Thanks to the EU and UNDP, the young residents of the town of Shchastia territorial community, located along the conflict’s ‘contact line’, will now be able to receive quality medical services in a comfortable renovated clinic.

Shchastia, Luhansk Oblast, 19 May 19, 2021 – Today, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, together with national partners DTEK and the Shchastia Civil-Military Administration (CMA), inaugurated the renovated building of the local children's clinic.

The clinic was renovated through the joint efforts of business and international partners working to develop the Shchastia community under the "Public Health Platform: Building a Multilateral Partnership for Public Safety and Social Cohesion of the Shchastia Community" project.

Under the project, the town’s children's polyclinic was overhauled, proper heating and water supply systems were installed, and furniture and medical equipment were purchased and delivered.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the clinic, the manager of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme Victor Munteanu said its reconstruction was initiated by a local Community Security Working Group (CSWG) on public safety and social cohesion, which brought together members of the public, the government, law enforcement and enterprising local residents to identify the community development priorities of the town.

"We welcome the Shchastia community’s efforts in joining forces and resources to rebuild the local children's clinic,” Munteanu said. “For us, this is another example of the effectiveness of CSWGs on public safety and social cohesion, which should be replicated in other settlements of eastern Ukraine, and over time – throughout the country. Creating public platforms for identifying problems and prospects for community development as a synergistic tool for overcoming the consequences of armed conflict remains one of the important priorities of our Programme, and I’m glad to see positive results from this local working group come to life today," Munteanu added.

During the ceremony, DTEK Luhansk TPP Director Borys Safonov congratulated the local residents on the opening of the renovated children's clinic.

"DTEK conducts socially responsible business. By working together with partners, we were able to provide children and their parents with a modern, functional and comfortable clinic”, Safonov said. “This is a truly remarkable event that will improve the lives of our future generations."

The "Public Health Platform" project also foresaw the organisation of educational activities, including a school for young parents and responsible fathers. With these initiatives, it was possible not only to provide the community with quality premises, but also to involve them in educational activities on healthcare.

Oleksandr Dunets, head of the Shchastia CMA, said the opening of the renovated children's clinic was an important step towards building viable medical services in the Shchastia community, and an investment in its future: healthy children and strong families, future mothers and responsible fathers, as well as doctors and volunteers.

"This project has become a landmark for the sustainable development of the community: the Public Health Platform is an example of creating a foundation for a multilateral partnership between the local community and business and international donors,” Dunets said. “We see that the values underpinning the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme are embodied in such necessary and wonderful projects as these – our investment in the future," added Dunets.

The overhaul of the premises and educational activities, which cost over U.S.$ 70,000 (about UAH 1.9 million), were carried out within the framework of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, with financial support from the European Union.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Twelve international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden & Switzerland.

Media inquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Specialist, UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org, +380 63 576 1839.