At the International Mayors Summit dedicated to the topic of municipal innovations, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman stated that the core objectives of all changes being introduced in the country are to provide citizens with a new quality of life, to turn the cities into modern ones with high living standards, to ensure both state and local resources are used effectively, as well as people have jobs, income and confidence in the future.

The Head of Government stressed that decentralisation as the process of distributing or dispersing functions, powers to the local authorities and stimulation of hromadas’ amalgamation is one of the main instruments for achieving this goal.

“We chose the right path. We will see the success of hromadas in subsequent years,” stressed the Prime Minister.

He drew attention to the fact that success depends directly on the competence of local authorities and its engagement in all processes. Therefore, it is essential to answer why the money and powers were transferred to the ground. And this answer, according to the Head of Government, is pretty clear.

“Cities should be comfortable to live in. This thesis is overriding. Transformations in all spheres of life are on the agenda. We need to provide citizens with a new quality of life... We will not let any forces to destroy local self-government, no one will stop the decentralisation processes. For this very purpose, the cities must have high living standards,” underlined the Head of Government.

Background

International Mayors Summit (IMS) was launched in 2016 as a knowledge exchange platform for local government leaders and representatives of the major stakeholders in local development at global level. The event takes place for the second time and offers an opportunity to discuss modern trends in urban development, innovations, best practices and common challenges and solutions in all areas of city life, as well as to share stories of success of the Ukrainian cities in various spheres. This year the guests of the event included more than 100 mayors, as well as representatives of local government of Canada, Israel, Slovakia, Brazil, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The summit embraces several directions, such as presentations of innovations, discussion of urban planning issues, special workshops, as well as excursions to the technological platforms of Kyiv.