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30/05/2022

How can members of the international community help Ukraine during the current war?

Review of the Insight Session on Current Situation and Response of the Ukrainian Cities to Russian Invasion on 17 May 2022

On May 17th, 2022, Connective Cities hosted an insight session to answer a question on "How can members of the international community help Ukraine during the current war?". 54 participants from 6 different countries (Georgia, Germany, Ukraine, UK, Belgium, Lithuania) joined the session in order to raise the awareness on the current state of needs in Ukraine, how municipalities are tackling the challenges and most importantly how the international community and community members can support Ukraine and its citizens.

 

 

Presentation on the current situation in Ukraine

Representatives from two Ukrainian municipalities - Lviv and Boratyn, were invited to share their experience and knowledge on how to tackle the obstacles while providing assistance. Mr Maksym Terletsky and Ms Olha Tsuz represented these above-mentioned municipalities, they debated and analysed the challenges that municipalities are facing at both the policymaking and practical level. First, attention was given to consecutive and abundant cyberattacks, that Ukrainian authorities are facing. Later, municipalities underlined the importance of housing and mobility, which remains a core problem during the war, especially in the west part of Ukraine. Also, municipalities highlighted that due to the scarce fuel resources, most Ukrainian cities are left without any means of public transport.

 

Moreover, the rehabilitation and support of the Internally Displaced People (IDP) were named as an outstanding challenge, that has to be tackled as extensively as possible, otherwise, the municipal and city resources are severely limited in order to meet all the needs of IDPs. 

We asked how the municipalities see the possible solutions for the ongoing needs. The financial recovery was nominated as the major tool for combating the crisis, such as easier access to European Market for the small-scale producers.  

 

International perspectives and new modus operandi

The session included inputs sharing the international perspective from the international policymakers and experts. Namely, Mr Ian Bond, Ms Amanda Paul and Mr Denis Cenusa revisited the geopolitical aspects of the war and assessed the impact of the ongoing atrocities in Europe and beyond.

Experts also drew their attention to the creation of a support platform for Ukraine, to better understand and support the needs, alongside tackling the corruption that most probably will flourish during the immense humanitarian assistance. Moreover, the focus was driven by how international communities and governments are reacting to current issues and what should be changed both on policy-making and practical levels. 

 

Panel discussion

Last but not the least, the session was closed by the Panel Discussion where Georgian policymakers (Dr Giorgi Khishtovani, Mr Giorgi Goguadze and Mr Tornike Sharashenidze), assessed the overall regional situation while remembering the Georgian experience, which has undergone a similar invasion from Russia back in 2008.

During the closing remarks, the Connective Cities team shared their appreciation towards every participant and expressed their willingness to create a space where these voices are heard and ways of potential assistance are drawn for tried-and-true Ukrainian friends!

 

 


Author:
Connective Cites, Network in Southeast Europe


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