"Recipes for success from key public actors and a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) to support communities with heritage in a dialogue format," - under this title, ARPI and partners organized the founding conference of the Coalition (network) of CSOs to support communities with heritage.

The conference was held on February 7, 2019 in Kyiv with the participation of representatives of central authorities, specialized institutions and organizations working in the field of cultural and natural heritage of Ukraine; representatives of local governments of newly formed ATCs, small towns and villages of Ukraine; participants of the CSO Network for Support of Communities with Heritage, other networks and partner institutions of Ukraine.

The conference was the final event of the project "Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Support of Communities with Heritage", which was implemented by the Agency for the Development of Private Sector and lasted 7 months - from August 2018 to February 2019. with co-financing from the Embassy of Great Britain in Ukraine.

The main problem that the project is aimed at solving is that heritage sites are gradually disappearing in Ukraine, most of which (73%) are located in rural areas. Local communities, including h newly established ATCs do not have sufficient knowledge / motivation to understand their cultural and economic value, because of this their unique heritage, created over centuries, is neglected and may be lost. Therefore, the project aimed to join forces, build partnerships, establish professional networks and expand opportunities for Ukrainian CSOs working in the fields of heritage and local development, in order to contribute to the improvement of national policy, provide appropriate tools for decentralization reforms and effectively support the capacity of united territorial communities (UTCs) to preserve their cultural and natural heritage and use its economic potential.

During the conference, ARPI published the results of the Network's activities.

In particular, within the framework of the project, a National CSO Network was formed to support communities with heritage in rural areas. In particular, 28 organizations with experience in the field of heritage and local development from all over Ukraine joined the coalition (Network). 16 of them (participants of the founding conference) signed the Network Charter, which defines the goals, objectives, status of partners, principles of association, areas of activity, work format, communication features, distribution of ownership and responsibility for created products, as well as the financial principles of the Network's activities. The text of the Charter and the list of signatory organizations can also be downloaded at the link. 

The Network experts analyzed the problems in the legislative regulation of the preservation and management of cultural and natural heritage. The analysis covers the conceptual principles of regulation (terminology, and conflicts, related conventions, laws and strategies), the institutional environment (who exactly and how takes care of heritage at the central and local levels of government) and the state permitting policy in the field of heritage management and use (analysis of all possible permits in a single source). Based on the analysis, recommendations were prepared for improving the legislation of Ukraine on the management and use of heritage. The document was presented and first distributed among the participants of the conference. The analysis of the Legislation and recommendations will be targeted at the authorized state authorities - the Administration of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing of Ukraine. In order to increase the capacity of public organizations, partners of the Network, to help communities fully use their own heritage assets for economic growth, the Network experts have prepared a training course for community trainers / consultants in developing strategies, plans and programs for local economic development based on heritage resources, an integral part of which is the Toolkit for programming local economic development in rural areas based on heritage potential. The project also held a training course "Smart Heritage Management Workshop". For 20 potential trainers / consultants from among the CSO partners of the Network, a study visit to a developed heritage site - the Vyhoda Narrow Gauge Heritage Center. Центнр спадщини Вигодської вузькоколійки.

A separate task of the project was to implement a pilot program for heritage development and business support in the selected Pechenizhynska AH of Ivano-Frankivsk region. This AH has significant potential in creating tourism products around its Hutsul culture, traditional agriculture and local talents – living heritage sites, and at the same time urgently requires a rethinking of the strategy of its approaches and actions aimed at transforming local crafts, work cultures and lifestyles into ready-made market products that will revitalize entrepreneurial activity, employment and economic opportunities. Activities to implement this task included the creation and active work of a creative group from among local stakeholders, an inventory of local resources and a study of the business opinion of the AH, in fact, the preparation of a heritage development program by experts from the network. Today, this document - "Pilot Program for Heritage Interpretation and Development of Entrepreneurship Based on It in the Pechenezhyn Unified Territorial Community for the Period Until 2023" - is planned to be transferred for further implementation in the target ATC. The experience (algorithm) of creating this heritage interpretation program is indicative and will be used in the Network's training program for community consultants in the field of heritage potential management.

The conference also became a platform for the exchange of views with the participation of representatives of central authorities authorized to shape the policy environment and make decisions necessary for the preservation and effective use of heritage in the interests of local development. The conference materials are available at this link. 

The CSO Network for Supporting Heritage Communities is open for membership: the terms of participation and the application form for joining the Network are available.