On 16 October 2020, the Congress held a webinar on e-democracy tools, a third and final in a series of thematic webinars organised between 9 and 16 October. Representatives of 13 Ukrainian local authorities and of the Association of Ukrainian Cities had the opportunity, jointly with experts from Estonia, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, to discuss the most effective e-democracy methods to improve communication between citizens and their local authorities.
E-participation has become a common instrument used by local authorities across Europe as part of their response to the COVID-19 crisis, acknowledging that citizen participation and engagement are essential in the collective response to the pandemic. The Congress emphasises the role of local communities, including vulnerable and marginalised groups, in being considered reference points in identifying solutions to challenges they face daily. They are the best suited to devise a collective and adequate response.
Anna Ivanova, Chief Specialist on Participatory Practices of the Municipality of Kremenchuk (Poltava oblast), presented her approach in reaching out to community residents through the multiplication of communication channels and the introduction of e-tools. The diversification of communication methods allowed for new levels of citizen engagement and the municipality was able to use them widely to reach various target groups.
Maryna Bahrintseva, Head of the Financial Department of the Municipality of Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk oblast), emphasised the need for a widespread use of e-democracy tools to enhance participatory budgeting through a higher outreach to community residents. She also referred to the positive feedback received from citizens on the launch of a YouTube channel for local initiatives as “a new way to discuss and decide on local participatory budget proposals in an inclusive and open manner”.
International experts provided targeted inputs as well as examples of best practices from regions across Europe. They highlighted the boost that the COVID-19 gave to e-democracy and online tools, but also pointed out the need for municipalities to engage citizens only when the objective and outcome of an initiative is clearly defined; otherwise, it could be detrimental to the project results and negatively affect citizen trust.
Participants also discussed a number of digital solutions to facilitate citizen engagement in communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying those that are best applicable to their local context. Among others, they mentioned youth engagement through information campaigning on social networks and trainings for citizens on public budgeting via online video communication platforms.
The webinar was organised as part of the project "Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within 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, inclusive and transparent local governance.
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