On 24 November the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LALRG), in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, PLATFORMA and the Association of Ukrainian Cities has organized an interactive seminar - workshop “Creating Development Cooperation Projects with Design Thinking and Artificial Intelligence Tools”, encouraging the creation of a new perspective on effective international cooperation, especially supporting Ukrainian municipalities.
The working session, which took place within the framework of the European Days of Local Solidarity, which brought together almost two hundred representatives of Latvian and Ukrainian municipalities, proved that the path to successful financing and sustainable results can be found in three main pillars: strategic understanding, design thinking methodology, and artificial intelligence.
At the seminar’s introduction, Ms Kristīne Puriņa, Senior Desk Officer of the Bilateral Development Cooperation Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, introduced the participants to the priorities of Latvia’s development cooperation policy, which serve as a guide for attracting funding and targeted project development. In turn, Ms Nataliia Hokina, the expert from the Association of Ukrainian Cities, spoke about the sustainable development priorities of Ukrainian municipalities for various periods, which are vital for designing projects in accordance with the real needs of municipalities in the development context. The second part of the seminar took place as a workshop, in which representatives of municipalities, led by the experienced lecturer Ms Kristīne Tjarve, learned about the design thinking method. This approach provides a structured way to define complex problems based on understanding and empathy for users’ needs, followed by the search for creative and non-standard solutions. One of the most significant added values of the seminar was the focus on modern technologies. Participants were given an insight into several artificial intelligence tools that can significantly facilitate and accelerate the preparation and implementation phase of international projects. In addition, online project management and collaboration tools were also discussed, which are necessary for effective coordination of teams from two or more countries and easier exchange of information.
You can watch the recording of the first part of the seminar on the YouTube channel of the LALRG.