What are the priority areas of development for the Ternopil region, how can communities be strengthened, local government reform supported and inter-municipal cooperation promoted? These issues were discussed during a meeting between Viacheslav Nehoda, Head of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration, and other representatives of the Regional State Administration, Jean-Luc Bernasconi, Head of the Cooperation Programme at the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine, Ilona Postemska, Senior National Programme Officer at the Swiss Embassy in Ukraine, and Marina Bryl, UCORD Project Leader.
Special attention was paid to the work of the Regional Development Agency in the Ternopil region — one of the pilot RDAs of the UCORD project.
‘We are counting on the expert support of the Regional Development Agency in strengthening the economy, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and creating new jobs. This is about qualitative changes in working with communities, businesses, and international partners,’ emphasised Viacheslav Nehoda, Head of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration.
Let us remind you how exactly the UCORD project contributes to the development of the Ternopil Oblast within the partnership:
- Institutional support for the Regional Development Agency of Ternopil Region. UCORD helps strengthen the RDA as an institution that plays a key role in the implementation of state regional policy. The agency receives mentoring support from Ukrainian and European experts, with whom it works on its own development strategy and internal policies. The RDA team is actively learning: it participates in UCORD training programmes and improves its English language skills at the British Council school.
- Support for participation in the Interreg NEXT Poland-Ukraine 2025-2027 Programme. The Ternopil Regional Agency for Regional Development receives assistance from UCORD in implementing this cross-border programme, which opens up new opportunities for project cooperation and cross-border development.
- Updating the Regional Development Strategy. With the support of UCORD, the Development Strategy for the Ternopil Region until 2027 has been updated, and an Action Plan for its implementation has been developed.
- Development of a cluster model for economic development. The Cluster Development Programme for 2025–2027 is currently being developed. This process is part of the UCORD Clusters4Regions initiative, jointly run with the Ministry of Economy, which aims to strengthen the region’s economic potential through clustering.
- Infrastructure development in the field of WASAW (water supply, sanitation and waste management). UCORD will help the region update strategic documents on waste management and is preparing to launch a flagship infrastructure project in the field of water supply and sanitation.
- Supporting culture and social cohesion. UCORD promotes partnerships between the public and private sectors in the cultural sphere. Ternopil region is represented by two initiatives in the ‘Renaissance Clusters’ grant programme. In addition, two more UCORD programmes have been launched in the region:
‘Cohesion through Culture’ (together with the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation), which aims to unite communities, develop dialogue and strengthen local identity;
A ‘greenhouse of ideas’ that strengthens the creative economy ecosystem and supports start-up entrepreneurs from the cultural and creative industries.
It should be noted that the Ternopil Regional Development Agency is actively involved in the implementation of all UCORD project programmes and initiatives in the region, which is an important part of the process of strengthening its institutional capacity.
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.
Photo: Ternopil Regional Military Administration