Familiarization - study tours

In April - May 2007, the Institute for Rural Development facilitated the number of familiarization-study tours for authority representatives and international technical assistance (ITA) project experts and consultants from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova.

Familiarization - study tours

In April - May 2007, the Institute for Rural Development facilitated the number of familiarization-study tours for authority representatives and international technical assistance (ITA) project experts and consultants from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova.

For specialists working in the social protection system of the Republic of Azerbaijan

16 – 20 April 2007, specialists from the Azerbaijan social protection system learned the Ukrainian experience of policy formulation and organisation of addressed public assistance to people of scanty means in Ukraine:

• lesson sharing meetings took place in the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine to discuss relevant issues such as reforms’ impact on poverty reduction and use of state social standards for the computation of public assistance rates;

• meetings were held in the Main Department for Social Protection at the Kyiv City State Administration to learn their experience of planning and implementing of local public assistance and social service programmes as well as local solutions for urgent social protection problems.

The delegation has also visited four local departments for social protection and social policy in Ukrainian regions where the guests learned about the organisation of addressed public assistance, reception of citizens and provision of information and advice related to social protection and receipt of various types of public assistance and social services.

For representatives of the Ministry of Agro-Industrial Complex of Georgia and Georgian advisers

A group of advisers formed recently under the DFID-funded project implemented by CARE International in Georgia visited Ukraine between 13 and 20 May 2007. The study group included also representatives from the Georgian Ministry of Agro-Industrial Complex.

Over the week, the Georgian guests got acquainted with the following issues:

• development of a sustainable rural development policy in Ukraine and the role of advisory service;

• programmes to support agricultural production and rural business development;

• current status of agricultural advisory service in Ukraine;

• rural livelihoods models, rural income diversification models, rural market infrastructure development, rural co-operative development (production, service and credit co-operatives/ unions), work at the rural community level;

• models of rural social sphere asset revival and maintenance.

Visiting the Kyiv and Odesa oblasts, the Georgian advisers had a chance to meet with the Ukrainian advisers and see how they work at the rayon level (providing joint consultations and visiting patrons). They also attended a workshop on drip irrigation technology for vegetable growing in the open.

The familiarization tour was arranged and facilitated in close co-operation with the Kyiv and Odesa regional agricultural advisory services.

For representatives of executive authorities of the Republic of Moldova and experts from the Republic of Azerbaijan

14 - 18 May, a familiarization-study tour took place to learn the Ukrainian experience in the provision of addressed public assistance. The tour members represented the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Family and Children Protection, and Ministry of Economy of Moldova as well as an expert team engaged in reform of the public assistance system in Azerbaijan.

The tour participants examined the following issues:

• criteria of assessment of family need in state support;

• the Ukrainian legislation related to public assistance issues;

• organisation of reception of citizens by labour and social protection departments by the example of Odesa oblast;

• social inspectors’ powers and activities.