On 16 May 2024, the Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” presented its 2023 achievements, ongoing activities and further plans for 2024 to its Steering Committee. On this occasion, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe presented the 2023 results of its project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” and plans till 31 December 2024. The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance and the Programme were praised as a longstanding and a valued leading advisor in designing complex governance policies and relevant reforms in Ukraine.
Congress Director Claudia Luciani co-chaired this meeting together with Olena Shuliak, Chairperson of the Specialised Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government, and Vitaliy Bezhin, Chairperson of the Specialised Subcommittee. In her welcome address, Director Luciani underlined the Council of Europe’s longstanding support to Ukraine in the area of multi-level governance and stressed the important role of decentralisation reform. “It is crucial to make sure that we keep focus on decentralisation. Everybody understands that it is a successful and important reform taken up long before the war. We are proud that we are working in the area that is not only so vital for the future of the country, but also has meant so much in the current war effort that Ukraine is undergoing,” she emphasised.
The meeting brought together the Programme’s national partners – representatives of the Specialised Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government, Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, National Agency on Corruption Prevention, National Agency on Civil Service, local authorities and their associations – and diplomatic missions representing donor countries to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.
The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance is planning its next intervention in Ukraine in the area of strengthening democratic governance and participation to be carried out in 2025-2026. It will be built on achievements of its current co-operation and lessons learnt. In the coming months the team of the Centre of Expertise will hold in-depth consultations with national stakeholders to design its new Programme.
The Steering Committee meeting was organised by the Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine”. This Programme is implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026 by the Centre of Expertise at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
