Latest581

Join us at the occasion of the Poland-Ukraine Local Solidarity Forum

Join us on 14 June, from 10:00 to 12:00 CEST, and learn more about how Polish municipalities support Ukrainian local governments. This online event will be conducted in English, Polish and Ukrainian, with simultaneous interpretation.

Poland has become the main Ukrainian supporter amongst other European countries. Polish municipalities have sent humanitarian aid to their partners across the country and have been welcoming people fleeing the war and trying to offer the best residence conditions possible. Cooperation of local and regional authorities, volunteers, non-governmental organisations and business is an important contributing factor of the Polish actions in support of Ukraine.

The aim of this local solidarity forum between Poland and Ukraine will be to:

1. highlight specific challenges of war time local governance from the ground in Ukraine;
2. present best examples of local support by Poland, the challenges that were encountered and addressed;
3. encourage the creation of new municipal partnerships between Poland and Ukraine.

The full programme of the Forum can be found here: English, Polish and Ukrainian.

To register, please fill in this online form. If you have any questions, please contact Yana.Brovdiy[at]ccre-cemr.org

You may also follow the event live on social media.

TARAN Stanislav

Project Officer – International Partnerships (U-Lead)

100 European cities put the spotlights on the “100 days of the Russian WAR”

Brussels, Eindhoven, Liverpool, Palermo, Wroclaw… 100 European cities are expected to organise photo exhibitions in open main squares on 4-5 June. Launched by the Charitable Fund “Act for Ukraine!”, the initiative aims to shed light on the terrible consequences of the Russian invasion.

These photo exhibitions dedicated to 100 days of struggle of Ukraine against the Russian large-scale military aggression will “provide evidence of the genocide committed by Russia against the Ukrainian people”.

Yanina Basysta, CEO of the Charitable Fund “Act for Ukraine!”, said: “For the third month in a row, millions of people in the heart of Europe are forced to hide in basements, living amid sirens and shelling. We have not chosen such a reality and we will never accept it”.

If your city is among the list of pre-selected 100 cities, contact “Act for Ukraine” and support the organisation of the photo exhibitions.

TARAN Stanislav

Project Officer – International Partnerships (U-Lead)

Slovenian municipalities deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine

As part of our coverage of the local and regional dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine, CEMR is highlighting the help given by European municipalities and regions to their Ukrainian peers. We hope these stories inspire other local and regional governments to heighten their efforts to support Ukraine.

Slovenian municipalities are boosting deliveries of humanitarian aid to their Ukrainian partners. Under the Bridges of Trust initiative, the municipalities of Kočevje (partner of Bucha), Juršinci (partner of Avanhard) and Hrastnik (partner of Drohobych) have donated emergency goods. What’s more, the NGO Slovenska Filantropija, the secondary vocational school from Murska Sobota and private donors also contributed to this batch of humanitarian support.

The emergency goods have been primarily delivered to surgery rooms of hospitals in the East of Ukraine, to Bucha and to internally displaced people in Drohobych and Khust.

The head of the municipality of Hrastnik, Marko Funkl, personally delivered humanitarian aid to Drohobych and signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipal authorities. This document is the first step towards a large-scale inter-municipal partnership, including an internship programme for Drohobych municipal managers in Slovenia.

The municipalities met in the framework of the “Bridges of Trust” Initiative, implemented by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions and PLATFORMA with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe programme.

TARAN Stanislav

Project Officer – International Partnerships (U-Lead)

Lithuania’s Ukmergė district municipality signed a partnership agreement with its Ukrainian partner Korosten municipality

As part of our coverage of the local and regional dimensions of Russia’s war in Ukraine, CEMR is highlighting the help given by European municipalities and regions to their Ukrainian peers. We hope these stories inspire other local and regional governments to heighten their efforts to support Ukraine.
 
Despite the war, a project implemented by CEMR, PLATFORMA and supported by the U-LEAD with Europe programme, helps build bridges of trust between European and Ukrainian municipalities.
 
As a part of the “Bridges of Trust” Initiative, the Ukmergė District Municipality of Lithuania and Korostenska Municipality in Zhytomyr region signed a partnership agreement.  This agreement was signed by Ukmergė Mayor Rolandas Janickas and Korosten municipality head Volodymyr Moskalenko.
 
“Korosten has suffered from Russian aggression – its schools, kindergartens, and houses were bombed, there are dead and wounded locals. Therefore, it is so kind of Lithuanian friends to support Ukraine in such a difficult time. We are grateful to our friends from Ukmergė who sent humanitarian aid, which is distributed among our people, internally displaced persons and low-income people, we appreciate it very much,” said Volodymyr Moskalenko. Ukmergė district municipality sent humanitarian aid to its Ukrainian partner in the first weeks of the Russian war against Ukraine.
 
In turn, Rolandas Janickas said that Ukraine is at the forefront of defending European values, and one can learn real unity from Ukrainians who help fight the enemy.
 
Heads of municipalities expressed hope for successful cooperation in various fields and mutual visits after the war.
 
The two municipalities first met in November 2021, in the framework of the “Bridges of Trust” Initiative, implemented by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, PLATFORMA and supported by the U-LEAD with Europe programme.

TARAN Stanislav

Project Officer – International Partnerships (U-Lead)