The leaders of City of York Council and the Ukrainian city of Lviv, have met to discuss their cities’ and residents’ resilience.
On Thursday 16 April, Cllr Claire Douglas met members of Lviv city for their third meeting in 12 months. They were joined by representatives of the UK Resilience Academy based near Easingwold, and the UK’s Cabinet Office.
This latest meeting continues ongoing support for the Ukrainian community in York, and deepens the city’s supportive relationship with Lviv.
Lviv’s Mayor Andriy Sadovyy told the meeting how his city has moved from dealing with sporadic crises to embedding systemic resilience. He described how they deal with, for example repeated attacks, cyber threats, fake bomb warnings, mass displacement of people, and the need to keep the city functioning.
Risk reduction was discussed, as how governance needs to become more adaptive, connected, participatory and resilient.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council said:
Resilience is not just about an emergency response: it’s about governance under prolonged layers of disruption and continuing essential city functions from a range of sources.
“We learned so much from hearing how the city of Lviv and its residents have adapted. They have reprioritised and strengthened their systems to keep functioning under sustained stress. My admiration for their resolve and spirit is immense and the friendship and solidarity between our cities grows.”
A spokesperson from the delegation said:
We also truly enjoyed our visit and were very pleased to meet the staff of UKRA and Cllr Douglas in person.
“Everything was perfectly organized, and we greatly appreciated the warm hospitality extended by all members of the UK staff. We look forward to continuing and strengthening our cooperation in the future.”