Third phase of the EU / UNDP Community-Based Approach to Local Development (CBA) Project will be launched in Khmelnytsky region. The launch event will gather together regional and local authorities, civil societies, private sector and media to discuss cooperation for promoting community-led local sustainable development further to improve the living conditions of people in the Khmelnytsky region. The event will take place on 17 September 2014 in debating chamber of Khmelnytsky region council at 10.00.

Distinguished invitees of the official launch of CBA third phase include representatives from UNDP Ukraine and CBA project management; Head of oblast state administration Leonid Prus, and Head of oblast council Ivan Honchar, leadership of rayon state administrations and rayon councils; and heads of village and city councils.

In its third phase, CBA project will strengthen capacities of regional and local authorities to practice participatory governance, as well as intensify community-based approach in Khmelnytsky region. CBA activities will focus on rehabilitating basic social and communal infrastructure in the priority areas of energy efficiency, health, environment and water management together with promoting small farm and non-farm businesses in rural areas. It will support the Ukrainian Government in developing policies in the area of decentralisation and share innovative approaches and good practices on participatory governance and community-led local sustainable development through knowledge hub and the curriculum of twenty regional universities.

Third phase of CBA project will be implemented during 2014-2018 with a total budget of 23.8 million Euro, provided by the European Union (23 million Euro) and UNDP (800,000 Euro). Its objective is to promote sustainable socio-economic development at local level by strengthening participatory governance and fostering community-led initiatives across Ukraine

Implementation of the first phase of CBA Project commenced in Khmelnytsky region during May 2008. First phase was succeeded by a second phase in July 2011. ПOver these two phases, 40 thousands men, women and children of the region have benefitted from improvement in 67 schools/kindergartens, 12healthposts, 8 water supply, 5 school buses, 8 street-lightning and so on. This happened through joint effort of the citizens, oblast/rayon/local level governments, CBA Project and the private sponsors.

Since 2008, the EU-UNDP funded CBA project has been working throughout Ukraine. It has helped 2, 6 million people in over 2000 villages to have 664 schools/ kindergartens, 118 health posts, 110 water supply, 9 environment, 706 energy-saving street illumination.  More than 2000 local development initiatives were carried, over 20,000 community members and 6,000 local and regional officials trained in financial and community project management.