Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly recently announced the establishment of a working group that hopes to inspire resident-led support to help a war-torn Ukrainian town.

Trostyanets Mayor Yuri Bova + Mayor Kelly met at the 2023 Cities Summit of the Americas where five Ukrainian mayors came to discuss support efforts. Trostyanets is a small town only ~20 miles from the Russian border, and at one point it was taken over and occupied by Russian armies for 31 days.

Mayor Bova said in the agreement that prior to the war, the city was a cultural and tourist center, showing "constant positive dynamics in its development." Leaders will strive to restore the city to what it once was with the help of this cooperative agreement. Here is a quick look at the proposed agreement:

The City of Chattanooga met with US Agency for International Development representatives to discuss the agreement + provisions. | Photo provided by the City of Chattanooga.

Cooperation spheres

Main spheres | Mutual cooperation in urban development, support economic initiatives + establish direct links in business entities.
Economic sphere | Exchange of information and support on economic management issues, ensure favorable conditions for mutual investments + promote the development of tourism.
Management sphere | Both parties support the exchange of information pertaining to urban development and planning, healthcare development + environmental protection.
Cultural and educational sphere | Work to strengthen culture + assist in organizing art and scientific events.
Healthcare sphere | Keep each other informed on medical assistance + promote activities focused on solving healthcare problems.
Public safety sphere | Allow for cooperation between law enforcement agencies + be compliant with laws of the respective states, international treaties, and regulating the provision of legal assistance.

Provisions

General provisions | The same number of delegations shall participate with the same number of members + a mutual agreement on hosting and responsibilities of funds.
Final provisions | Both party's council must approve within six months of the signed agreement, the resolution will be valid for five years + the termination shall not affect initiatives implemented during the active period.

Important things to note

Chattanooga City Council is expected to vote on the resolution on Tuesday, June 27. If passed, the agreement will not use any allocations of city funds + tax dollars.

The resolution goes along with agreements already in place with the city's international Sister Cities partnerships — that works to build global relationships built on "cultural, educational, institutional + commercial exchanges."

The group will be fully resident-led with the goal to help Mayor Kelly determine the best course of establishing help and provisions for Trostyanets. For those that want to help, sign up online.