On June 21, 2024, the representatives of the NGO “Ukrainian Initiative in the Czech Republic” held a workshop “Cooperation with Local Authorities in Advocating the Ukrainian Refugees’ Issues” where representatives from Prague, Hradec Kralove, Brno, Plzeň, Chomutov, and Teplice took part. The project is being implemented under the auspices and funding of the International Visegrad Fund. The aim of the project is to highlight the best practices of cooperation between the NGOs and local authorities in supporting the Ukrainian refugees and to determine prospects for further use of the identified practices, in the future.
Bohdan Rajčinec, the Head of the NGO “Ukrainian Initiative in the Czech Republic”, who moderated the workshop, introduced the participants of the working meeting and gave the floor to the representatives of the centers that deal with Ukrainian refugees in various regions of the Czech Republic and provide them with the full range of assistance, to present the main areas of their activities. The representatives of the NGOs from seven regions of the Czech Republic, who have experience of interaction with local authorities in supporting the Ukrainian refugees, outlined the main aspects of their activities and presented the main achievements in advocating the Ukrainian refugees’ issues.
On the Zoom platform, the team of project partners from the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations (IIEC) joined the workshop. Iryna Kliuchkovska, the Chairman of IIEC, addressed the NGO “Ukrainian Initiative in the Czech Republic” members with a welcoming speech, expressing gratitude towards the International Visegrad Fund for supporting the project, aimed at transferring the unique experience of cooperation between the NGOs and local authorities in advocating the Ukrainian refugees’ issues, as well as to the “Ukrainian Initiative in the Czech Republic” for partner cooperation and sacrificial activity.
Both parties emphasized the importance of cooperation between the NGOs and the local authorities, because such interaction confirms that the local bodies in Czech Republic are aware of the scale of problems which Ukraine faces today, and also shows credence in the activities of various NGOs and their authority.
A special emphasis was placed on the importance of producing a policy paper by joint efforts, which is to become a model which could be offered to other NGOs in Europe as a whole, for the purpose of dissemination of positive experience.
