A region of Ukraine takes first place in the Regional Best Practices Award
At the close of their ORU Fogar assembly held in Azuay province, Ecuador, the United Regions Organization and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have announced that a region of Ukraine has been ranked first in the 11th edition of this international award. On this occasion, the call, which aims to recognize and disseminate innovative and efficient public policies implemented by intermediate and regional governments, has had the participation of 79 regions around the world.
The Lviv region has secured this first place with an initiative entitled "Metropolitan Governance Model under Wartime Conditions: The Lviv Agglomeration Case". The award-winning project consists of a model of metropolitan governance exceptionally adapted to the conditions of war. In the absence of specific national legislation for the management of metropolises in the country, thirteen territorial communities decided to voluntarily organize an institutionalized association to coordinate their public policies and plan their territory jointly. Since the outbreak of conflict in 2022, this area has become a critical logistical and humanitarian hub hosting millions of internally displaced people, multiplying pressure on basic services, transport, water, and housing. The project stands out for having created a common development strategy and a permanent executive office based on the consensus and equality of municipalities, managing to maintain continuity and efficiency of public services in an extreme crisis environment.
The list of winners of this edition is completed with a remarkable geographical balance, where four other regions were awarded: two from the American continent and two from Africa. On behalf of America, the State of Mexico received a high distinction for its "Itinerant Caravans for Social Justice," a model of territorial care designed to ensure effective access to justice, while the Prefecture of Pichincha, in Ecuador, it was recognized for the cultural impetus of its "Mercado de Industrias Culturales de Pichincha (MICPI)". On the African side, recognition went to the Conseil Départemental de Koungheul in Senegal, thanks to its social inclusion program through Universal Health Coverage for heads of household with disabilities and their families, and to the Conseil Régional du Centre-Ouest, in Burkina Faso, for its project to build rural trails using the High Labor Intensity (HIMO) method.
The organization notes that the success of the call, with the participation of almost eighty applications from various continents, consolidates this award as a global reference for the exchange of solutions applied at the regional level, demonstrating the resilience and capacity of intermediate governments to respond to complex crises and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
