Issues of cross-border cooperation security and regional development have been discussed at UzhNU
An International Scientific Conference "Security in the Area of the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Poland-Belarus-Ukraine" organized by the Cross-border Cooperation Programme Poland-Belarus-Ukraine 2014-2020, which supports the development processes in border region countries, took place at UzhNU on October 24-25, 2019. Uzhhorod City Council was a co-organizer of the conference.
During the two days of the conference, scientists from Ukraine, Belarus and Poland analyzed various aspects of security issues. In particular, the five key areas of security, including physical and technical security, public sesurity, medical security, economic security and environmental security were the main starting points of the conference. The practical dimension of the discussion was the experience of implementing projects realized under the Programme in the current (2014 - 2020) and previous (2007-2013) periods of the TBC Programme Poland-Belarus-Ukraine. The speakers of the conference were the scientists of Uzhhorod National University, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, University of Warsaw, Pedagogical University of Crakow, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Maria-Curie Sklodovska University, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Rzeszow University, and Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno.
The speakers at the conference stressed that the pursuit of security was one of every person’s basic and most important needs. Security, in particular, is an important challenge for border regions. After all, the peripheral territories of the Ukrainian-Polish-Belarusian border are characterized by low quality of their residents’ lives, such as unfavorable material conditions, limited access to the labour market, and low accessibility to social infrastructure and health care system. These territories are also not free from natural and man-made hazards, so there is an urgent need to create effective systems for preventing and responding to emergencies. All these problems cannot be solved by the states inidividually, because infectious diseases, natural disasters, pollution, and crime know no borders. The implementation of the thematic goal "SECURITY" of the TBC Programme Poland-Belarus-Ukraine 2014-2020 partially responds to these challenges. Through the implementation of joint projects, the Programme provides better access to health care system, development of social services, prevention of natural disasters, environmental disasters and emergencies, as well as effective risk response.
