On April 23-27 and May 15-19, 2017, study visits were held for representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine to Ivano-Frankivsk region within the framework of the program “Restoring Self-Government and Reconciliation in Conflict-Affected Communities of Ukraine” with the support of UNDP.

44 CSO leaders, local government employees and entrepreneurs of Luhansk and Donetsk regions had the opportunity to visit Prykarpattia to get acquainted with best practices, new approaches and technologies for attracting resources and know-how in planning and implementing community development projects and ensuring the sustainability of their results. The visit program was prepared by the NGO “Agency for the Development of Private Initiatives”. The agency also provided support for groups of participants who had the opportunity to study the experience of implementing local development projects during the visits and to get directly acquainted with examples (ready-made models) of successful cooperation between CSOs, business, research institutions and local authorities.

The study visit program covered experience in supporting small businesses, building community capacity, and creating new anchor products for local development, presented by the Ukrainian-Canadian Business Center, the Agency for the Development of Private Initiatives, the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Tourism Association, the Business Initiatives Civic Center, the Resource Center for Municipal and Regional Development, and the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council, in particular, the Department of Housing, Communal Policy, and Public Works.

The participants were particularly interested in the mechanisms for supporting SMEs at the regional and local levels, which were once business centers established in Ivano-Frankivsk region with the support of the Canadian government, as well as specific examples of possible initiatives for the development of territories and the activation of communities (festivals, competitions, successful business networks, the creation of visitor centers and heritage centers, examples of improving landscaping and transport infrastructure), presented by the Tourist Association of Ivano-Frankivsk Region.

In a fairly short period of time (only 5 incomplete days of stay for each delegation), the participants studied the best practices of the development of the city of Ivano-Frankivsk, visited Kalusky district, the city of Dolyna, Vyhoda, Nadvirnyanskyi district and the city of Yaremche.

As examples of successful activities of local governments, the work of the Ivano-Frankivsk Center for the Provision of Administrative Services was presented, which covered most of the administrative services for citizens and businesses. For the work of the Center for the Provision of Administrative Services and the Use of Electronic Services for the Accessibility of Services and the Development of the Territorial Community, the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council was awarded the Diploma of the 1st Degree of the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction’s “Best Practices of Local Self-Government” competition in 2016.

In the city of Dolyna, the participants were presented with the results of a number of projects in the field of e-government (including the web platform “Dolyna – an Open City”, an electronic contact center, a video monitoring system for public safety in the city, etc.). Dolyna’s experience in the direction of activities within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors, including the preparation and implementation of an action plan for sustainable energy development, also aroused considerable interest. The city has significantly reduced its energy use thanks to a city insulation and emissions reduction program (17 buildings have been insulated under the EU project and 13 more will be insulated by the end of this year). Representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk regions expressed a desire to study in more detail the Valley's practices of attracting funding to address energy consumption and security issues.

From the participants' feedback: "A letter of gratitude for holding the event will be sent to all those involved. There is also an opportunity to introduce partnership actions with the Dolyna City Council."

The Nadvirna City Council presented the results of the EU/UNDP project "Community-Oriented Local Development", which includes a whole range of measures on energy efficiency, improvement of water supply systems, creation of condominiums, public safety measures, and improvement of urban infrastructure (creation of modern sports grounds in the park area, etc.).

One of the issues on the agenda of the participants of the visit was: how to effectively attract the potential of active citizens and businesses to solve community problems? In this context, the NGO "Warm City" presented to guests from Eastern Ukraine a model of creating a public restaurant with the help of 100 patrons, 80% of the net profit of which is directed to city development projects. The experience of a team of young entrepreneurs in creating the art hostel "MIF", located in an old building almost in the center of Ivano-Frankivsk, and at the same time serving as a creative space for young writers, artists and musicians of the city, turned out to be interesting and extraordinary.

An example of socially responsible business in the region presented to the participants was the company "Danosha", which is one of the first companies in Ukraine to breed well-developed pigs with a high growth rate, excellent feed conversion and a high percentage of piglet births based on genetic material from Denmark. In addition, the plant processes waste from the pig complex into biogas, heat and electricity. With its launch, the company optimized the use of humus as an organic fertilizer for plants.

From the participants’ feedback: “Understanding that gas is extracted from excrement – ​​I was impressed. And that having 1 cow and 2 pigs you can heat a house – that’s cool!”

The participants learned that Danosha is a company where 700 employees are fighting to ensure that “Ukraine is not a raw material appendage”. There is also a special Fund for social projects in the community for the reconstruction of social facilities with the latest energy-saving technologies and for municipal roads. For such business grants in each community, public organizations develop and implement development projects together with the authorities, and the company oversees this process.

The participants of the visits also discovered the tourist potential of the region. In Ivano-Frankivsk, they visited the observation deck of the city hall, which has been operating as a tourist attraction since 2016, and in just a year of operation has become a favorite place for visiting citizens and guests. The visitors were truly impressed by the interactive science town on the territory of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas. The main purpose of the center was to create a platform for studying various types of renewable energy, elements of its generation, accumulation, transformation and consumption. "New Energy" also serves as a base for organizing alternative education for schoolchildren and encouraging them to study natural and technical disciplines. However, now it is one of the most popular places for family leisure in Ivano-Frankivsk.

The participants also noted that the tourist profile of the Yaremche region is also incredibly impressive, where the Carpathian National Natural Park with a modern eco-tourism visitor center is located, one of the most famous ski resorts in Europe, TC "Bukovel", and where new attractions appear every year. An example of such attractions is a kind of museum "Carpathians in Miniature", which demonstrates the most interesting objects of Yaremche in toy-sized prototypes, which, however, retain all the authenticity of the originals.

Guests from Luhansk and Donetsk regions discovered Vyhoda and learned about the narrow-gauge railway, on which the popular Carpathian tram runs. Since 2015, one of the top attractions of Ukraine has been operating in Vyhoda - the Vyhoda Narrow-Gauge Heritage Center. A burrow, a hollow, determining the age of a tree by the number of rings in a section, playing with ants and studying the processes of making wooden tools (in 10 minutes) aroused in each of them a childish fascination and a desire to return here with children and families again and again. The center not only captivated the participants with an interactive exposition with an interpretation of local nature and history and unique videos, but also prompted them to think about creating similar heritage interpretation centers in their regions and thus restore the tourist potential of territories that are currently stagnant due to military operations in Donbas.

From the participants' comments: I saw a peaceful life, which I have already become accustomed to. The economy, smart planning, and careful attitude to everything are impressive: from recycling to openness in communication! Thank you for a peaceful vacation!

The organizers of the visits thank all organizations, local governments, and private campaigns for organizing the meetings and express special gratitude to TC "Bukovel" for a free excursion for their guests from Eastern Ukraine.

It should be noted that in June this year, it is planned to organize a return visit to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions for representatives of the Ivano-Frankivsk region, during which the prospects for cooperation between Luhansk and Donetsk CSOs with Ivano-Frankivsk partners, implementation of joint projects and initiatives will be discussed.

From the participants' feedback: "Everything was great, lots of impressions, new acquaintances, experience that can be used in the Luhansk region, the visit added inspiration, understanding that it is difficult to implement new things everywhere, but everything will happen if we work together. The only wish is to work together to rebuild the country. We are waiting for you in the Luhansk region!"