The Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) gathered more than 350 Ukrainian mayors at the XVII Municipal Forum organised on 4-5 December 2023, in Kyiv. The Forum acts as a platform for exchange between mayors, members of the AUC, and representatives of the Government.
“As leaders for change, you are a pillar of resilience of Ukraine” highlighted Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori during the opening session. He praised the commitment of local authorities to transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, even in war times.
The Chairman of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, Mayor Vitali Klitschko, emphasised the key role played by those “who continues to develop open government, who works together with citizens, and provides services in communities under martial law. War is not a reason to stop developing and implementing the needed changes".
Congress Thematic spokesperson on Ethics and prevention of corruption Vladimir Prebilič, Slovenia (SOC/G/PD), underlined how open government principles help deepening the trust in local public institutions. He reaffirmed the Congress readiness to support the AUC and Ukrainian local authorities in localising open government commitments.
Ten Ukrainian municipalities received an award for their resilience, following the first AUC national competition on open government. The second edition was jointly launched by the AUC and the Congress, as an incentive to further disseminate and promote co-creation processes for inclusive local decision-making.
The Forum was organised jointly with the Association of Ukrainian Cities as part of the project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. The project aims to strengthen the dialogue, partnership and consultation between different levels of government; enhance collaborative governance and citizen participation in line with the principles of local democracy and open government; and promote and guarantee the right to equality and non-discrimination at local level, for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.
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