As a part of a study visit to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Ottawa, Canada, from 29 to 31 May 2019, a delegation of Ukrainian local authorities participated in the Local Side Event held on 29 May 2019 and showcased the experiences of the Odessa and Ternopil City Councils on gender equality and e‑governance, highlighting the role of local government in the Open Government Agenda.
“Openness, transparency and accountability are the key values of Ternopil City Council, which have resulted in higher credit ratings and investments in the city”, stressed Serhii Nadal, Mayor of Ternopil. This city has pioneered the implementation of the ProZorro.Sale platform, an electronic auction system which, has brought a high level of transparency in the leasing and selling of municipal property and a 30% increase in revenues in the city budget. “The next stage – he announced – is to create a single platform which will bring all e-services together”, such as others electronic petitions and consultations, an open data portal, participatory budgeting and online payment for housing and transport services.
“Open government has the potential to accelerate gender equality and drive change through gender-sensitive policymaking”, underlined Odesa City councillor Yevgeniia Abramova. In this line, she commented that Odesa is committed to enhance local decision-making through open public consultations, open data and transparency, and gender budgeting. In late 2018, the Odesa City Council set up a specific, new unit dedicated to gender equality with the aim to mainstream gender throughout the different stages of local policymaking.
The OGP Local Side Event also brought to light the main principles and pillars of the new OGP Local Strategy, which is expected to be launched in January 2020. It will allow for a higher participation of local and regional governments and provide a platform for knowledge sharing and peer support within a community of counterparts, current OGP Local members and partners.
This event is part of a study visit to the Open Government Partnership Summit in Ottawa, Canada, organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine”, implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as part 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.
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“An AUC delegation participates in the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Ottawa” (in Ukrainian)
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“An AUC delegation met with representatives of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities” (in Ukrainian)
Genuine decentralisation and local self-government reforms are implemented through regular and effective consultation mechanisms between local authorities, their associations, and the national authorities
