On 8 February, the DESPRO experts held a workshop in Kyiv, which workshop was devoted to the planning of further cooperation in the area of water supply and sanitation, as well as the enhancement of managerial and organizational potential of municipal enterprises with the communities in target regions of the Project. 

Vyacheslav Kozak, the DESPRO Decentralisation Expert, presented major lines of activity and operation principles of the Project during its phase IV to the workshop participants. 

"By implementing the activities of our Project in partner communities, we consider the problems to be addressed from the standpoint of a strategic approach. Such approach is based on three inseparably interconnected components: strategic planning, integration of specific measures in the structure of the strategic plan, and step-by-step implementation of such measures", V. Kozak noted. 

In the course of their subsequent work, the representatives of partner communities had the opportunity to obtain relevant information on common approaches to the development of strategic and programme documents, peculiarities of arranging the process, and major stages of the development of Strategy in the area water supply and sanitation, as well as specific features pertaining to the development of target programmes in the area of water supply and sanitation. 

"When working with communities, we maintain an attitude of developing individual solutions which would allow taking into account the peculiarities of essential needs and resources available in a specific community, its workforce capacity, the capability to ensure unimpaired operation of a municipal enterprise in future. That is why the diagnostics of actual situation in a community in the area of water supply and sanitation is one of the initial stages of planning any activities," Olena Kozliuk, the DESPRO Strategic Planning and Programming Consultant, said. 

The matter of technical improvement of water supply systems as an important element of enhancement of local communities' capability was elucidated by Anatolii Kopytin, the DESPRO Technical Consultant. 

"You shouldn't be afraid of the technical audit. That procedure is not intended to search for defects and impose sanctions on defaulters subject to the findings of such inspection. The audit is carried out in order to assess the current technical condition of the water supply system because that indicator is an important component of the asset management system", A. Kopytin informed those present. 

Jointly with DESPRO Financial Expert Yulia Kirsanova, participants of the workshop discussed aspects of accounting policy, the role of played by the organization of financial management and human resources management, as well as the procedures for customer relationships in enhancing the operating efficiency of a municipal enterprise. 

According to experts, with due regard to the previous experience of water supply and sanitation projects implementation, it was decided to determine the work with municipal enterprises as a priority, because it allows focusing on the development of an organizational and management potential in providing high-quality communal services and developing the social infrastructure in the community. 

Final reports delivered at the workshop also pointed at the importance of taking into account the social context. In particular, DESPRO National Policy Development Expert Maryna Bryl informed participants on the Swiss Confederation policy with respect to taking into account potential effect of the military conflict in the East of Ukraine on the situation in a community, and on the necessity of inclusion of those aspects during the DESPRO projects implementation. 

DESPRO Expert Yulia Lokshyna highlighted the matter of ensuring gender equality in the course of the DESPRO projects implementation and presented main tools to be used to facilitate gender equality. In particular, when planning and implementing its projects, the DESPRO partner communities must take into consideration that the minimum share of women in the Regional coordination body, a project implementation working group, and in actions pertaining to its implementation should be 40%, and equal participation of women and men should be guaranteed in making decisions on the implementation of projects dealing with the provision of public services. 

Within the framework of the event, the Memorandums of Cooperation between the DESPRO Project and communities selected to participate in Phase IV of the Project were signed. Accordingly, the following communities became full-fledged partners of the DESPRO Project, which communities will get assistance in strategic planning, development of policy documents, preparation and implementation of development-related projects: Pyriatynska and Omelenytska ATCs in Poltava Oblast, Berezivska and Shalyhinska ATCs in Sumy Oblast, Krasnorichenska and Bilovodska ATCs in Luhansk Oblast, Tlumatska ATC in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Saksahanska, Troyitska, Vakulivska, and Novooleksandrivska ATCs in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.