PLEDDG Project supported the holding of I International Mayors Congress* – a major event that welcomed city mayors, local government leaders, representatives of Ukrainian central executive bodies, as well as domestic and foreign experts on local self-governance and local economic development, to a great discussion of innovations and global trends of city development, “smart city” solutions, the role of partnership, effective management tools and civic engagement in city transformation
I International Mayors Congress took place on December 5, 2016 in Kyiv. The event saw expert discussions involving leading Ukrainian and foreign experts, a knowledge fair featuring international technical assistance projects that lend assistance to Ukraine in the sphere of decentralization and local economic development, the presentation of City Progress Index, and networking opportunities.
Volodymyr Groysman, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Serhiy Marchenko, Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Ulyana Suprun, acting Minister of Health Care, Andriy Sadovyy, Lviv Mayor, Krzysztof Piątkowski, Vice-president of Lodz, Zilvinas Silenas, President of the Free Market Institute, Vilnius, Lithuania, Ruben Nieuwenhuis, Director at StartupAmsterdam, Nadiya Vasylyeva, General Manager of Microsoft Ukraine, Danylo Bilak, Director of Ukraine Investment Promotion Office were among the key speakers.
With support from PLEDDG Project, participants had the opportunity to get familiar with Canadian experience in local self-governance development, as PLEDDG invited Chris Goertzen, Mayor of Steinbach (Manitoba province), Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener (Ontario province), and Meg Shields, Senior Corporate Management and Policy Consultant in the City of Toronto’s City Manager’s Office, Toronto (Ontario province) to share their experience.
Chris Goertzen was elected the Mayor of Steinbach in 2006, and is currently serving his third term in this position. Mayor Goertzen is also the President of the Steinbach Community Development Corporation and President of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. Berry Vrbanovic was elected the Mayor of Kitchener in 2014 after serving as a City Councillor from 1994 to 2014. During his time as a councillor, Berry’s commitment to his constituents resulted in construction of a fire station, a new branch of the Kitchener Public Library and the Stanley Park Community Centre. Meg Shields has been working in Toronto city administration since 1990. Over the last 26 years, she has worked to bring community and local government together to address issues such as local economic development, strategic planning and sustainability of urban environment. Ms. Shields is the current lead for the City’s Civic Engagement Strategy of Toronto.
Canadian experts took an active part in a panel discussion dedicated to global trends and innovations in urban development.
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⃰ International Mayors Congress was launched as a joint initiative of the Agency for Strategic Communications and Development “Joint Efforts” and Western NIS Enterprise Fund.
Click here for more information http://internationalmayorscongress.com/ua/