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03.12.2024
Julie Koenen: “Cities4Cities builds sustainable partnerships between cities”
The second day of the Lviv Municipal Partnership Forum was opened by the USAID Mission Director in Ukraine, Julie Koenen. USAID is a strategic partner of the Cities4Cities initiative. For the third year in a row, the initiative is supported by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) project “Building Community Trust (UCBI)”. This year’s Partnership Forum is the final stage of the Project Management and International Cooperation Academy, a joint project aimed at building the capacity of frontline communities to create and implement projects building robust strategic partnerships.
Julie Koenen says about the power of partnerships — both external and internal: “Russia’s brutal attacks do not stop. We see the devastating impact of these attacks on communities in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, and other cities every day. We also see how these communities are responding with dignity — helping each other and rebuilding together. Not alone. That is why I am proud to be here today, as you summarize your achievements over the past months of project management training, mentoring, and exchange trips to build capacity for partnerships with European colleagues”.
For years, USAID has been at the forefront of supporting initiatives like Cities4Cities and its Project Management Academy, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s recovery and its path toward a sustainable future. According to Koenen, the strength of these initiatives lies in the partnerships they foster — partnerships built on the understanding that unity is power, and together, we are stronger.
Through the program, USAID has provided invaluable resources to representatives from 15 frontline communities across Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Rivne regions. These representatives have received expert training, mentorship, and guidance, empowering them to improve project implementation and strengthen local partnerships. They have also had the opportunity to learn from their peers in other Ukrainian communities through exchange visits, sharing insights and strategies for success.
Additionally Julie Koenen shared her personal reflection: “My favorite part of this program is that it not only connects Ukrainian communities with their counterparts in other European countries, but also allows European and global citizens to play a direct role in Ukraine’s recovery and future European path.” The program offers a unique opportunity for international collaboration, but it’s even more powerful in its demonstration of Ukraine’s own resilience and self-reliance. “This program demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to support itself,” Koenen added, emphasizing that the knowledge and strength shared among Ukrainian communities is one of the program’s most valuable outcomes.
A key feature of the training program was the exchange visits. Representatives from Ukraine’s frontline areas were able to visit communities in western Ukraine like Ivano-Frankivsk, Chortkiv, and Kopychyntsi to learn from the successes of these regions. “How powerful it is that Ukrainian communities use the strength and knowledge of each other: Ukrainians helping Ukrainians, communities helping communities,” remarked Koenen. This sentiment underscores the heart of the initiative Сities4Cities — showcasing the strength of solidarity among Ukrainians.
As the program progresses, it continues to exemplify the core belief that, whether as nations or as communities, we are truly stronger when we work together. “The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with many other European and global partners to support Ukraine’s future. As countries and communities, we are stronger together,” concluded Koenen, echoing the spirit of collaboration that drives both the Cities4Cities initiative and the Project Management Academy.
As a reminder, also as part of the project, the team created a training course “Project Management in the Community” which can be taken online at the Cities4Cities Academy: https://academy.cities4cities.eu/pminhromada.
The Lviv Municipal Partnership Forum is organized with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) and the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme “Support to Multilevel Governance in Ukraine” implemented by SALAR International.