An opportunity to enhance local policymaking in Donbas: Invitation to the consultation organized by humanitarian and development organizations

Who we are? The Vilnius Task Force was established after the international Vilnius conference titled The Future of Eastern Ukraine: From Humanitarian Needs to Development and Peace Perspectives that took place in October 2020. This event was organized by ACCESS Consortium (People in Need, ACTED/ REACH, Medicos del Mundo, HelpAge International and Right to Protection) with the support of the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.

The conference examined humanitarian needs in conflict-affected areas of Donbas and highlighted the importance of Humanitarian Development Nexus in the region. Nexus approach encourages the synergy between humanitarian and development activities to respond to long-term crises. Established after the conference, the Vilnius Task Force aims to ensure that local and national authorities, civil society and international organizations in Donbas can have a systematic policy dialogue as well as facilitate engagement of local communities in policy discussions taking place at a local level through participatory mechanisms.

What is the goal of the consultation? The consultation aims to study the most efficient ways of communication and collaboration between local authorities and citizens, elaborate on what can be improved and how, and explore existing initiatives to support a nexus-oriented transition in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, both significantly impacted by the protracted crisis in Eastern Ukraine. The findings of the consultation will form the basis for the Recommendations for local authorities and civil society actors in Donetsk and Luhansk regions on how to enhance their dialogue and encourage better citizens’ participation in policy-making. The Recommendations will be communicated at the national level with the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporary Occupied Territories, Ministry of Communities and Territories Development, and Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine as well as with Ukraine’s humanitarian and development donors.

Whom we would like to see among participants?

Basic criterion:

• civil society organizations and activists, interest groups (including IDPs, migrant workers, etc.), and human rights monitors as well as labor unions and businesses with a proven record of activities implemented in Luhansk and/or Donetsk regions that were aimed at bringing a social change to their communities and were implemented in a dialogue with local authorities, at least for one year. The organizations must not represent any political parties.

Both Ukrainian and international initiatives will be welcome, however, national and local based actors will be given a priority during the selection.

Additional criteria:

• community-based feminist initiatives and promoters of green solutions (renewable energy) are especially welcome
• active engagement in local democracy promotion and/or in projects aimed to enhance a dialogue between civil society and local authorities in Luhansk and Donetsk regions will be a plus;
• being a member of an alliance with other CSOs, volunteer networks, local governmental bodies, schools, universities, private sector and other organizations will be a plus.

All applicants that correspond to the eligibility criteria will have an opportunity to participate in the consultation by filling out the survey. The survey will let us collect quantitative data for the Recommendations.

If interested, please fill out a brief application here (link to the google-form in Ukrainian). The deadline for applications is January, 21. The event will be held in Ukrainian and Russian via Zoom, with translation to English. The consultation will also be streamed online on People in Need Ukraine Facebook page.