During the round-table on “Public ethics to address new local challenges” held within the XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum on 19 June 2019 in Odesa, participants discussed public ethics and accountability, as the essential features of good local governance for ensuring the wider public interest, decision-making and fair resource allocation.
“The closer the council is to the people, the more important it is to make sure that the community is fully represented and fully engaged” emphasised Andrew Dawson, Congress thematic spokesperson on Promoting public ethics and preventing corruption at local and regional levels.
Participants also agreed on the importance of using the provisions of the European Code of conduct for all persons involved in local and regional governance, which provides ethical guidance to elected, appointed and contracted personnel, along with Congress practical guides on the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes, transparent public procurement, open government, conflict of interest, protection of whistle-blowers and fighting nepotism within local and regional authorities.
In the Declaration agreed at the end of the “Day of the Congress”, local elected representatives, members of the Association of Ukrainian Cities committed to building trust and enhancing local public delivery, thereby preventing the various forms of corruption and responding to citizens’ needs and expectations.
The “Day of the Congress” is organised jointly with the Association of Ukrainian Cities within the XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum, and as part of the project “Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine”. Implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in the framework of 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, responsive and transparent local governance.
- Declaration of the XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum [English | Ukrainian]
- Read also : the XV Ukrainian Municipal Forum webpage