During the meeting on 28 August, experts of the Zhytomyr Local Government Development Centre, established by the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and MinRegion, discussed with Paweł Prokop, head of the Fundacja Inicjatyw Menedżerskich in Lublin, Poland, the prospects of establishing an Academy of Project Managers and a common platform for exchange of experience on civil society development.

“We have many different opportunities to raise additional funds for hromadas, but we need to be able to prepare the projects and convince the grantors of the effective use of these resources. Therefore, creation of such an academy will allow to take over Polish experience and train a large number of specialists,” considers Vasyl Nevmerzhytskyi, director of the Zhytomyr LGDC.

Polish experts were also interested in exchanging experience with Ukrainian counterparts in the development and formation of civil society.

“Poland has a powerful local self-government, based on a constant communication with the residents of the community. Today in Ukraine, civil society is actively working in large cities, and hromadas only start to activate their inhabitants. Therefore, such a platform will allow to work out a road map for civil society development and take over successful experience,” convinces Paweł Prokop.

Polish experts emphasised the importance of establishing joint institutions and forming sustainable communication channels between the Ukrainian hromadas and Polish gminas, as this will enable the development of the potential of Ukrainian AHs through the practical experience of the Polish communities.

It should be mentioned that in July this year, a team from the AHs of the Zhytomyr Oblast traveled to Lublin Voivodeship, with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme.