International Renaissance Foundation in partnership with the Power4Just Transition Project implemented by GIZ is launching a joint initiative to strengthen public participation in the just transition processes in Ukraine’s coal regions.
Just transition is a long-standing approach in Europe that has only recently gained momentum in Ukraine.. It helps prepare coal-dependent communities and mono-industrial towns for the structural shifts necessitated by the phase-out of fossil fuels, ensuring that residents are not compelled to migrate in search of employment and that communities do not forfeit their future. It is a model of regional development that envisions a decent standard of living and sustainable livelihoods for all, offering an opportunity to strategically rethink the economic foundations and the post-decommissioning future of production facilities that once defined them.”
When a cornerstone enterprise ceases operations, the community often faces a drain of jobs, income, and vital economic support. Without a proper prior preparation, such a shift can trigger human capital flight and regional stagnation. Therefore, the process of just transition helps to create new opportunities for community development in advance. This may include creating new jobs, fostering local entrepreneurship, developing education, upskilling the workforce Furthermore, it empowers communities to secure funding and steer their own recovery and development through participatory planning.”. The main objective of the project, which will be implemented by the Foundation in cooperation with GIZ, is to strengthen the role of civil society in the process of just transition, which will fully comply with the principle of “no one left behind.”
The project combines work at the local and national levels.
At the local level, the project will be implemented in the Volyn, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv regions and will support the activities of four partner organizations that will become “hubs” in their regions. They will help engage community residents, activists, initiative groups, and local CSOs in the development and implementation of territorial plans for just transition, help increase their capacity to be informed and active participants in the process, and strengthen their awareness and capacity to use participation tools. The work will be carried out in 9 communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 7 communities in the Lviv region, 3 communities in the Volyn region, and 1 community in the Vinnytsia region.
At the national level, the Foundation will support two leading organizations that will work with government agencies, participate in specialized working groups and consultations, develop sustainable mechanisms for public participation in policy-making, and promote international cooperation and exchange of experience with European networks.
The project provides training and support for local teams. International Renaissance Foundation will improve their level in the areas of public participation tools, development planning, preparation of high-quality projects, and fundraising for community development from available Ukrainian and international programs.
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The Power4Just Transition project is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and aims to support structural change in Ukraine’s coal regions through the implementation of a comprehensive just transition mechanism.
The project “Strengthening the Role of Civil Society in Just Transition and Structural Change Processes in Ukraine’s Coal Regions” is implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany (BMWE), and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
