“We strongly believe in the role of local and regional authorities in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, and they should also play a key role in making the Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U) an effective tool,” stressed Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori in Strasbourg on 11 October.

Speaking at the Conference of participants of the Register of Damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, he pointed out that local and regional authorities were already key players in the administration of the Ukrainian national register through the “Diia” mobile platform and  as a result, RD4U had received more than 10,000 claims from 621 cities, towns and villages across 20 regions in Ukraine under the category of damage and destruction of residential housing.

“Local and regional authorities are well placed to encourage the use of the Register across their population. The Congress will continue raising their awareness for the submission of claims and developing their capacities to support citizens in this process, in particular for new categories,” continued Secretary General Mori.

He welcomed in this regard the initiative of the Association of Ukrainian Cities to establish a Community Recovery Academy for training municipal staff on recovery and reconstruction, and underlined that co-operation and dialogue with local NGOs was instrumental for better outreach to local residents.