Yalta (AR Crimea), 29-30 November: Over 70 participants representing mayors from UNDP partner municipalities, Ukrainian government officials, UN Development Programme and other international organisations have identified priorities for local self-governance and decentralisation reform in Ukraine. Forum participants shared best practices and discussed the prospects of housing and municipal economy reform, decentralisation of power and achieving sustainable development in Ukrainian municipalities.
The participants of the National Forum of Partner Municipalities (NFPM) included mayors and other decision-makers from 24 partner municipalities and settlements cooperating with the UNDP-led Project “Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme” (UNDP/MGSDP), as well as the Project's national partners like the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Economy of Ukraine, Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Building and Local Self-Governance of Ukraine, Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Swiss Cooperation Office and donor-supported projects.
While opening the forum Vyacheslav Nehoda, Director of Regional Policy and Local Self-Governance of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, said: "The Project has brought huge benefits not only to the partner municipalities, but also to other cities through generated experience, practices and elaborated documents. The Government thanks the international partners of the Project, for without their help it would be difficult to conduct such work”.
The Project UNDP/MGSDP aims to develop effective approaches and mechanisms for decentralised municipal governance for effective public service delivery. At this stage, the Project actively disseminates experience generated during 6-year period in 29 municipalities.
The Project mobilises local communities to unite, practice leadership and self-empowerment. In 6 years, local communities established 519 community organisations, members of which are more than 100 thousand residents of the municipalities. It is important that Project`s capacity development activities raise professionalism of local government officials and community activists. Overall almost 11 thousand people participated in 406 training activities on various aspects of decentralisation and effective local self-government. Only in 2010, the communities in the partner municipalities established 70 community organisations. 35 local community projects in 11 municipalities were approved for support worth USD 488232, that will benefit more than 25 thousand residents.
From 2004 to 2010 the Project supported 266 community projects worth USD 3 781 thousand. The part of the projects is related to energy saving and environment and includes the projects for reconstruction of water supply, heating and sewage systems, window insulation, as well as reconstruction of toilets in kindergartens. The rest of the projects are related to social area, such as façade repair, sports ground construction of drinking water fountains. Implementation of these projects benefited 165 thousand residents.
UNDP/MGSDP actively cooperates with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Economy of Ukraine. The Ministry and the Project are jointly developing training programme for professional development of members of Associations of Co-Owners of Multi-Apartment Houses (ACMHs) and organisations that provide services for operation and maintenance of Multi-Apartment Houses. The Project`s experts participate in working groups of the Ministry on improving existing legislation on ACMHs. Also, the Project supported organisation of the Congress on institutional and technical aspects of the reform of housing and municipal economy of Ukraine (9-11 November, 2010).
To provide greater power to communities in cities of Ukraine, the Project cooperates with the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine. This year the partner municipalities implemented the European Strategy of Innovation, some municipalities made the first steps for introduction of inter-municipal cooperation. For familiarising Project`s partners with international practice and experience of inter-municipal cooperation, the workshop on the development of inter-municipal cooperation was organized on November 29 together with the Council of Europe Programme "Strengthening local democracy and support to local self-government reform in Ukraine. During the workshop, international experts have presented the experience of Germany, Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia to resolve the problems of fragmentation of municipalities and improving the quality of services delivered to the public.
In 2010 the project started cooperation with the National Academy of Public Administration of Ukraine to review the curriculum "Decentralization and effective local governance" (together with the project "Support to Decentralisation in Ukraine" ("DesPro"), implemented by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation).
Owing to UNDP/MGSDP, the quality of municipal services and management is improved in partner municipalities. The Project provided support to the five partner municipalities in developing project proposals for introducing quality management system and their implementation (Voznesensk, Dolyna, Kirovske, Novograd-Volynskiy and Lviv).
In course of discussions and presentations, the participants have worked out recommendations to be taken into consideration by UNDP/MGSDP management and donor agencies for improving the Programme implementation to bring maximum benefit for the Ukrainian citizens.
The participants of the Forum thanked the outgoing Chairperson of the NFPM Bodgan Bilyk, Department Head on Economic and Integration Development of Executive Committee in Ivano-Frankivsk City Council for chairing the NFPM in 2010. During the Forum they elected the new Chairperson of the NFPM for 2011 - Valeriy Vesnianyi, Tulchyn City Mayor.
The partner municipalities of UNDP/MGSDP are: Bakhchysaray (AR Crimea), Voznesensk (Mykolayiv Region). Galych (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), Hola Prystan' (Kherson Region), Dzhankoy (AR Crimea), Dolyna (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), Zhytomyr, Іvano-Frankivsk, Kagarlyk (Kyiv Region), Kalynivka (Vinnytsia Region), Kirovske (Donetsk Region), Krasnogvardiyske (AR Crimea), Lviv, Mykolayiv (Mykolayiv Region), Mohyliv-Podilskiy (Vinnytsia Region), Novovolynsk (Volyn Region), Novoozerne (AR Crimea), Novograd-Volynskiy (Zhytomyr Region), Nyzhnegorskyi (AR Crimea), Pervomayske (AR Crimea), Rivne, Rubizhne (Lugansk Region), Saky (AR Crimea), Scholkine (AR Crimea), Tulchyn (Vinnytsia Region), Ukrayinka (Kyiv Region), Vinnytsia (Vinnytsia Region), Yevpatoria (AR Crimea), and Zuya (AR Crimea).
Presentations of the participants can be found at UNDP/MGSDP web-site in section “Documents and Publications of the Project”.
For more details, please, contact Galyna Smirnova, UNDP/MGSDP Monitoring and Communication Officer, by tel: (044) 584-34-75 or e-mail: galyna.smirnovaATundp.org.ua
The participants of the National Forum of Partner Municipalities (NFPM) included mayors and other decision-makers from 24 partner municipalities and settlements cooperating with the UNDP-led Project “Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme” (UNDP/MGSDP), as well as the Project's national partners like the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Economy of Ukraine, Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Building and Local Self-Governance of Ukraine, Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Swiss Cooperation Office and donor-supported projects.
While opening the forum Vyacheslav Nehoda, Director of Regional Policy and Local Self-Governance of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, said: "The Project has brought huge benefits not only to the partner municipalities, but also to other cities through generated experience, practices and elaborated documents. The Government thanks the international partners of the Project, for without their help it would be difficult to conduct such work”.
The Project UNDP/MGSDP aims to develop effective approaches and mechanisms for decentralised municipal governance for effective public service delivery. At this stage, the Project actively disseminates experience generated during 6-year period in 29 municipalities.
The Project mobilises local communities to unite, practice leadership and self-empowerment. In 6 years, local communities established 519 community organisations, members of which are more than 100 thousand residents of the municipalities. It is important that Project`s capacity development activities raise professionalism of local government officials and community activists. Overall almost 11 thousand people participated in 406 training activities on various aspects of decentralisation and effective local self-government. Only in 2010, the communities in the partner municipalities established 70 community organisations. 35 local community projects in 11 municipalities were approved for support worth USD 488232, that will benefit more than 25 thousand residents.
From 2004 to 2010 the Project supported 266 community projects worth USD 3 781 thousand. The part of the projects is related to energy saving and environment and includes the projects for reconstruction of water supply, heating and sewage systems, window insulation, as well as reconstruction of toilets in kindergartens. The rest of the projects are related to social area, such as façade repair, sports ground construction of drinking water fountains. Implementation of these projects benefited 165 thousand residents.
UNDP/MGSDP actively cooperates with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Economy of Ukraine. The Ministry and the Project are jointly developing training programme for professional development of members of Associations of Co-Owners of Multi-Apartment Houses (ACMHs) and organisations that provide services for operation and maintenance of Multi-Apartment Houses. The Project`s experts participate in working groups of the Ministry on improving existing legislation on ACMHs. Also, the Project supported organisation of the Congress on institutional and technical aspects of the reform of housing and municipal economy of Ukraine (9-11 November, 2010).
To provide greater power to communities in cities of Ukraine, the Project cooperates with the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine. This year the partner municipalities implemented the European Strategy of Innovation, some municipalities made the first steps for introduction of inter-municipal cooperation. For familiarising Project`s partners with international practice and experience of inter-municipal cooperation, the workshop on the development of inter-municipal cooperation was organized on November 29 together with the Council of Europe Programme "Strengthening local democracy and support to local self-government reform in Ukraine. During the workshop, international experts have presented the experience of Germany, Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia to resolve the problems of fragmentation of municipalities and improving the quality of services delivered to the public.
In 2010 the project started cooperation with the National Academy of Public Administration of Ukraine to review the curriculum "Decentralization and effective local governance" (together with the project "Support to Decentralisation in Ukraine" ("DesPro"), implemented by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation).
Owing to UNDP/MGSDP, the quality of municipal services and management is improved in partner municipalities. The Project provided support to the five partner municipalities in developing project proposals for introducing quality management system and their implementation (Voznesensk, Dolyna, Kirovske, Novograd-Volynskiy and Lviv).
In course of discussions and presentations, the participants have worked out recommendations to be taken into consideration by UNDP/MGSDP management and donor agencies for improving the Programme implementation to bring maximum benefit for the Ukrainian citizens.
The participants of the Forum thanked the outgoing Chairperson of the NFPM Bodgan Bilyk, Department Head on Economic and Integration Development of Executive Committee in Ivano-Frankivsk City Council for chairing the NFPM in 2010. During the Forum they elected the new Chairperson of the NFPM for 2011 - Valeriy Vesnianyi, Tulchyn City Mayor.
The partner municipalities of UNDP/MGSDP are: Bakhchysaray (AR Crimea), Voznesensk (Mykolayiv Region). Galych (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), Hola Prystan' (Kherson Region), Dzhankoy (AR Crimea), Dolyna (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), Zhytomyr, Іvano-Frankivsk, Kagarlyk (Kyiv Region), Kalynivka (Vinnytsia Region), Kirovske (Donetsk Region), Krasnogvardiyske (AR Crimea), Lviv, Mykolayiv (Mykolayiv Region), Mohyliv-Podilskiy (Vinnytsia Region), Novovolynsk (Volyn Region), Novoozerne (AR Crimea), Novograd-Volynskiy (Zhytomyr Region), Nyzhnegorskyi (AR Crimea), Pervomayske (AR Crimea), Rivne, Rubizhne (Lugansk Region), Saky (AR Crimea), Scholkine (AR Crimea), Tulchyn (Vinnytsia Region), Ukrayinka (Kyiv Region), Vinnytsia (Vinnytsia Region), Yevpatoria (AR Crimea), and Zuya (AR Crimea).
Presentations of the participants can be found at UNDP/MGSDP web-site in section “Documents and Publications of the Project”.
For more details, please, contact Galyna Smirnova, UNDP/MGSDP Monitoring and Communication Officer, by tel: (044) 584-34-75 or e-mail: galyna.smirnovaATundp.org.ua
