Office of Local Democracy Agency ALDA to Be Opened in Vinnytsia

Cooperation with ALDA will give Vinnytsia the opportunity to apply for European Union grant projects. The community will also be able to apply for financial support from ALDA partner cities. In addition, Vinnytsia will have access to experience exchange programs to not only rebuild Ukraine, but to build a new value-based state, in line with the principles of the European Union and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ALDA Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida named three priorities for their organization's work in Vinnytsia:

• participatory democracy (a combination of direct and representative democracy),
• digitalization,
• civil society and community strengthening.

"Our mission is the future of Ukraine. We do not know how and when this war will end. But human life is the most important thing. So what can we do today? Create this partnership to support businesses and people. The most important thing now is to unite for the future of Ukraine," said Antonella Valmorbida.

The European Association of Local Democracy ALDA was established at the initiative of the Council of Europe in 1999 and today has more than 350 members from 45 countries. It includes local authorities, associations and civil society organizations. Joining ALDA will allow Vinnytsia to cooperate even more deeply with Europe, find new partners and support.

"Ukraine is now going through one of the most difficult times in its history. Our heroes, courageous Defenders, are fighting for the right to democratic life in our country. At the same time, we, as a country that has the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union, must strengthen and integrate our norms and rules with the European ones," says Deputy Mayor Halyna Yakubovych. "The opening of the Local Democracy Agency ALDA Office in Vinnytsia will allow us to qualitatively integrate the existing capacities with the European Union standards, as well as attract even more grant opportunities and donor support to help our Defenders, internally displaced persons and our entire territorial community."

Vinnytsia applied to join the European Association of Local Democracy on May 5 last year. In June of the same year, the application was approved at a meeting of the governing board of the European Association of Local Democracy. At that time, in Brussels, Vinnytsia was the only city to receive an award from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe for its role as an active partner in the development of local democracy in Europe.