A webinar on “Engagement of under-represented groups in local decision-making”, on 15 October 2020, has brought together representatives of 13 Ukrainian municipalities implementing local initiatives, the Association of Ukrainian Cities, as well as local and international experts. Participants shares their experiences working with underrepresented groups. The event was part of a series of online exchanges organised by the Congress between 9 and 16 October as part of the local initiatives being implemented in 13 Ukrainian municipalities.
To further advance the inclusion of underrepresented groups and to develop policies and mechanisms that can ensure their equal access to public services and decision-making, the Congress continues to provide support to Ukrainian municipalities in fostering open, transparent and participatory local decision-making. Representatives of municipalities were able to debate with their peers the pandemics and lockdown-related challenges encountered in the implementation of local initiatives, and to exchange ideas and good practices for targeted solutions.
Among others, Tetiana Shurichenko, Project Co-ordinator in the City of Mykolaiv, shared her experience in implementing new local measures amid the health crisis: “although the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably limited our on-site activities, it has also opened a door to new opportunities for us to engage youth through a number of online tools, such as Telegram, Chatbot and online voting for projects.”
Representatives of the municipalities of Balta, Poltava and Sumy presented their innovative approaches to engaging the population in local decision-making. Together with their peers, they debated on the role of intergenerational dialogues between the elderly and young people, and exchanged on how to promote minority ethnic groups more broadly and systematically, for example through the celebration of traditional holidays together with the rest of the population. They also discussed ways to ensure the accessibility of public premises in order to encourage the participation of persons with disabilities in public debates.
International and local experts recalled the importance of external mediation in potential conflict situations and provided tailored examples of good practice from regions across Europe that could be adapted to their local contexts.
The webinar was organised as part of the project "Strengthening democracy and building trust at local level in Ukraine” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities within 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, inclusive and transparent local governance.
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