On August 1, 2024, a public discussion “Social Cohesion and Dialogic Practices at the Community Level. Are there any communication problems?”, organized by the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum was held in partnership with the NGO “Center for Social Security and Regional Initiatives” (WG5 UNP members).

Topics for discussion:

  • Dialogic practices as a means of social organization. Is there any lack of productive social contacts in Ukraine?
  • Social cohesion tools. “Working Groups on Public Security and Social Cohesion”, which is being implemented in 12 regions, including Kharkiv, in 6 communities with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine with the financial support of the Government of Denmark.
  • Do we see the impact of the communication deficit on the declared dialogic practices?
  • The impact of regulatory and legal support for dialogues on the functioning of territorial communities (exemplified by the organization of local businesses).
  • The impact of social cohesion on the activities of public authorities. A social cohesion tool.

Speakers:

  • Piotr Kulpa (former Minister of Labor of Poland, former Deputy Minister of Economy of Poland, Director of the School of Ministers Programs at the Kyiv School of Public Administration). DIALOGIC PRACTICES AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION. IS THERE ANY LACK OF PRODUCTIVE SOCIAL CONTACTS IN UKRAINE?
  • Valeriia Hontar (CO Coordination Humanitarian Center, Head of the Center for Civil Society Development). SOCIAL COHESION TOOLS. “WORKING GROUPS ON PUBLIC SECURITY AND SOCIAL COHESION”, WHICH IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN 12 REGIONS, INCLUDING KHARKIV, IN 6 COMMUNITIES WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE UNDP IN UKRAINE WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF DENMARK.
  • Valerii Repin (Kharkiv Regional Organization of the Trade Union of Entrepreneurs, Chairman). DO WE SEE THE IMPACT OF THE COMMUNICATION DEFICIT ON THE DECLARED DIALOGIC PRACTICES?
  • Svitlana Petrova (NGO “Center for Law and Mediation”. Head). ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS IN COMMUNITIES. DIALOGUES AS A MEANS OF MANAGING CONFLICTS AND ACHIEVING SOCIAL COHESION.
  • Oleksandr Kotukov (Kharkiv Regional Employment Center. Director). THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL COHESION ON THE ACTIVITIES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE STATE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE).

Moderator of the roundtable discussion: Ihor Dubrovskyi, NGO “Center for Social Security and Regional Initiatives”.

During the open discussion, the participants were seeking answers to the questions:

  • Do we really jointly perceive the lack of communication as a threat to social cohesion?
  • What are the possibilities for creating a common communication base for organizers of dialogic practices at the level of territorial communities?
  • Should dialogic practices be included in community charters or development strategies? If so, what should be done to ensure communication between the dialog organizers?

Ihor Dubrovskyi, NGO “Center for Social Security and Regional Initiatives”:

“The problems that communities face today require ways of organizing relationships between their subjects, representative local governments, and civil society organizations that are consistent with the challenges. We are talking about dialogic practices as a tool for establishing relationships, managing conflicts, and making decisions. These practices should lead to a state of communities called “social cohesion.” In the European Union, this concept is a category of public action and is defined as both an objective and a means of state or local policy. The participants of the roundtable discussion represented different subjects of dialogues – public authorities, trade unions, and civil society organizations. They talked about specific dialogues and their different interpretations, which revealed different attitudes to the category of “social cohesion” itself.

Despite the subject matter being somewhat controversial, the roundtable discussion participants agreed on a common problem: the need to overcome the lack of communication, without which dialogues and, consequently, social cohesion are impossible. The participants agreed that the lack of communication can and should be overcome through institutionalization of dialogues in community charters and programmatic activities aimed at creating a culture of communication. This, according to the roundtable participants, should be the basis for further joint actions involving the widest possible range of participants related to the topic of social cohesion.”

Kharkiv is under massive shelling by the russian army.

We would like to thank our Kharkiv colleagues who organized the event. We are grateful to everyone who joined the discussion.

We are grateful for the technical support of the Center for Civil Society Development (Kharkiv).

https://www.facebook.com/events/510990628278678

The event was organized within the framework of the project “Support to the activities of the Ukrainian National Platform of the EaP CSF in 2024”, implemented by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting with the financial support of the European Union. The views expressed at the event are the sole responsibility of the NGO “Center for Social Security and Regional Initiatives” and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.