructure development.

“Today it is very important that the heads of local authorities, managers in hromadas are initiative on the ground – that they move forward, use the maximum of the created opportunities,” once noted the Prime Minister of Ukraine. “It is impossible to stop people, initiatives. It is impossible to ignore a real result. Therefore, the more successes are there on the ground, the more energy will this reform have.”

According to the organisers' plans, the Forum will be attended by representatives of local self-government of all levels, MPs, representatives of the international donor community and expert environment.