On 29 September, 2016, the joint EU/UNDP Project “Community Based Approach to Local Development”   (CBA) conducted a Media Day on sustainable local development for the journalists of the regional and small city medias from Kyiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions. 

International Project Manager Mr. Hendrik van Zyl and Acting Head of Kyiv region state administration Mr. Lev Partskhaladze welcomed participants and stressed on the importance of community mobilization in small cities, decentralization in Ukraine and the role of media in raising public awareness about urban communities self-organization.The media event was focused on the Project’s urban component. The main focus was on cooperation between the city authorities and communities in the context of implementation of joint initiatives aimed at improving living conditions of the population of small cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Poltava and Zhytomyr regions.

The latest achievements of the CBA urban component were presented at this event, in particular, various aspects of assistance to communities of multi-apartment buildings in establishment of ACMBs (Associations of co-owners of multi-apartment buildings). In addition, there was a presentation of results of cooperation between the ACMBs and the universities in these 4 particular regions that are members of the CBA’s partner universities network.

The second part of the Media Day was a Media-training regarding the approaches and importance of media coverage of local development topics and raising awareness of the population through the mass media about ACMB development.