On November 20, a public dialogue “Side by side: creating the future together” was held within the framework of the National Resilience Forum.
The event, held under the slogan of friendship and trust, brought together people from different spheres. The event was attended by representatives of the authorities, international and donor organizations, as well as community leaders and business representatives.
The dialogue was moderated by the project ambassador, host of “Breakfast with 1+1” Yegor Gordeev.
The discussion consisted of three panel discussions, the speakers of which were participants of the project “Side by side: united communities”, officials and representatives of international organizations.
The participants of the event summed up the results of the first waves of the project, recalled how the first memorandums of cooperation between communities were signed. Over the year, 1,100 communities have joined the project, which makes up more than 75% of all communities in Ukraine. The participation of communities that are currently partially or fully under Russian occupation is extremely important. This emphasizes that no one is forgotten, and Ukraine, despite the temporary occupation of some communities, maintains its integrity and interaction, continues to develop and live on. In addition, the participants outlined future prospects for attracting investments, developing digitalization and the socio-cultural direction in communities.
Particular attention was paid to strengthening international partnerships, involving the experience of friends from municipalities in Europe. The participants of the event also had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with a photo exhibition of communities participating in the national project. It clearly demonstrated the resilience and indomitability of Ukrainians.
The event was organized on the initiative of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine together with UNDP Ukraine within the framework of the flagship partnership with the European Union (EU) “EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine”. The opinions, recommendations or conclusions expressed by participants during the event do not necessarily reflect the official position of UNDP, the UN, the EU or other partners.