A delegation from Ukraine, which included a governance expert from the Office of Recovery and Development of the Mykolaiv Urban Territorial Community, Ihor Filippov, a non-staff advisor to the mayor, participated in the “Open World” program in the United States, where representatives of Ukrainian communities worked on establishing international partnerships and studying American approaches to governance. This program opened up unique opportunities to exchange experiences with colleagues from the United States and study effective community development strategies.
During the visit, an expert from the Office of Recovery and Development:
- cooperated with senators and congressmen, presenting not only the needs of Mykolaiv, but also its unique experience, in particular the partnership with Denmark in the implementation of local projects;
- exchanged experience in emergency management with the president of the Omaha City Council and representatives of government bodies, discussing the adaptation of American approaches to the realities of Ukrainian communities;
- met with representatives of the Buffett family foundation and other influential foundations and organizations in America, discussing opportunities to support and develop initiatives in Mykolaiv.
A significant element of the program was a visit to Washington, where various aspects of governance were discussed, including the interaction of local and central governments, as well as the principles of cooperation at the community level. In this context, a meeting was held with Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who shared her understanding of the importance of international partnerships to support Ukraine in these difficult times.
In addition, negotiations have begun to find an American partner city for Mykolaiv, which opens up new opportunities for cooperation and implementation of joint projects and strengthening ties between communities.
The Open World Program, funded by the U.S. Congress and supported by the U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine, provides Ukrainian leaders with the opportunity to gain important experience for implementation in Ukraine. Participation in the program was made possible thanks to the support of the Cities4Cities United4Ukraine organization, which actively works to establish partnerships between communities.
