Over three days, the Centre of Expertise at the Council of Europe Congress and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) trained staff of the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) to provide training on open government to the country’s local authorities.

Concluded on 9 December 2024, this training of trainers was aimed at building AUC capacities to guide local authorities in co-creating and implementing open government initiatives jointly with civil society. AUC trainers were provided with tools, methodologies and best practices in engaging citizens and civil society in open government reforms. They were also offered hands-on experience in designing and facilitating training sessions for local authorities.

This first training of trainers on open government was a result of the enhanced co-operation between the Congress, the OGP and the AUC following the signature of a tripartite memorandum of understanding in October 2022. In the coming months, the new trainers will help Ukrainian local authorities to develop open government action plans with the support of the Congress and the OGP.

The Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities works closely with Ukrainian local authorities and with the AUC as part of the project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026.