Last week, a delegation of representatives of the Swiss Government visited the Volyn region on a mission, including Jacques Gerber, the Swiss Federal Council’s Commissioner for Ukraine, Mark Kroyh, Program Coordinator of the Trade Promotion Division of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and representatives of the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine, including Jean-Luc Bernasconi, Director of Cooperation Programs at the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine, Ilona Postemska, Senior Program Coordinator at the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine, and Viktor Shutkevich, Senior Program Coordinator at the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine. Marina Bryl, UCORD Project Manager, also joined the meetings in Volyn. During the briefing with Swiss representatives, she spoke about the progress of the UCORD project and the results that have already been achieved.
Volyn is one of the pilot regions of the UCORD project. Within this partnership, the Volyn Regional Development Agency receives institutional support from Switzerland as part of the UCORD project, directing it towards strengthening its capacity and implementing initiatives that are important for the region.
The delegation met with the RDA team, during which its director, Orest Sorokopud, and communications manager, Iryna Dubnyak, presented the potential of Volyn and the results of the Agency’s activities to the guests. They emphasized that, thanks to Switzerland’s support through the UCORD project, the Agency is gradually transforming from a small structure into a development institution with the resources, competencies, and partnerships to have a real impact on change in the region.
This partnership has given us not only resources, but also the opportunity to strengthen the institution and, in the future, move to a level of systemic influence. We have strengthened the team, updated the organization’s internal policies, digitized our work, and approved our own Strategy for 2027,” said Orest Sorokopud.
In particular, UCORD’s support enables the RDA to develop clusters, assist communities in developing investment passports, prepare projects that meet strategic priorities, support the creation of inter-municipal partnerships, and serve as a center of expertise and partnership support for communities in the region in terms of finding funding, participating in international and state programs, and preparing project applications.
The agency was actively involved in updating the Regional Development Strategy until 2027, and is now involved in the process of developing an Action Plan, serving as a platform for open discussion with communities, businesses, and civil society, as well as for coordinating and setting development priorities for the Volyn region in the near future.
In addition, the RDA, together with external experts, has begun work on updating the Regional Waste Management Plan until 2033. Together with its partners, it supports SMEs through training, consulting, and the creation of a catalog of local products. From its initial successes, the RDA is moving on to scaling up its results, shaping a competitive, innovative, and investment-attractive image of Volyn.
A number of UCORD project programs are being implemented in Volyn, including the “Clusters of Revival” grant program, which was launched in May this year. One of its participants is the NGO “Misto. Reboot” — an organization that implements the initiative “Polissya. Reboot: Creating an Economic Community.” The delegation also met with the project team, which presented its achievements in researching cultural heritage, natural resources, and the development of small and medium-sized businesses.
“The initiative not only promotes the preservation of traditions, but also stimulates the local economy through the integration of culture into community development, which is one of the priorities of the UCORD project. Thanks to this, Volyn Polissya is developing as a unique cultural and tourist cluster with the involvement of business, the public, and local authorities,” emphasized Kateryna Stepchuk, head of the initiative.
Taras Pakholyuk, head of the NGO “Misto.Reboot,” led an urban tour of the city, during which participants got to know the areas of Lutsk that are undergoing transformation thanks to the organization’s activities. The tour program covered the city’s design code, the creation of an emerald network—a system of green areas and natural corridors—issues of inclusion, and community building. Special emphasis was placed on the role of the public in community building and the active participation of residents in the development of the urban environment.
The Swiss-Ukrainian project “Ukraine’s Cohesion and Regional Development” (UCORD) is implemented with the support of Switzerland via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB.
Фото: Микола Цимбалюк