May 10, Kyiv: International mission on introduction of the toolkit “Measuring Rule of Law in Public Administration” visited Ukraine. As part of the mission the participants met representatives of the Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Building and Local Self-Governance, the Association of Ukrainian Municipalities and the Academy of Municipal Management. In context of the mission, international experts will visit the city of Lviv, Yevpatoria and Feodosiya for selecting pilot municipalities and will select a national agency which will pilot the toolkit in Ukraine.
The participants of the mission included Shane Quinn, consultant of Folke Bernadotte Academy (Sweden), Per Bergling, Professor of Law, Principal Legal Adviser, Folke Bernadotte Academy and Patrick Keuleers, Senior Policy Adviser, UNDP Bureau for Development Policy, New York.The meeting was also attended by Angela Malyuga, Head of the Secretariat of the Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on State Building and Local Self-Governance, and Olena Ursu, Governance and Sustainable Development Expert of UNDP/MGSDP.
The Mission participants described the toolkit "Measuring Rule of Law in Public Administration" and said that Ukraine was chosen as the second country for piloting the tool. This self-assessment tool helps governments and donor organizations identify, better understand, and more effectively address rule of law problems in administrative agencies and processes in transition, post-crisis and developing countries. It assesses rule of law according to six commonly accepted principles derived from international and human rights law – legality, accessibility, right to be heard, right to appeal, transparency and accountability - and categorises the findings into structural, institutional and access-related problems.
Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Building and Local Self-Governance can become an important strategic partner in introducing the toolkit as a method promotes adherence to the rule of law in local self-governance.
Angela Malyuga, Head of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Committee reported that the Committee is currently working to amend the Law of Ukraine "On local self-governance" (1997) and the Committee will include proposals of cities` associations and international experts to update the law to reflect the interests of local government and meet international standards.
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
