Kyiv, 14 October: UNDP-led Project “Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme” has presented its experience at a regular meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government. The participants agreed to start closer partnership for reform of administrative and territorial order and clear distribution of authorities of central government and local self-government bodies. UNDP will provide expert support, facilitate working groups of the Parliamentary Committee and share unique experience in ensuring community-based participation. 

UNDP-led Project “Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme” generated significant experience in 28 partner municipalities and settlements in engaging local communities to solving local development problems. The Project shares this experience with national partners including the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Economy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine and Verkhovna Rada's Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government.

UNDP established partnership with Parliamentary Committee in 2007 for enabling favourable environment for strengthening decentralised governance for sustainable development in Ukraine.
 

Project experts were delegated to the working group of the Committee, which analysed legislation on bodies of self-organisation of population (BSPs) and elaborated amendments to the Law on BSPs to create more opportunities for local communities to establish community-based organisations.
 

Owing to joint efforts, Draft Law on Amendments to Law on Bodies of Self-Organisation of Population № 2108 dated from 21.02.2008 was elaborated and registered for Parliamentary consideration.  On October 14, 2009 the Draft Law was adopted in the first reading. The Draft Law provides clear definition of non-profit status of BSPs and will simplify registration procedure of BSPs.
 

Oksana Remiga, UNDP Senior Programme Manager presented UNDP Local Development Projects, which include “Crimea Integration and Development Programme”, “Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme”, “Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme” and “Community–Based Approach to Local Development”. These projects apply community-based approach and introduce new mechanisms of community participation, which proved to be effective for solving various local social and economic problems.
 

UNDP/MGSDP teaches local communities how to select appropriate form of community-based organisation among Association of Co-Owners of Multi-Apartment Buildings, Service Cooperative for private sector and Public organisations for schools and kindergartens. It is important not to confuse BSPs with other forms of community organisations and take decision on form based on reliable  information.

The presentation at regular meetingwas aimed at introducing UNDP/MGSDP to new personal composition of Parliamentary Committee and to speed up bilateral cooperation.
 

Manuel Etter, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Country Director described the assistance the Swiss government provides to Ukraine for adopting participatory approach through projects UNDP/MGSDP and Despro. “SDC is facilitating decentralisation in Ukraine through finding specific local solutions and not copying foreign models”.  To support decentralisation in Ukraine, SDC supports projects in elaborating best mechanisms for community-based participation and piloting projects in rural and urban Ukraine.
 

Oleksandr Omelchenko, Head of Committee said that that mutual understanding on goals and mechanisms for strengthening local self-governance and decentralisation was reached at the meeting. He suggested invigorating the cooperation by signing new agreement for cooperation of UNDP and Parliamentary Committee in context of new personal composition of the Committee.
 

All participants agreed that financial, legislative and administrative obstacles to self-sufficient local government can be overcome only at the central level. The first steps should be adopting the Law on Administrative and Territorial Order and clear definition of distribution of authorities of central government and local self-government bodies.
 

UNDP/MGSDP was initiated in 2004 for promoting democratic governance aimed at improving the livelihoods of people in urban areas across Ukraine under the framework of public-private partnership.
 

The Programme cooperates with local communities of citizens, academia, small businesses and civil society organizations in 23 municipalities and 5 settlements of city type across Ukraine and other partners in private and public sectors. Together they apply various sustainable development mechanisms.
 

Since 2004, UNDP/MGSDP supported 200 local community projects with a total cost of UAH 23.7 mn. For more information on the Project's activities, please visit: http://msdp.undp.org.ua