The second day of the Europe Civil Security International Forum took place in Warsaw and focused on how partnership, quality education and reliable infrastructure can ensure community resilience in times of war. The discussions were attended by representatives of central and local authorities, charitable foundations, business, and international organizations.
The forum was organized by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in partnership with the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities as part of a project supported by the European Commission under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM).
Two panel discussions featured speeches by Ukrainian officials, community leaders, and international experts.
The first discussion focused on partnership and cooperation in times of war. The discussion was moderated by Oleksandr KORINNYI, Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, Member of the Monitoring Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mayor of Novoukrainka Territorial Community of Kirovohrad Oblast.
Oleksandr ALIKSIYCHUK, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Chair of the Subcommittee on Cooperation of Territorial Communities and Regions, Committee on State Power Organization, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, emphasized that for effective partnerships, communities need three things: a community passport, a development strategy agreed upon at the regional level, and a team with experienced project managers. This is what allows them to find and retain international partners.
Tetiana VOLOCHAI, Head of the Community Development Board of the MHP-Community Charitable Foundation, explained how the foundation helps communities create their own development strategies. The organization currently operates in 13 regions of Ukraine, gradually expanding its geography.
Mirosław SKÓRKA, Head of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, Director of the Study Tours to Poland Program, called for investing in the development of local self-government and creating public platforms where Ukrainian veterans could share their experiences with the international community, showing what it means to truly defend home and what it means to be part of European resilience.
Agnieszka PIASECKA, Civil Protection Expert, “Firefighters” Program, Solidarity Fund PL (SFPL), presented the Polish program to support volunteer fire brigades.
The second panel discussion focused on innovative solutions in security infrastructure. It Tetiana NEKHAICHUK was moderated by, Head of the Project Office of the All-Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities, CEO of Boosters Consulting Group.
During the discussion:
- Iryna Karabut, head of the Krasnokutska community (Kharkiv region), shared her experience of supporting IDPs. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the community has hosted more than 24,000 IDPs.
- Anton Ovsienko, head of the Bilohorod community (Kyiv region), told how the community became a center of evacuation at the beginning of the war. And today it needs support to integrate 8,000 IDPs.
- Irena Lisova, head of the Hryshkovetska community (Zhytomyr region), spoke about the ways the community stabilized after the invasion. The speaker paid special attention to the introduced safety classes and the subject “Protection of Ukraine”.
- Andriy Delyatynchuk, head of the Yasinya community (Zakarpattia oblast), shared his experience of creating a volunteer fire brigade. Mr. Delyatynchuk emphasized that the community actively involves veterans in the VFC, as their experience is a resource that cannot be lost.
During the two days of the forum, Europe Civil Security became a platform for trust, practical solutions and real partnership. The event brought together about 1000 participants from different countries – those who work on the security of not only their communities, but the whole of Europe.
We would like to thank all partners, participants and speakers for their active participation!
The end of the forum is not the end, but a starting point for new decisions, new contacts, and a new level of interaction between states, communities, and international organizations.
The event was organized with the financial support of the European Union.
Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union as represented by the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.
EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid
