Public Administration of Emergency Situations as a Component of Ensuring Sustainable Regional Development

The article is devoted to the conceptual substantiation of the role and place of public administration in the field of civil protection in the system of factors of sustainable development of regions of Ukraine. The essence of the concept of sustainable development in relation to the regional level is revealed in the context of ensuring balanced progress of territories and their resilience to various challenges and threats. It is shown that the region as an integral socio-ecological-economic system is the basic unit of practical implementation of the principles of sustainable development. At the same time, attention is focused on the security dimension of sustainability, which implies the ability of regional communities to minimize risks and adapt to changing environmental conditions. The main challenges and threats to the sustainable development of regions of Ukraine at the present stage are investigated, associated with a high level of natural and man-made hazards, significant deterioration of infrastructure, and insufficient attention to preventive measures. The unprecedented destructive impact of full-scale Russian aggression on the state of security of territorial communities is revealed, which actualizes the task of strengthening their security capabilities in war and post-war reconstruction. The conceptual principles of integrating the goals and mechanisms of public administration in the field of civil protection into the general system of ensuring sustainable development of regions are analyzed. The institutional structure, target direction, principles and functions of implementing the relevant state policy at the regional and local levels are revealed. The need to transform the dominant model of responding to emergencies towards strengthening the preventive component, expanding the powers of territorial communities, and establishing horizontal interaction between various entities is emphasized.The experience of developed countries in organizing effective civil protection systems on the principles of decentralization, subsidiarity, and active involvement of local communities and the private sector is studied. A tendency towards strengthening the role of municipal authorities in ensuring the protection of the population from various kinds of dangers by delegating the necessary resources and powers to them has been identified. The spread of the practice of developing local security infrastructure with the widespread use of modern information technologies and communication tools has been noted. Based on a combination of domestic and foreign experience, priority areas for improving public administration in the field of civil protection as a factor in the sustainable development of the regions of Ukraine have been proposed. In particular, the need for modernization of the regulatory framework, redistribution of competences between different levels of government, implementation of mechanisms for interagency interaction, and development of partnerships with civil society have been substantiated. Particular attention has been paid to the actualization of security issues in regional strategies in the context of the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.