On 11 June, the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine hosted a working meeting entitled ‘Inter-municipal cooperation in the Kyiv agglomeration in the field of waste management’, organised as part of the Council of Europe’s project ‘Strengthening multi-level governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery’.
The event was attended by representatives of local authorities in the Kyiv agglomeration, the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, relevant institutions and experts in the field of waste management. Participants discussed the challenges faced by local authorities, the development of inter-municipal cooperation, the preparation of joint infrastructure projects and opportunities for securing funding.
Particular attention was paid to planning issues. During the meeting, Oleksandr Ignatenko, a national waste management expert for the WM4U programme, presented the programme’s experience in developing cluster concepts and local waste management plans.
He emphasised that a local waste management plan is a key tool for strategic planning at community level. Such a document is drawn up for a 10-year period, reviewed every four years, contains an analysis of the current state of the waste management sector, and identifies the needs for infrastructure development to handle waste. Furthermore, it is precisely these local plans that should serve as the basis for planning future decisions within the community.
During the ensuing discussion, participants developed ideas for inter-municipal cooperation projects, discussed possible joint infrastructure solutions and identified the next steps for preparing project concepts and grant applications.
The meeting served as a platform for communities to exchange experiences and identify practical mechanisms for cooperation necessary for the development of a modern waste management system in the Kyiv conurbation.