Minregion and the Polaris Programme strengthen cooperation in supporting communities and developing local self-government

Vitalii Bezghin met with the team of the Polaris Programme, which is funded by Sweden and implemented by SALAR International.

Polaris currently has 150 partnerships with communities in 22 regions. The parties discussed further cooperation in local self-government and regional development, bringing services closer to community residents, and developing international partnerships.

Among the priorities under Minregion’s updated mandate, Vitalii Bezghin identified the division of powers between levels of government, reform of the State Fund for Regional Development and preparation of communities to work with European instruments.

“It is important that our communities are ready to work with European funds and have the people and expertise needed to do so. That is why we are working on reforming the State Fund for Regional Development and launching the ‘1000 project managers’ initiative. We see opportunities for practical cooperation with Polaris here,” Minister Vitalii Bezghin said.

The meeting also addressed strengthening the role of local village representatives and bringing public services closer to residents of remote settlements. The Ministry plans to scale up mobile service delivery, including in areas with limited access to developed infrastructure. The parties discussed the possibility of involving Polaris in this work and implementing the “State Nearby” initiative.

Developing partnerships with Scandinavian communities was identified as a separate area of cooperation. Frontline communities and their urgent needs are a priority: housing solutions, transit centres for IDPs and mobile shelters.

Background: The Polaris Programme is funded by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Sida and implemented by SALAR International. The programme supports local self-government and decentralisation reform, the development of multilevel governance, community capacity and community participation in Ukraine’s recovery and European integration.