Local initiatives on ethical, innovative and inclusive policies and practices at local level in Ukraine
In December 2019, 13 Ukrainian municipalities signed joint agreements with the Congress to implement local initiatives which had been previously selected for their potential to bring meaningful change to citizens and communities, specifically using ethical, innovative and inclusive policies and practices at local level. Teams of experts accompany their implementation and are providing guidance on inclusive consultation of local communities, policy development, monitoring and evaluation of results achieved. Expert support includes field visits and meetings with stakeholders, distance support for continued practical guidance and recommendations on governance processes as well as specific methodologies, and exchange of best practices between participating local authorities. Moreover, a series of thematic webinars has been launched to facilitate peer exchanges on participatory budgeting, open government and inclusive decision-making, youth participation, and gender mainstreaming.
The 13 local initiatives are implemented in line with the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government (ETS No. 122) and its Additional Protocol on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority (CETS No. 207), as well as relevant thematic resolutions and recommendations of the Congress. In addition, local initiatives contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender equality), 10 (Reduced inequalities), 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (Partnership for the goals) set by the United Nations in its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Background
In order to foster innovation and inclusiveness in their local policy agendas, local authorities in Ukraine are implementing, with the support of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, local initiatives on ethical, transparent and participatory decision-making, paying particular attention to engaging under-represented groups and guaranteeing equal opportunities for women and men to participate in local political life. Altogether, the local initiatives provide an added value to the efforts of the Congress in the establishment of a reliable and efficient local self-government.
As a result, citizens and local authorities alike will benefit from a healthy ethical environment and culture of openness and inclusiveness in local governance. All citizens, regardless of their gender, political affiliation and background, have the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority and seek to determine or to influence local policymaking.
The lack of transparency and poor public ethics are potential threats to the well-functioning of public institutions within all levels of government, including the local and regional levels. Another pressing policy challenge relates to preventing public corruption, since it has corrosive effects on public trust, as well as on the quality of governance and local democracy.
Governments can only function effectively if they enjoy the trust of their citizens, and local elected representatives and public officials bear public responsibility and are expected to put public services ahead of personal interests. In addition, a sound local government must ensure the inclusion of all groups of the population. Inclusive and innovative policies will only be successful if all age groups, all forms of gender identities and minority groups have an equal access to public debates and decision-making.
Team of international and local experts
A number of both international and local experts assist in the design and implementation of the initiatives. They provide guidance on inclusive consultation of local communities, policy development, monitoring and evaluation of results achieved. Experts are charged with visiting the field and meeting with stakeholders and with providing recommendations on governance processes as well as specific methodologies. They also foster exchanges of best practices between participating local authorities.
Thematic webinars
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and in addition to providing remote guidance, the Congress organised several webinars for an integrated approach to local initiatives in Ukraine. The first series of webinars, which took place from 22 May to 2 June 2020, presented tools and practices that facilitate the engagement of all citizens in local decision-making and participatory budgeting, mainstream gender equality, and strengthen public ethics and transparency in times of crisis. Therefore, a second series of webinars will take place from 29 September to 6 October 2020.
Apart from the expert knowledge provided by these events, one of the main added values of the webinars is that they are a platform for exchanges between municipalities. In a context of local self-government and territorial administrative reforms in Ukraine, local authorities from different municipalities are therefore able to forge a network of experienced municipalities, which contributes to making progress and effectively implementing their initiatives.
Along with these series of webinars, the 13 municipalities implementing local initiatives participated in one webinar on open government and one on sexism held on 16 June and 2 July 2020 respectively. These events served as complementary support to the initiatives being implemented at each of these municipalities and fostered Ukrainian local engagement both in the principles of open government and in the prevention of sexism.
Strengthening ethical, transparent and participatory decision-making
Dunaivtsi - Open government for increased citizen trust in public institutions
Oblast: Khmelnytskyi | Population: 38,700
Fastiv - A code of ethics to foster transparency, accountability and citizen participation
Oblast: Kyiv | Population: 48,300
Kamianske - Youth in participatory budgeting: from activity to partnership
Oblast: Dnipropetrovsk | Population: 240,800
Kremenchuk - Youth participation for improved transparent budgeting and decision-making
Oblast: Poltava | Population: 230,000
Pyriatyn - Transparency for ethical and inclusive decision-making
Oblast: Poltava | Population: 17,000
Promoting equal opportunities for women and men to participate in local political life
Shyroke - A gender-sensitive budget in the amalgamated community
Oblast: Zaporizhia | Population: 12,800
Ust-Putyla - Ensuring equal opportunities for women and men in decision-making
Oblast: Chernivtsi | Population: 2,300
Fostering the engagement of under-represented groups
Mykolaiv - Open, inclusive and transparent participatory budgeting
Oblast: Mykolaiv | Population: 482,000
Prymorsk - Inclusive participatory budgeting to meet the needs of under-represented groups
Oblast: Zaporizhzhia | Population: 16,400
Sievierodonetsk - Engaging internally displaced persons in participatory budgeting
Oblast: Luhansk | Population: 112,950
Sumy - Participatory budgeting for more inclusiveness at local level
Oblast: Sumy | Population: 263,450
To tackle the issue of corruption in Europe and provide local and regional elected representatives with concrete tools, the Congress has adopted a European Code of Conduct for all Persons Involved in Local and Regional Governance and a Roadmap to Prevent Corruption and Promote Public Ethics at Local and Regional Level, which comprises six reports compiled in the "Public Ethics" series.
Congress Webpage "Preventing corruption and promoting public Ethics"
Congress reports on public ethics
- Preventing corruption and promoting public ethics at local and regional levels (Leaflet)
[ English | Ukrainian ] - Conflicts of interest at local and regional levels
[ English | Ukrainian ] - Making public procurement transparent at local and regional levels
[ English | Ukrainian ] - Transparency and open government
[ English | Ukrainian ] - Administrative resources and fair elections: a practical guide for local and regional politicians and public officials
[ English | Ukrainian ] - Fighting nepotism with local and regional authorities
[ English | Ukrainian ] - The protection of whistleblowers: Challenges and opportunities for local and regional government
[ English | Ukrainian ] - European Code of Conduct for all persons involved in Local and Regional governance
[ English | Ukrainian ]
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International and national consultants providing direct expert support to participating municipalities, per topic of initiative
Biographies (English and Ukrainian)
Council of Europe Office in Ukraine
8, Illinska Street, entrance 7, floor 5, Kyiv, 04070, Ukraine
Svitlana GRYSHCHENKO
Project Manager,
Council of Europe Office in Kyiv
Marité MORAS
Head of Unit, Co-operation and External Relations Division, Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe