Regional Development Agencies, created as platforms for synergy between communities, authorities and international partners, can become important institutions that effectively implement the tasks of regional policy in Ukraine. Now they are in the process of development, which is intertwined with a number of complex problems. However, thanks to the assistance of the Swiss-Ukrainian UCORD project, a number of agencies not only support communities in difficult times, but also form development strategies capable of integrating European practices into the recovery and economic growth of regions. As part of a series of interviews with representatives of the RDAs, which is launched by the Decentralization portal, the director of the RDA of the Sumy region, Vitaly Rastorguev, talks about the work of his team, the challenges of the border region and the support provided by the UCORD project. This is the first interview in a series that will introduce you to the activities of agencies in different regions.
What is the mission of the Regional Development Agency in your region, and how does it contribute to the implementation of state regional policy on the ground?
First of all, the Agency, as a non-governmental structure, has more opportunities to be a universal project platform for uniting interested people: from government officials to an active public.
At the very beginning of our activity in 2022, we formed our mission, based on the tasks stipulated by the law of Ukraine “On the principles of state regional policy” and the vision of our founders. However, it was later adapted, taking into account the challenges of today and the specifics of our border region.
Our mission is to join forces for the sustainable economic growth of territorial communities of the region and the region as a whole by developing strategic documents, attracting resources, supporting entrepreneurship and cooperation with communities, forming a positive image of the region at the national and international levels.
Can you share specific examples of projects or initiatives implemented by the Agency that had a positive impact on the development of the region?
First of all, we focused on the problems of wartime, the priority was the digitization of destruction projects, the reconstruction of communal infrastructure, the creation of multifunctional shelters, veteran policy, health care, ongoing support of local businesses through grant programs and lending… This list can be supplemented, because the war aggravated the existing needs of the territory.
Along with this, so-called “quick support projects” were implemented. They are extremely important for border communities. This is the help of donors with equipment, tools and equipment, means of civil defense, food products, building materials, power sources, etc. This is where I want to thank our international partners who constantly support Sumy Oblast, such as Chemonics Int together with FPSU, Federation Nationale de Protection Civile France, CFLI, F. Shpyga Foundation, Sheptytskyi Hospital Foundation, IOM and many others.
The most effective project, for me personally, was the MdM Greece project, in the framework of which it was possible to reconstruct two destroyed support hospitals, purchase equipment, start the work of mobile medical teams, and more. But the success is not so much in the implementation of the project, but in the fact that after the completion of the project, our international partners became a kind of ambassador for us, which involves us in other projects of the participants of the European cluster in the field of health care. In this way, we have acquired a reliable partner who takes care of our region.
And of course, you are well aware of the Swiss-Ukrainian UCORD project, within the framework of which Sumyshchyna, along with other five oblasts, is implementing a three-year project. It was within the framework of this project that we focused on extremely important business support, development of the health care system, and development of the social and cultural sphere.
What financial mechanisms and tools do you use to implement projects? Is there sufficient support from the state and international donors?
Currently, wages are partly financed from the regional budget, partly from grant programs. All other administrative and economic expenses are carried out exclusively at the expense of international aid funds.
With financial uncertainty for the future, we are in a constant search for resources: this is both project activity and a system of paid services for territorial communities and businesses.
But we understand that today’s financial condition of Sumy Oblast communities is, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory. Therefore, for our joint ability with the communities to implement joint projects, we concentrate our efforts on personnel training, as the problem of personnel shortage is becoming more and more acute.
The Agency’s team is small – only six employees, and such a number is not enough to help all territorial communities. That’s why we “grow” human resources – community project managers who work, so to speak, in the “fields”. Thanks to the UCORD project, we are conducting a cycle of educational trainings for project managers of the Sumy Oblast. Conducting such trainings offline in Sumy has become another safety challenge, so our anti-stress management skills are constantly being improved.
How do you cooperate with territorial communities and local businesses? What examples of successful partnership can you give?
The needs of territorial communities are the fundamental basis of our projects. We provide three types of services: informing and consulting on current projects, mentoring support for creating project applications, implementation of joint projects. The geography of such projects cannot be limited to Sumy, Okhtyrka, Konotop or any other community of the region – our task is to unite and show the possibilities of our region to our partners. The Agency has already concluded 19 memorandums with communities of Sumy Oblast and 17 memorandums with other types of organizations (NGOs, communal institutions). We are actively negotiating with other potential partners regarding areas of possible cooperation (outside the Sumy region).
One of the “fresh” examples of successful partnership between the Agency and the community is the victory in the competition of the Canadian Foundation for Support of Local Initiatives (CFLI) from the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine, within the framework of the project “Strengthening mechanisms for the rehabilitation of veterans in Ukraine by creating a Center for physical and mental recovery”. which provides an opportunity to purchase the necessary equipment for the functioning of the Center’s rehabilitation building.
From September 2024, within the framework of the UCORD project, the Agency started implementing the business support program. The main goal is to support the economic capacity of the region through the development of business competencies, which, despite the difficulties of recent years, continues to operate, creates new jobs and fills the budgets of communities. We are working on creating a Catalog of Craft Products for its popularization in Ukraine and beyond. On the “hotline” we provide consultations in the areas of preparation of business plans / business development projects for state and international tenders / funds (Action – business, own business, IOM, etc.), on issues of obtaining construction permits, product certification, development of design and estimate documentation, participation in public procurement, etc.
What are the main challenges the Agency faces in the process of implementing regional projects? What do you think can be improved at the state level to support RDA?
Тhe territorial belonging of Sumy Oblast to the border creates a constant threat to the region, which makes it difficult for us to plan long-term and attract investments. The difficult security situation and uncertainty about the future scare away investors. As I have already mentioned, the war caused mass migration of the population and the outflow of professional personnel, which undoubtedly affects the activity of the Agency’s project activities.
Low information visibility limits the project capabilities of agencies, as many donors do not identify the Agency as a potential project administrator and most grant proposals target public organizations. This creates an imbalance in the distribution of resources and complicates the implementation of large-scale projects at the level of the entire region.
Based on the results of joint meetings with the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, we developed proposals for more effective mechanisms of the Agency’s activity, in particular, we emphasized the importance of promoting the Agency from the side of the ministries as a significant participant in the region’s international partnership.
At the same time, options were offered: creation of a financing mechanism for Agencies from the regional budget based on the principle of co-financing in the amount of about 10% of the total amount of funds raised by the Agency in the previous year (international technical assistance, humanitarian assistance, investments, etc.); the possibility of appointing the Agency as the coordinator of the DREAM system at the regional level; restoration and reformatting of the State Fund for Regional Development and giving agencies a coordinating role.
Do you have a strategic development plan for your Agency? What are the main priorities you see for the development of the RDA for the next 5 years?
Right now we are working on developing a strategic plan together with North-East RDA (Romania). The draft plan already defines the mission and vision of the institution on the basis of the Agency Regulation and SWOT analysis, and also defines the main goals of the organization with qualitative and quantitative indicators of their achievement. The draft strategic plan is being developed until 2026.
The Agency’s organizational values and the Code of Conduct and Ethics will also be declared within this document.
Priority goals are defined as:
- implementation of state regional policy;
- supporting the capacity of territorial communities;
- support for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises;
- development of partnership relations.
At weekly online meetings with our international partners, we form a strategic plan for the development of the Agency based on similar documents of European organizations. In our opinion, it is most correct to take an already “working” algorithm on the example of one of the countries and adapt it to the specifics of our region. I can’t say that our strategic plan will become a “template example” for other RDAs of Ukraine, but for us it will be a maximally working tool without unnecessary “water and lyrics”.
How often does your Agency refer to European practices of regional development, and are there plans to involve European experts or staff internships?
As already mentioned, we adapt our policies to the requirements of the European community. In November, I will go on a business trip to Romania, where I will participate in an introductory visit together with my colleagues-directors of other Ukrainian RDAs, followed by planned internships for members of the APR team. We are also working on projects in the field of architecture with colleagues from the Czech Republic, but this is all in the planning process and it is still too early to talk about it for the whole country.
How do you assess the level of community awareness and interest in the work of the RDA? Are you planning educational activities to improve interaction with the public?
It is difficult to say that the interest of our communities in the Agency, exactly as in the project site, is equal, since out of 51 communities of the Sumy region – 15 have the status of border communities. Security issues and humanitarian support are now the most priority issues for them. But those communities that have personnel potential and are motivated to participate in development projects (about 28 communities) are always in touch.
Educational activities among the population are more the prerogative of the local authorities of communities. And we, in turn, work in the direction of involving community representatives in training programs on the development of participation, e-democracy, involve them in informational, promotional projects and social advertising.
What are the key skills and knowledge, in your opinion, that employees of the APR should have in order to ensure effective work? Are there opportunities for their professional development?
An employee of the Regional Development Agency is a real architect of changes in the region. The success of many initiatives aimed at improving the life of communities in the region depends on his competence and involvement, he must be a purposeful and self-organized person. Must have a deep understanding of economic processes in the region, development trends, problems and potential.
The employee must have critical and analytical thinking, supported by knowledge of grantwriting and project management. Have communication skills, a creative approach to solving problems.
The agency has united six specialists in a team, each of whom leads a separate direction: communication, business, socio-cultural, inter-municipal, financial, etc. Most project managers are interchangeable. Of course, there are not enough people, there is not enough time, we have a lot of work to do, since the attention of many international partners is currently focused on Sumy Oblast as a border region.
What changes, in your opinion, need to be made to the legislation or the general system of support for RDA in order to improve their effectiveness and sustainability in the long term?
In the Sumy region, as in Ukraine as a whole, the Agency unites territorial communities, civil society, educational institutions and state authorities in the formation of a common vision (development of strategies, projects) and implementation of territorial development tasks.
Current legislation has determined the stable role of the Agency, but it disperses its functionality depending on the region and the vision of the founders. As an option, it is possible to define tasks for agencies by regulatory documents of the ministerial level, which would have priority areas of activity taking into account the current challenges of the time and region. Such an approach will allow to maintain the flexibility and adaptability of the RDA to local characteristics, while ensuring the coordination of their actions at the national level. Then, in order to fulfill these powers, the RDA must have guarantees of financial stability and competitive wages, but also it will be difficult to maintain a balance: to receive support from the budget and at the same time fight for financial independence – this situation sometimes poses to the RDA the eternal question: “are we beautiful or intelligent”?
An ideal option would be if international funds/the state would develop special grant programs aimed at supporting large-scale regional development projects that could be administered only by the RDA, a vivid example is the UCORD project.