The project supports Ukrainian local authorities and elected representatives in their efforts to promote ethical decision-making and more citizen-oriented, transparent, accountable and participatory governance as a means to increase trust in local political actors and institutions among citizens.

In the absence of ethics and public accountability, corruption and malpractice are able to thrive, jeopardise the legitimacy of democratic institutions, and decrease the degree of trust that citizens place in their representatives at all levels.

To this end – and as the decentralisation of power advances – the project supports local authorities and their national associations in the promotion and implementation of public ethics standards and open government practices, thereby contributing to the ultimate goal of the project: strengthening local democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine.

This thematic area directly contributes to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (Partnership for the goals).

As a worldwide initiative, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) provides a global platform where governments can exchange experiences and good practices, and form global partnerships. It also includes local governments through the new OGP Local Engagement Strategy, the implementation of which started in January 2020.

In this context, the Congress and the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) are petitioning Ukrainian national authorities to formally include the AUC in the co-ordination group of the National Open Government Initiative, along with representatives of national authorities and civil society, to strengthen the voice of local authorities in the design, implementation, monitoring and impact of Ukraine’s commitments to the OGP.

The Congress has also supported AUC members in their application processes for the OGP Local Programme, leading to the selection of the municipalities of Khmelnytskiy, Ternopil and Vinnytsya among the 56 new members of OGP Local. It is a result of continued support provided by the Congress, in co-operation with the AUC, to Ukrainian local authorities in developing open government and e-governance.

Furthermore, following discussions on the development of sustainable multilevel collaboration on open government in Ukraine and the effective inclusion of local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of the National OGP Action Plan, the Congress, jointly with the AUC, developed a concept for the establishment of a permanent Platform for National - Local Dialogue on Open Government in Ukraine. The concept was debated and agreed on by the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and the Platform will be formally established in 2021.

Study visit to the OGP Global Summit 2018 (16-19 July 2018, Tbilisi, Georgia)

Ukrainian local authorities, their associations, and members of the Congress contributed to a range of events within the Summit to exchange experiences and knowledge with peers and experts, and thereby strengthen their commitment to the open government principles of transparency, citizen participation and accountability.

The study visit included the organisation of the side event “Open Governance at Local Level: Cities Take Action” in Rustavi, Georgia, which brought together Ukrainian and Georgian mayors to discuss the challenges that local elected representatives face in exercising their powers and in implementing open government at local level.

AUC Focus group meeting on the introduction of e-governance tools at local level (12 October 2018, Kyiv, Ukraine)

As a follow-up to the study visit to the OGP Global Summit 2018 in Tbilisi, Ukrainian mayors – members of the AUC – put forward the creation of a focus group composed by local and national authorities with a twofold objective: to discuss e-governance tools and practices to enhance transparency and improve citizens’ trust in local authorities, and to develop a road map for the introduction of open government principles in Ukrainian municipalities.

Round table on Open Government Partnership: Opportunities for Networking (14 December 2018, Kyiv, Ukraine)

Ukrainian mayors, members of the AUC Secretariat and international experts discussed the role of national associations of local authorities in advocating for and supporting their members’ contribution to a common agenda for the development of open government in Ukraine, and identifying the benefits that knowledge-exchange networks for open government can offer.

The participants were introduced to replicable good practices and e-government tools as well as the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Community of Practice on Transparency and Open Government, which advocates at global level the importance of open local government and works towards the inclusion of local governments in the national OGP action plans as a way to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals locally.

Round table on Open Government Partnership: A way forward to enhance local self-governance (29-30 January 2019, Kyiv, Ukraine)

Ukrainian mayors and representatives of local councils exchanged experiences with international participants on the involvement of national associations of local authorities in the development, implementation and monitoring of OGP national action plans, global advocacy and networking opportunities.

Moreover, Ukrainian local authorities and members of the AUC expressed their willingness to be included in the co-ordination group of the National Open Government Initiative, thereby contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, justice and strong institutions”.

Round table on Gender Equality and Open Government for Stronger Local Democracy (14-15 March 2019, Kyiv, Ukraine)

Organised as part of the Open Gov Week (11-17 March 2019), the round table allowed Ukrainian local authorities and representatives of the Parliament and the Government of Ukraine to discuss innovative approaches for accelerating gender equality and driving change through gender mainstreaming in open local government practices.

Ukrainian and international participants recognised the key role of local authorities in advancing open government and in the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) to ensure equal opportunities and participation at all levels of decision-making.

Study visit to the OGP Global Summit 2019 (28-31 May 2019, Ottawa, Canada)

A delegation of Ukrainian local authorities and members of the AUC participated in thematic sessions on inclusion, citizen participation, policy impact and accountability – and their linkages to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and gender mainstreaming – and showcased their experience in promoting open government at local level in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian delegation exchanged good practices on amalgamation processes, municipal elections, transparency and accountability with representatives of the City of Ottawa and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In addition, they presented local initiatives during a side event focused on ways to further promote the open government agenda at the local level.

XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum (18-20 June 2019, Odesa, Ukraine)

The Forum, which brought together more than 400 mayors from all regions of Ukraine – members of the AUC –, represents a unique platform to share peer-to-peer knowledge and experiences, and to work together in shaping inclusive, open and transparent societies.

Structured in three thematic areas – public ethics, open government and gender equality – the Forum’s “Day of the Congress” (19 June 2019), organised jointly with the AUC, resulted in a final declaration by which Ukrainian mayors commit to enhance public ethics and the implementation of open government, to build trust and to engage citizens in decision-making processes at the local and regional levels in a democratic, open and participatory manner, while favouring inclusion and diversity.

Webinar on Open Government Partnership Going Local in Ukraine (16 June 2020)

Around 65 Ukrainian local government representatives, members of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, had the opportunity to learn from and address directly members of the local section of the OGP Secretariat and the OGP International Experts Panel.

By listening to first-hand experiences on open local government in the City of Buenos Aires, the Basque Government and the e-Governance Academy of Estonia, Ukrainian local authorities whose local policies are aligned with OGP’s strategic and thematic priorities will be able to fine-tune their applications to the OGP Local Programme and further showcase the advance in open local government in Ukraine.

Webinar on National-Local Collaboration on Open Government in Ukraine (17 July 2020)

This webinar enhanced the inclusion of Ukrainian local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of the National OGP Strategy and Action Plan. It examined formats of consultation and co-creation between national and local authorities, and initiated the discussion on the establishment of a platform for national-local dialogue on open government in Ukraine.

Participants to this webinar included local and regional authorities in Ukraine, candidates to the OGP Local Programme, and the Association of Ukrainian Cities, representatives of the Government and CSOs members of the OGP Co-ordinating Council, the OGP Steering Committee and Secretariat, and international experts.

Online round table on National – Local Dialogue on Open Government in Ukraine (3 December 2020)

This online round table, organised by the Congress jointly with the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the AUC, constituted the formalisation of the Platform for National – Local Consultation on Open Government in Ukraine.

The proposed platform is in line with the OGP Local Strategy and closely linked with the involvement of local authorities in the development and implementation of the new National OGP Action Plan and the engagement of Ukrainian municipalities in the OGP Local Programme.

Exchange of good practices on youth participation (11 October 2018, Fastiv, Ukraine)

At the initiative of the City of Fastiv, local elected representatives and young local leaders from eight regions of Ukraine gathered together to share experiences and examples of good practice in implementing projects on citizen participation and transparent governance in their communities.

ELDW stand at XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum (18-20 June 2019, Odesa, Ukraine)

At the occasion of the Forum, which was attended by 400 Ukrainian mayors, it was promoted the 2019 edition of the ELDW dedicated to “Local democracy: building trust”.

More than 60 participants expressed a strong interest for the initiative, and committed partners such as Kharkiv, Kyiv and Lviv expressed their strong support to the ELDW as a platform to bring about change at local level.

Consultation and advocacy

The Congress provides expert support and capacity building to strengthen institutional frameworks for local self-government and advocacy in Ukraine.

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Open government and public ethics

The Congress promotes ethical, transparent and participatory decision-making as a means to increase citizens' trust in local elected officials and representatives. 

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Human Rights at local level

The Congress supports local authorities and their national associations in their efforts to promote inclusiveness and to ensure equal opportunities for all citizens.

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Ukrainian local authorities are implementing, with the support of the Congress, local initiatives on ethical, transparent and participatory decision-making.

Further details are available on the dedicated Congress webpage.

Congress Secretariat in Strasbourg

Marité MORAS
Head of Unit - Co-operation Activities
 [email protected]

Svetislav PAUNOVIĆ
Project Co-ordinator
 [email protected]