Following the initiative of the KS, the Ukrainian Embassy, and us from s2pU we had a conference in Oslo . At the conference, the Ukrainian culture was also in focus.
Support to the people of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Embassy in Norway and KS organized the joint conference in Oslo with a focus on "Solidarity and Partnership" between Norwegian and Ukrainian municipalities. Around 60 Norwegian municipalities have already entered into agreements with Ukrainian municipalities.
In the south, Kristiansand has entered into an agreement with Mykolaiv, while Lyngdal has entered into Solidarity and Partnership with Kryvyi Rih.
The aim of the conference was to get the Norwegian Parliament to finance this solidarity in the State Budget 2024, and to give Norwegian municipalities room for action and opportunities to provide help in the short term, which is a crying need in the municipalities they have entered into an agreement with. For example, Kryvyi Rih has in its description of the situation in its dialogue with Lyngdal, that they need food with a long shelf life and tablets for schools that are now conducting home education due to schools that have been hit by destruction from Russian missiles and drones. The list of needs for short-term help is long, and the agreements also focus on long-term cooperation and support in the reconstruction.
We wanted a dialogue with the Norwegian Parliament and Government about the possibilities for Solidarity and Partnership between municipalities in Norway and in Ukraine. The purpose is to enter into a short-term and long-term and binding partnership with municipalities and cities in the war-torn country - also after the victory and the country is to be rebuilt.
At the conference, it was presented possibilities in helping and cooperation in "the solidarity and partnership agreements" with relevant Ukrainian cities and municipalities.
We in s2pU were project managers for the conclusion of Solidarity and Partnership between Lyngdal municipality and Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine. We have worked in close collaboration with KS, the Ukrainian municipality and Lyngdal's administration. The agreement was politically processed in both places and was signed through an online signing ceremony. Both the Ukrainian embassy, the Norwegian embassy in Kyiv, KS, and the Ukrainian AUC (Association of Ukrainian Cities) witnessed the signing, which was carried out by mayor Jan Kristensen, Lyngdal and Iyury Vilkul from Kryvyi Rih.
At the conference, Elita Cakule, subject manager in international projects at KS said the national board of KS on 22 May 2022 made the following statement: KS believes that the government must make arrangements for Norwegian municipalities that wish to establish cooperation with Ukrainian municipalities. The national board of KS encourages Norwegian municipalities to continue existing cooperation or consider whether they wish to establish a new cooperation The aim of such cooperation may be to make a long-term contribution to reconstruction and development, among other things through the strengthening of local democracy. The national board of KS believes that the government must support such collaborations financially.
Cakule said also among others:
- Personal contacts matter; cannot build a partnership through emails
- Assigning a responsible person is important
- Areas of cooperation must be clearly defined
- Careful analysis of the partners
- Clear funding and mechanism for cooperation
- Visits of UA mayors to events abroad with presentations of their municipalities
- Both partners must benefit from the partnership
- Involvement of local stakeholders is important
- Individual advice and support for interested LRA´s; facilitation of first meetings
- Overestimated expectations on UA side
- Kjartan Svaland Tveitnes, managing Director, NUCC presentation to the meeting,
The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Senkevych, made a speech via video from Ukraine and talked about the status and challenges of his municipality, which is under occupation. It is about primary needs such as protection, food, energy and water. The population has halved during these long months the municipality has been attacked and bombed by the Russians. At the same time, the mayor calls for international support both in the short term, but also for planning the reconstruction after the victory.
State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson, AP came up with an ever-so-small budget leak that the Nansen program will also contain opportunities for institutions. The Mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Senkevych listened to Vad Petersson's speech by video.
This gave both the Liberal Party's Tore Wilken Nitter Walaker and the Green Party's Paal Frisvold feedback that it was too complicated. Give the municipalities an amount of one million each, so that they can follow up their agreements with the municipalities in Ukraine, was the call from the two.
The conference was attended by ambassadors from all over the world, as well as Norwegian municipalities from Vadsø in the northeast, Berlevåg in the north, Western Norway and Southern Norway.
"KS invites to a network between municipalities that have entered into an agreement with Ukrainian municipalities, so that the work can be coordinated and keep moving forward", said specialist manager for international projects at KS, Elita Cakule.
The conference was chaired by Alexander Tymczuk, KS and Per-Kaare Holdal from Support to the people of Ukraine.
Alexander Tymczuk, KS said: " We have today heard different perspectives on why direct project collaboration with Ukrainian municipalities and business is important. As Gunn Marit Helgesen, chairman of KS, pointed out, involving Norwegian municipalities in the work to rebuild Ukraine will have added value, both for Ukrainian and Norwegian municipalities. Among other things, Norwegian municipalities can contribute to capacity building in Ukrainian municipalities, and in return Norwegian municipalities gain valuable knowledge and experience that can make them less vulnerable in a changing world.
German municipalities can apply for grants for the implementation of international small pot projects, including projects in Ukraine. The scheme involves both support and advice for putting project ideas into practice, as well as a grant of between 1,000 and 50,000 euros. This can amount to up to 90% of the project costs. Municipalities sending emergency and civil protection equipment to Ukraine can receive up to 5,000 euros in support to cover transport costs."
Elita Cakule and Alexander Tymczuk from KS.
" I would hope that the government and the Norwegian Parliament show the same solidarity as the municipalities in their grants. The Norwegian state has mainly invested hundreds of billions in increased electricity kroner in sales to Europe, and increased value of gas and oil sales. It is simply shameful that no help is given to Norwegian municipalities that want to show both solidarity and provide direct help to a war-affected population in Ukraine", Per-Kaare Holdal concluded in the end of the conference.
Comments powered by CComment