Source: Poltava Regional State Administration

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Poltava Regional State Administration has launched a training course for representatives of regional authorities on forming the strategic environmental assessment to be integrated into the region’s development strategy. The event is being held within the framework of “Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance” (PLEDDG) Project. For two days the participants will study the legislative framework of strategic environmental assessment (SEA).

“Each strategic document must relate to the strategic and environmental assessment. It is, therefore, important to understand the integral elements of this procedure which generally covers an entire spectrum of state governance specific to issues of protecting the environmental and public health, and design of facilities posing potential environmental risks so as to limit their harmful impact on the people living in the region. This event provides just the opportunity to study these issues”, stated the director of the Department for Economic Development, Trade and Attracting Investment of the Regional State Administration Inna Ishenko.

The agenda includes such issues as monitoring the impact of the execution of state planning documents on the environment – in particular, their influence on public health, and the review of SEA implementation experience in other regions.

“The SEA concept is clearly defined. It is based on the integration of three key elements: economic, social, and environmental. According to practical experience, a missing third element may cause serious problems. The year of 2010 marked the development of the Law of Ukraine “On Principal Principles (Strategy) of the National Environmental Policy of Ukraine for the Period until the Year 2020″. This year the document was extended till 2030. Among other things, the legislators provided a mechanism for strategic environmental assessment. The draft law enables adopting a sustainable development principle to shaping government policies in specific areas. In other words, whenever there is a need to develop a document with a potential impact on community development, such document shall be subjected to the strategic environmental assessment procedure. This way sustainable development will no longer remain on paper, and the communities will be able to make it come true”, stressed the lead expert of the department for strategic planning and environmental policy of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine Oleh Kulik.

The training is being held under the auspices of “Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance” (PLEDDG) Project, which is implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and financed by Global Affairs Canada. Over the years the Project has become a reliable partner of Poltava Regional State Administration. The Project activities are aimed at strengthening the municipal sector, implementing effective democratic management, and boosting economic development. The Project partners include the cities of Poltava, Kremenchuk, Horishni Plavni, and Myrhorod.

“We are working in Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhia, and Poltava regions. There are 16 partner cities in total. The three key areas are the adoption of transparent tools for democratic governance, support of small and medium businesses, offering financial assistance in the implementation of projects aimed at city development and promoting decentralisation”, said PLEDDG Senior Expert, Head of Experts Group, Ihor Lepyoshkin.

The training course for representatives of regional authorities held at the regional centre will last for two days.