It has already become customary for decentralisation to be listed among the most successful reforms of the independence period. There is a direct pattern: the more democratic the state, the more powerful its local self-government is. Obviously, this is not just referring to a local authority with the power to use coercion, since any police state could be mentioned as an example. A strong local self-government is an authority elected by the local community, capable (including financially) of solving the problems of the local community, and accountable to the local community.*

Martial law has an impact on our everyday lives, but it also poses challenges for the authorities in general. In accordance with the Constitution and the Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law”, the constitutional rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen, along with the legal interests of legal entities, may be temporarily restricted during this period due to national security reasons. While war may not be the ideal time for openness and liberal experiments, it is not the sole threat to democracy. War entices authorities – whether central or local – to curtail “excessive” democracy (sure enough, for the sake of national security), imposing more restrictions and centralising the governance system.

In contrast, however, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, despite (or possibly due to) the war, announced a call for proposals to provide grants for local self-government initiatives designed to develop open government and enhance the protection of human rights at the local level. Consequently, ten projects were selected that implement democratic innovations in communities in one way or another, promoting transparency, credibility and effectiveness of local self-government in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government:

1. Raising awareness of citizens and internally displaced persons about their rights and opportunities (Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Odesa region);
2. Improving communication channels and open government tools as a prerequisite for the development of participatory democracy (Bilshivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk region);
3. Establishing a complex physical space to realise human potential (Dunaivtsi, Khmelnytskyi region);
4. Establishing a youth space “Youth in Action” on the basis of the village library in the territorial community (Zviahel, Zhytomyr region);
5. Transforming a part of the municipal library into an innovative space to facilitate open dialogue between citizens and officials (Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region);
6. Establishing an educational centre as a permanent body within the city council to involve underrepresented groups (IDPs, women, and youth) in the formation and implementation of local policies (Kyiv);
7. Establishing a veterans’ centre to ensure successful reintegration of veterans and provide them with necessary resources and services (Poltava);
8. Creating a local “Resident Portal” to allow citizens and businesses to access municipal services online (Ternopil);
9. Strengthening the institutional capacity of anti-corruption mechanisms at all levels in the community and ensuring a transparent post-war recovery process (Fastiv, Kyiv region);
10. Creating mechanisms to make target groups aware of their rights and opportunities, as well as establishing a centre for their communication, development, and training (Shpola, Cherkasy region).

It is notable that the competition winners represent completely different-sized territorial communities, as evidenced by the above list. For example, the largest of them, Kyiv, has a population of almost three million people, and the smallest one has just a little more than six thousand.

This second community is the Bilshivtsi territorial community from Ivano-Frankivsk region (there are less than two thousand residents in Bilshivtsi itself). Deputy Village Head of Bilshivtsi Mariia Boichuk admits, “I was not very hopeful that we would succeed. But after the first round, we made it to the second round, and then the announcement was made that our project had won.”

When visiting the Bilshivtsi community’s website, in addition to sections, news, and banners that direct to the Facebook pages of local institutions (such as hospital, lyceum, gymnasium, etc.), additionally, you will find links to the Bilshivtsi village council’s YouTube channel and a page for electronic petition submission. The development of the last two mentioned channels is a component of the “Open Access” project, which is implemented in the Bilshivtsi community with the support of the Council of Europe.

“Our deputies have always been striving for greater openness, and if it was missing somewhere, it was not because of unwillingness, but because of lack of competence. But thanks to the project, there is now an opportunity to make improvements,” says Mariia Boichuk. The project’s plan is for every deputy on the village council to use the “Voice” programme, which will not only enable electronic voting, but also allow for the conversion of all draft resolutions into electronic format, keep automatic records of deputies’ attendance at meetings, generate meeting minutes, etc. This innovative system is intended to not only discipline the deputies, but also prevent the slightest chance of resolution falsification, as well as save a significant amount of paper.

The implementation of the project in Ciscarpathian Bilshivtsi has begun with an emphasis on openness, namely by studying public opinion: in an anonymous survey, residents of the community are invited to express their opinions on what needs to be improved and which tools or channels should be prioritised for promoting open government. “This is done for the common good, not for personal uplift,” Mariia Boichuk explains the initiative. “Feedback from people is needed to ensure a two-way communication. This approach will help us establish better communication with the community and become more open.”

Obviously, the importance of improving communication with and within the community cannot be overstated for Kamianets-Podilskyi, which is fifteen times larger than Bilshivtsi. To address this issue, the city of a hundred thousand inhabitants is establishing creative and dialogue spaces, among other efforts. The project’s title – “From the pages of books to works of innovation” – gives a hint of where these spaces will be established.

“It is a common knowledge that for a large percentage of young people libraries are associated with an outdated image. During one of our events in the central city library, we realised that it has the potential to become a venue for community activities. Its reading room has already established itself as a place where people come to both read books and attend trainings, bards’ performances, and other events. So, using the Council of Europe’s grant, we have planned to carry out minor routine repairs and lighting improvements, purchase a large TV, install new tables and more comfortable chairs – and add a new meaning to this space," explains Deputy Mayor of Kamianets-Podilskyi Vadym Mendohralo.

The relaunched space will be called “Makerspace”, meaning a space for makers. According to the plan, the reading room will continue to operate as an “anti-café” and a coworking space where you can still read a book, but also make use of additional functionality: hold a meeting, engage in digital creativity, etc.

A brand book, style, and fonts are currently being developed for the Makerspace’s identity. Workshops on 3D printing, a strategic session to develop the concept of the “city of the future”, and other events are planned.

“A community of young people will be formed to work in the space and bring life to it,” says Vadym Mendohralo confidently. Furthermore, if the implementation of the pilot project is successful, they plan to extend this experience to other libraries in Kamianets-Podilskyi, which has currently twenty libraries, even if it requires funding from the city. “Success will be achieved by at least increasing the number of library visitors. But our goal is to turn libraries into a “third space” where a reading room can also serve as a meeting venue for the community,” says Vadym Mendohralo.

Fastiv is the third example. With 45,000 inhabitants, this city has nearly half of Kamianets-Podilskyi’s population. Anti-corruption is the main focus of the project, which was proposed by Fastiv City Council’s executive committee and supported by the Council of Europe.

Without addressing corruption, any discussion about Ukraine among Western partners is incomplete. It is hard to deny its existence in our country and detrimental impact on Ukraine’s development. It is also crucial to acknowledge that the Russian Federation is actively using this topic in the hybrid war against Ukraine, portraying Ukraine as “the most corrupt state in the world” in every possible way.

Talking about the project “Building the community of the future: effective self-government without corruption”, which is implemented in the Fastiv city territorial community, Fastiv City Mayor Mykhailo Netiazhuk emphasises, “We are not only focusing on fighting corruption, but also on creating conditions that prevent it from happening: openness, transparency, free access of citizens to information, and tough response to confirmed facts of corruption.”

The community’s Anti-Corruption Code will be developed in Fastiv to serve as a platform for achieving the goal. Mykhailo Netiazhuk briefly answers the question about the examples used, “I have not come across or seen such codes.” Nevertheless, Fastiv already has experience in developing the community’s Code of Ethics, and its implementation is considered to be unequivocally positive. The argument is that the use of written rules, outlined norms, and standards leads to fewer violations.

“Both the adoption of the relevant code and the process of its development are of utmost importance to us. The community pays more attention to the topic when citizens and representatives of the local self-government are involved, and when there is a public discussion,” Mykhailo Netiazhuk shares his experience.

The mayor has stated that all NGOs in the city, youth, and invited representatives of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the National Police, and the Prosecutor’s Office will participate in the development of the community’s Anti-Corruption Code.

“The state of Ukraine is negatively affected by the attempt to demonise all authorities and portray them as corrupt. Let me emphasise that this is one of the tools used by the Rashists in hybrid warfare. Therefore, unity of the population is necessary to ensure that, on the one hand, it is impossible to steal and that, on the other hand, virtuous officials are protected from unjust allegations. Because the unfairness of the allegations is a very demotivating factor,” emphasises Mykhailo Netiazhuk.

These are just three of the ten projects that received grants from the Council of Europe. As we can see, the projects are diverse, but they all have the same objective: promoting open government, strengthening the dialogue between authorities and local community, and developing local democracy.

Ivan Gayvanovych

*The information is prepared 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.