Together with community leaders from Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin took part in the II International Cohesion Forum.
The event was organized by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine within the “EU4Recovery” initiative, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme and the European Union.
The main theme was cohesion and resilience as key factors for the future of Europe. For Donetsk region, this is not theory but daily reality: under shelling, losses, and forced relocation, communities must preserve people and the connections between them. That is why it is important to be part of both the national and European dialogue and to build sustainable partnerships.
Among those who addressed the participants were Yuliia Svyrydenko, Denys Shmyhal, Oleksii Kuleba, Oleksandr Korniienko, as well as international partners.
“The forum also delivered concrete results. Within the ‘Side by Side: Cohesive Communities’ project, memorandums were signed:
- the Chasiv Yar community with the Myronivka community in Kyiv region,
- the Kostiantynivka community with the Znamianka community in Kropyvnytskyi region,
- the Sloviansk and Bakhmut communities with the Poltava community.
This is about joint solutions: children’s rehabilitation, recovery of military personnel, support for internally displaced persons, relocation, and restoration of institutions.
It is also encouraging that our partners — the Uman and Perechyn communities — received a special award in the ‘Symbol of Resilience and Cohesion’ category, standing alongside us in these difficult times.
I thank the organizers, partners, and communities for supporting Donetsk region and for our joint work!” Vadym Filashkin emphasized.