Municipal Local Economic Development - Ukraine

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At the request of the City of Lviv, Ukraine, MLED is helping implement a local government forum under the theme: "Responsibility Without Authority", March 28^th and 29^th, 2013. More than 100 participants are expected at the forum, including mayors of major Ukrainian cities, senior officials from national, regional and local authorities within Ukraine, as well as representatives of the Council of Europe and other international organizations.  Discussions will focus on decentralization and the need to promote change, including legislative changes, to provide greater powers to local communities as stipulated in the European Charter of Local Self-Government. 

 A growing concern in Ukraine is that central government authorities are promoting a greater centralization of power, including authority and resources, makes this forum a timely opportunity for discussion.  It is broadly held at the municipal level in Ukraine that enhanced centralization will further erode already limited capacities of individual municipalities to adequately meet the needs of citizens. 

The forum will feature the input and advice of two of Canadian experts, Mr. James Scarrow and Mr. Laurent Mougeot, that have  the knowledge and experience  that further the efforts of inter-municipal and inter-governmental cooperation.

James Scarrow served two terms as the mayor of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and also served as the chair of the Saskatchewan City Mayors Caucus and was perceived as a key proponent of a number of legislative changes that gave more discretionary power to municipalities in Saskatchewan. Laurent Mougeot is the Chief Executive Officer of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA).  He has worked with municipal governments for over 30 years in community planning, land development, labour relations, occupational health and safety, strategic planning, corporate communications and financial administration.  

About MLED

The Ukraine Municipal Local Economic Development Program (MLED) is an international partnership between Canadian and Ukrainian municipal sectors to promote economic growth in a strengthened democracy in 12 cities in the Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.

MLED partners work together to improve planning and delivery of services to foster business growth and development, promote intergovernmental cooperation, and advance economic and political gender equality.

By sharing their expertise, Canadian municipalities help their Ukrainian counterparts plan for the future, improve the local economic climate, and build partnerships to generate new sources of revenue.

In addition to individual municipalities, program partners include the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), and Ukraine´s Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction, and the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is providing $13.9 million in core funding for the MLED, with another $3.1 million of in-kind contributions from FCM, AUC and municipalities in both countries. 

Learn More

A series of initiatives are currently underway to develop and/or strengthen strategic economic development plans in each of our partner municipalities. These include the implementation of of local economic development demonstration projects in cooperation with our thirteen Canadian municipal partners.  We are also working with the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) to help bolster economic development at the municipal level, increase the role of women in local governance, develop a policy advocacy framework and create a municipal performance monitoring system. Find out more about our activities and our partners.

FCM and Ukraine's State Agency for Investment and National Projects have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a formal partnership in support of MLED projects. This agreement will help improve interagency cooperation in the area of economic reform and local government, leading to improved investment attractiveness of the regions and cities where MLED is active.