The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe organised, jointly with the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) and international partners from the United States and Canada, the XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum from 18 to 20 June, in Odesa, Ukraine. It brought together more than 400 mayors from all regions of Ukraine, who are members of the AUC, to share their knowledge and experiences in building inclusive, open and transparent societies.
The Forum represents a unique platform for consultation and dialogue between local and national authorities. It aims to enable local elected representatives and their Association to influence national policies, legislation and decision-making on all matters of their direct concern.
On 19 June, peer exchanges between Ukrainian local elected representatives, experts and members of the Congress were organised around three thematic round tables, focusing on key issues of local democracy and good local governance: public ethics, open government and gender equality.
Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer addressed the participants in the opening session on 18 June. He also held several high-level meetings with Ukrainian authorities and participated in the meeting of the Management Board and the General Assembly of the AUC.
This event was organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine”, implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2021. The project aims to improve the quality of local democracy in Ukraine by strengthening institutional frameworks and by supporting local authorities and their national associations in their efforts to promote ethical decision-making and more citizen-oriented, responsive and transparent local governance.
Venue of the Forum: “OK Odesa” Hotel complex 5 Gagarin Plateau, Odesa, Ukraine
Contacts :
Marité MORAS, Head of Unit, Co-operation and External Relations Department, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Svitlana GRYSHCHENKO, Project Manager, Council of Europe Office in Ukraine
Read also : the XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum webpage
