Shatsk in Volyn and Poliana in Zakarpattia recently signed their first cooperation agreement with USAID HOVERLA Activity’s support. The two communities will collaborate on tourism development.

Since autumn 2023, the communities have been collaborating and sharing their best practices in tourism management, such as tourism fees, supporting small businesses in the hospitality sector, and working with sanatorium-resort facilities. After participating in the city branding workshop hosted by the State Agency for Tourism Development, they established inter-municipal cooperation.

The agreement outlines a detailed plan to develop a marketing strategy and visual brand and implement at least one co-branded tourism project together. This idea inspired the Kyiv advertising agency, which prepared a presentation for the communities on creating a joint tourism brand.

During the Zakarpattians’ visit to Volyn the secretaries and acting heads of the two communities, Nelia Petrus from Poliana and Bohdan Tymoshchuk from Shatsk, signed the agreement, as their leaders Ivan Drogobetskyi and Serhii Karpuk had joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

During the event, Poliana’s representatives toured the recently opened New Wave youth center in Shatsk and discussed cooperation opportunities for the youth of both communities. They also explored a major project in Shatsk, construction of sewage treatment plants implemented under the Interreg NEXT Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 cross-border cooperation program. and discussed the possibility of jointly applying for this program. They also got acquainted with the new services of the Shatsk Administrative Service Center, talked about the partnership between the local governments and the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine," and learned about the recreational project "Forest Recovery."

USAID HOVERLA Activity supports partner communities in establishing inter-municipal cooperation, serving as a catalyst for comprehensive community development. As of today, 37 agreements have already been signed between municipalities, helping to optimize resource utilization, promote cultural diversity, stimulate economic growth, address environmental issues, and facilitate the creation of large-scale projects.