Визначення понять - british council€¦ · web viewtaking the lead in cbs by...

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE LOCAL DECISION-MAKING

PROCESS

Guide

AGENCY FOR LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES

Guide on Citizen Participation in the Local Decision-Making Process

KYIV-2012

CONTENT

INTRODUCTIONS 3

SECTION 1. Framework for citizen participation 6

SECTION 2. Legal basis of local cooperation 8

SECTION 3. Objectives for local authorities and non-governmental organisations in terms of enhanced citizen participation

11

SECTION 4. Policy cycle and cooperation of authorities and public at the local level 13

4.1. Stages of the policy cycle 13

4.2. Levels of citizen participation and policy cycle 17

SECTION 5. Cooperation instruments of authorities and citizens at the local level in Ukraine

22

5.1. Local referendum 22

5.2. Public evaluation of executive bodies’ activities 23

5.3. Consultations with community 24

5.4. Community Boards 27

5.5. Residential general meetings of citizens 30

5.6. Self-organization associations of citizens 32

SECTION 6. Recommendations to the authorities on enhancing citizen participation in the local decision-making process 36

SECTION 7. Community engagement methods 40

AFTERWORD 50

ANNEX The recommended protocol for signing by representatives of the local authorities and NGOs 51

MINI-PROJECTS prepared by coalitions of NGOs and local authorities 54

© Project “The Citizen and the State: Developing Partnership for Good Governance in Ukraine” 2


Introduction by Martin Dowle, Director, British Council Ukraine

Ever since the days of the ancient Greek city-states, democracy has started close to home. How we organise the governance of our neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities is fundamental to effective and healthy living.

Democracy is more than turning up every few years at the ballot box. To function effectively, it requires free flows of information, interaction between civil society and institutions, respect for the individual citizen, and mechanisms which facilitate consultation in the run-up to decision-making.

No one system of governance need be superior to any other. Each society needs to work through the most effective mechanisms for itself, respecting the immutable nature of democratic principles.

The strength of the ‘Citizen and the State’ project over the past two years has been the ability to draw together local civil society representatives in Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts with local authorities and expertise from the United Kingdom to build on the Council of Europe guidelines of citizenship participation in decision making.

This guide sets out how effective participation can take place in the Ukrainian context, and is the result of practical experience of the two years of the project on the ground.

The British Council, which exists to share knowledge and understanding between the UK and other societies, is proud to have managed this project, and to have worked with the Association “Socio-Economic and Strategies and Partnerships”, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, local authorities in the Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts (at both oblast and district level), and a range of civil society organisations.

I should like to thank all the partners, and to acknowledge the funding of the European Commission which has enabled the project to take place. I should like to thank Christine Forrester, strategic adviser for the project, and the British Council staff who have worked in such a dedicated manner to make the project happen.

I hope this guide proves to be a lasting legacy from the project, and that it helps influence the development of public participation in local government decision making not just in the pilot districts, but more widely across Ukraine.



Introduction by Christine Forrester, Strategic Adviser to the Project

This Guide has been produced to bring together the results of the Citizen and the State programme, which has been jointly implemented by The British Council in Ukraine, ALI and SESP. With our partners in 12 pilot areas – Donetsk, Telmanovo rayon, Novoazovsk rayon, Amvrosiyevka rayon, Makeyevka, Krasnoarmiysk, Luhansk, Alchevsk, Bryanka, Lysychansk, Severodonetsk and Kremennaya – we have explored ways in which local authorities and administrations can engage more effectively with citizens and ensure wider participation of citizens and NGOs in local decision-making.

Using the Council of Europe Guidelines on Citizen Participation in Decision-Making as the base of our work, we have explored, through workshops and pilot mini-projects that have involved both local authorities and NGOs, different ways in which citizens can be more active partners with local authorities in enabling change in their localities.

This Guide includes the Framework for participation, developed collaboratively with our participants, which we hope will provide a model for other authorities. It has been developed as a protocol, which could be signed and published as a public affirmation of a commitment to wider citizen engagement. The Guide also includes an overview of current Ukrainian legislation, which enables wider citizen activism and participation and our recommendations for changes to the legislation that would ensure effective democratic government at the local level.

The final section of the guide includes some practical tips for effective engagement and also some case studies, drawn from our pilot area, which demonstrate the difference that more effective citizen engagement can make.

We are extremely grateful to the European Commission for their funding support for this project, to our pilot regions and all of the participants, who took part in workshops and in the mini-projects. Hundreds of people have been involved through these activities.

We hope this guide will be a contribution to ongoing discussions in Ukraine about citizens and the state. We also hope it will prove useful for other local authorities who we hope will find the adoption of the Framework a valuable contribution to increasing the effectiveness of their decision-making with active engagement of their local citizens.



Introduction by Olena Chebanenko, Expert, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives

Local self-governance is a level of public authority which is the closest to citizens. As a system of vehicles for addressing locally significant challenges, this field implies the most effective use of resources available to communities for the needs of an individual territory and its residents. The subsidiarity principle underpinning the exercise of power at the local level and being a key democratic standard of municipal government declares, firstly, limited interference of the central government in resolution of local issues and, secondly, the maximal direct engagement of territorial community members in the process of exercising authority in an individual territory. Local governance is therefore a complex of an institutional framework as well as procedures and mechanisms of direct democracy, which secure the maximal impact of citizens on local policy making. Functioning of both elements mentioned above requires an appropriate legal framework. Stipulation by law of certain space for local initiative, aimed to secure an adequate linkage between governance and self-organization, is however a pledge of compliance with democratic standards at the local level.

It follows from the above that responsibility for effectiveness of the local self-governance system is borne not only by governmental bodies which form a respective system but also by members of a territorial community. In this context it is necessary to ensure close liaison between local government institutions and citizens. Efficacy of such interaction, in its turn, requires some mechanisms in place, which imply:

- liaison of local representative bodies (local councilors) with community;- transparent operation of local self-government bodies;- responsibility of local councilors to a territorial community;- efficient administration systems of local funds.

Effective institutional organization of local self-governance is primarily competence of the central government level which is responsible for development of a respective legal framework, whereas efficiency of the collaborative mechanism between authorities and community at the municipal level is directly dependent on both the legal framework and implementation means of opportunities offered by law, which are selected at the local level.



1. FRAMEWORK FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

Non-Governmental Organisations and organised civil society are essential contributors to the development and realisation of democracy and human rights. In democratic societies, decision-making powers are given to elected representatives, who will ensure the implementation of their decisions through the Executive bodies of the state at either national or local levels. Where powers, responsibilities and resources are passed to the level of Local Authorities, for policy making and resource allocation, it is essential that decision-making is based on good policy principles and effective planning processes. European practice recognises that increasing the rights of citizens to play a role in decision-making, not solely through their elected representatives but through a range of mechanisms, brings benefits of their views and interests to the policy making process and also connects citizens more closely to the democratic process. Non-Governmental Organisations in particular bring benefits of knowledge and independent expertise to the policy process. NGOs are formed by and represent a multiplicity of interests in society and communities and can act as a key channel for participation and engagement of citizens.

Local development in Ukraine is ensured by 2 levels of governance: local self-governance and local executive bodies.

Fig. 1

The primary governance element at the local level is a territorial community i.e. dwellers united by permanent residence in a village, township, city which are independent administrative and territorial units, or a voluntary association of dwellers of several villages with a common administrative centre. It

© Project “The Citizen and the State: Developing Partnership for Good Governance in Ukraine”

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE LOCAL EXECUTIVE POWER

A right of a community exercised in accordance with the procedure

established by law directly and through representative local self-government

bodies which are not public authorities.

An element of the system of public authorities; is delivered by local state administrations which

act in line with authorities stipulated by law within respective individual administrative and territorial units and are responsible for discharge of powers

delegated by local Councils.

Oblast State Administrations

Rayon State Administrations

Local State Administrations in Kiev and Sevastopol

City, Village and Township Councils

Rayon and Oblast Councils

Self-organization Associations

Executive Committees

6


is not only villages, townships and cities that are administrative and territorial units but also oblasts, rayons and city districts. Considering up-to-date democratic local governance tendencies, a critical role in addressing challenges of local significance and identification of local development vectors is played by civil society organizations which have to effectively represent and protect the interests of territorial communities, specifically those related to liaison with local self-government bodies and local administrations.

1. Local self-governance is a right of a territorial community, exercised in accordance with the procedure established by law directly or through representative local self-government bodies that do not belong to state authorities. The latter are elected bodies comprising Deputies, which represent the interests of a territorial community and make decisions on its behalf.

The local self-governance system comprises:

- village, township and city Councils entitled to establish their own executive bodies for direct discharge of functions and implementation of decisions within statutory powers of local self-government bodies (it is the city state administrations which act as local executive bodies of the City Councils in Kyiv and Sevastopol);

- Rayon and Oblast Councils representing joint interests of villages, townships and cities;- self-organization bodies of population, which are set up by a number of dwellers who are

temporary or permanent residents of a certain area within a village, township or city.

2. Local executive bodies are local state administrations that belong to governmental bodies and exercise executive authority within established powers in the territory of a certain administrative and territorial unit as well as exercise powers delegated by a respective Council.

The local executive authority system comprises:

Oblast state administrations; Rayon state administrations; City state administrations in Kyiv and Sevastopol.

3. Civil society organizations (CSOs) are voluntary civil formations set up on the basis of unity of interests for joint exercising of citizens’ rights and freedoms; the goal of establishing a CSO shall be other than obtaining a profit. Citizens’ associations are independent from state authorities and can act as political parties or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The main objective of the political party operation is participation in formation of authorities and policy making, whereas non-governmental organizations are set up to satisfy and protect legal social, economic, creative, age, national and cultural as well as sport and other joint interests; NGOs may rank national, local or international. It is therefore activities of NGOs, which are of key importance in effective engagement of citizens in the decision-making process.



2. LEGAL BASIS OF LOCAL COOPERATION

Considering the nature of local governance which shall realistically take into consideration and reflect the interests of citizens, the territorial development has to be based on a constructive cooperation of four elements:

1. Citizen who represents a specific community;2. Civil society organizations which shall represent and protect group interests of citizens;3. Local self-government authorities and their executive bodies which represent the interests of

territorial communities and are vested with certain authorities to secure respective interests;4. Local executive bodies which shall provide for a balance of local and national interests.

Fig. 2

Each territorial community has a wide range of interests and therefore needs a fast response of all elements of the local governance system to local challenges. CSOs are an important participant of the democratic development and protection of human rights at the local level. Institutionally, decision-making in democratic societies is a task of elected representatives whereas the actual implementation of decisions is a prerogative of executive authorities of representative bodies. To use available resources in the most effective way, it is of particular importance for local self-government to have the decision-making process underpinned by the principles of good governance. It is typical of best European governance practices to have the citizens’ role enhanced in local policy making not only through delegation of power to elected representatives but also owing to various instruments of direct community engagement. CSOs are then to offer scientific and expert support to the policy making process. By accumulating and generalizing local interests, they have to act as the main channel for engagement of citizens in decision-making procedures.


LOCAL COOPERATION LINKS

Citizens

Local government authorities and their executive bodies

Local executive bodies

Representatives of a specific community

Representation of citizen group interests and advocacy

Representation of territorial community interests and discharge of specific powers to protect relevant interests

Securing the balance of local and national interests

8

Community-based organizations


It is of crucial importance that legislation specifies the terms of reference of local self-government bodies and administrations, proceeding from various considerations. If local administrations adhere to the principle “Whatever is expressly stipulated by law is allowed”, local self-government bodies follow the principle “Whatever is not prohibited by law is allowed”. This means that in addition to cooperation vehicles between authorities and community, which are expressly stipulated by law, the latter can make use of a whole range of other instruments allowing to engage community in making important decisions in the most effective way.

Fig. 3

Local self-governance in Ukraine is exercised on the principles of grass-roots democracy, legitimacy, transparency, collegiality, pooling of local and national interests, electivity, legal, organizational and financial independence as well as judicial protection of community rights. As to local state administrations, their activities are based on the principles of responsibility to the individual and the state, supremacy of law and legality, priority of human rights, transparency, pooling of local and state interests.

Both local self-government bodies and administrations are legally bound to cooperate not only with each other but also with a community (including CSOs) in order to most effectively satisfy and protect its interests.

Local self-government bodies are accountable to, under the control of and responsible to territorial communities, whereas the state is to support and secure local self-governance


LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE LOCAL EXECUTIVE POWER

Interests of community

Civil Society Organisations

The principle is:Whatever is not

prohibited by law is allowed

The principle is:Whatever is expressly

stipulated by law is allowed

9


Officers of respective bodies are to report about their activities to territorial communities at regular times but not less than twice a year (they inform about implementation of socio-economic and cultural development programs, execution of the budget and other issues).

A territorial community may terminate the authority of local self-government bodies and officers, should they infract the Constitution or laws, limit citizens’ rights and freedoms, inadequately exercise the power vested.

Local state administrations are to cooperate with citizens’ associations (political parties, civil, religious organizations, trade unions and their associations).

Citizens’ associations may submit their proposals for consideration by local administrations as well as attend meetings where such issues are reviewed and provide necessary explanations.

Individual citizens may apply to local executive bodies to address issues within the competence of the latter; administrations are to make decisions and provide a substantiated response within the period stipulated.

In addition, administration officers personally receive citizens.

Thus, analyzing specific aspects of local development, it should be taken into account that local governance implies cooperation of both local self-government bodies and administrations with a community (CSOs in particular) as well as responsibility to the latter for decisions made.

Local self-governance is a citizens’ right which shall not be restricted subject to race, color of skin, political, religious or other convictions, sex, ethnical or social background, a property status, period of residence in a certain territory, language or other attributes.

Local executive power is a governance level which belongs to the vertical of state authority and is responsible for discharge of functions vested by the state to practically resolve local problems in the interests of a specific community. In other words, it is the citizen and community which shall be considered the main source of local authority and serve the subject of decisions made.

The approach described above, which involves improved operational efficacy of local self-government bodies and administrations and maximal participation of citizens in local policy making, offers a wide range of objectives to governance bodies and CSOs.

3. OBJECTIVES FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL



ORGANISATIONS IN TERMS OF ENHANCED CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

OBJECTIVES FOR THE LOCAL AUTHORITYRecognising the role of NGOs and that effective citizen participation in decision-making accords to European norms, the Local Authority will operate within the following principles:

1. In order to achieve effective decision-making and use of resources, the Local Authority will adopt a policy and planning cycle that:

Identifies the ways in which citizens can be engaged at all stages of the cycle Identifies the appropriate mechanisms that will be used to ensure effective citizen

engagement

2. The Local Authority will ensure the transparency of its decision-making processes by: Ensuring information about meetings is widely disseminated, to enable citizens to attend Providing access to information, including relevant documentation, on policy

recommendations and budgets Providing feedback on the results of decision-making to citizens Adopting as a local statute this framework to ensure transparency

3. The Local Authority will ensure their accountability to the citizen by: Ensuring transparency of decision-making processes Enabling citizens to attend meetings and to ask questions and request information from

elected and appointed officials Enabling wide citizen participation in decision-making processes Widely publicising the results of decision-making processes Adopting as a local statute this framework to ensure accountability

4. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) will be acknowledged by the Local Authority as key channels of participation through which the interests of citizens can be represented. The Local Authority will recognise that they are free and independent bodies in respect of their aims, decisions and activities. They have the right to act independently and to advocate positions different from those of the authorities with whom they may otherwise co-operate. The Local Authority will recognise the contributions that NGOs can make in:

Advocating Information and awareness building Expertise and advice Innovation Service provision Watchdog role

5. The Local Authority will ensure that the contributions of NGOs and citizens to the decision-making process without discrimination. It will acknowledge the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and in particular freedom of expression (Article 10) and freedom of assembly and association (Article 11).



6. The Local Authority will also support the development of an enabling environment for NGO and wider citizen participation. This will include:

Acknowledging the rule of law Adherence to fundamental democratic procedures Political will to ensure effective participation The implementation of legislation Clear procedures for participation Long term support for a sustainable civil society Creation of conditions for dialogue and co-operation including access to resources

(financial, human and physical) to enable the development of dialogue and participation

OBJECTIVES FOR NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS

Non Governmental Organisations will ensure that:1. They are transparent and accountable in their operations, providing information to both the authorities and to citizens about their activities.

2. They aim to develop good practice in relation to governance, including transparency and accountability, financial procedures, and ethical practices.

3. Where they are representing the interests of groups of citizens, they will consult on the issues that they are proposing and will ensure that their views are accurate and representative

4. When presenting evidence or policy cases to the local authority, they will ensure that these are demonstrably based on evidence, that information is not falsified in any way, nor misrepresented

5. They take part in opportunities offered to them for participation effectively and with respect for the processes that have been developed. Whilst keeping the right to challenge, lobby and advocate, they will respect the legitimacy of the democratically accountable institutions that have the legal right to decision-making.

4. POLICY CYCLE AND CO-OPERATION OF AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC AT THE LOCAL LEVEL



4.1. Stages of the policy cycle

Policy making involves taking a political decision or several decisions which should contribute to resolution of a certain problem of local significance. The process of reaching political decisions at the local level implies answers to the following questions (Fig. 4):

Fig. 4

For effective policy- and decision-making it is required to follow several stages which will allow addressing a problem in a comprehensive and considerate way. These stages form a so-called POLICY CYCLE, an analytical instrument which was recommended by the Council of Europe Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-Taking Process and is widely used in democratic countries.


EFFICIENCY OF POLICY: WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED

How can a political decision be made?

How can an effective political decision-making process be secured?

How can a decision taken contribute to resolution of a specific problem of local significance?

Who is authorized to take decisions? What is the legal framework for decision-making?)

Who is a political decision aimed at? What tools have to be used to ensure the maximum compliance of a problem with its solution? What resources are available?

To what extent does a decision made promote resolution of a specific problem? Does a decision reached cause new/additional problems?

13


The policy cycle as a whole and each of its stages are underpinned by fundamental principles which allow to efficiently engage citizens in dealing with issues of both national and local significance. The principles are described below.

Key Principles in the Policy Cycle

The stages of the policy cycle will take account of the following key principles in policy decision-making, which the Local Authority will adopt:

Policies should be innovative and creativeEffective use of resources means that new solutions may need to be found to problems. This may involve changing the way in which services are delivered. Those who are affected by such changes have a right to be consulted and to express their views about the way in which such changes will affect them. NGOs can provide evidence on the possible impact of service changes, and can also offer innovative approaches to service and policy delivery. They may have specific experience of providing services that test out new ways of addressing policy issues.


Agenda Setting: Developing Proced ures Providing in formation Inviting submissions – Public Hearings, and forums Joint committees and work groups

Drafting: Minimum standards for public consultation Access to policy drafts Expert seminars

Decision: Access to policy documents Public hearings, citizen juries, participative budgeting Decision making held in public

Implementation: Open and transparent tendering Development of strategic delivery partnerships

Monitoring and Evaluation: Citizen and consumer feedback mechanisms Regular meetings with CSOs on progress Expert research and inputs

Reformulation: Review of evaluations through committees, expert meetings Consultations, public hearings etc


Policies should be joined upPolicy interrelationships should be identified, to ensure that the policy being designed does not have a negative impact on other policies, and to ensure synergies with other policy areas. NGOs who represent or work with particular groups who may be affected by a policy (either directly or indirectly) should be involved in discussions about possible negative impacts and positive benefits of proposed policies. All policies should be assessed for their relationship to wider priorities and policy objectives.

Policies should draw on existing knowledge and experienceIf understanding of a problem is insufficient, there is a risk of an inadequate or inappropriate response being developed. This is an area where NGOs can bring knowledge and expertise about problems and issues to the policy discussion. Sharing experience can also stimulate innovation – particularly where the external views and knowledge from NGOs can contribute to the analysis of the problem and challenge assumptions about how a policy is expected to work in practice.

Policies should be forward lookingPolicies need to work in practice and options should be developed against a range of different circumstances that may arise when a policy is implemented. NGOs can help in the assessment of policy options, from their knowledge and experience.

Policies should use evidenceThe needs and characteristics of any group that will be specifically affected by a policy need to be understood. In particular, risks in relation to implementation of a policy with a specific client or target group need to be identified. Evidence should also include the overall costs of the policy over time, including the costs of any adverse impacts of the policy and how therefore it may, for instance, increase costs in another policy area. NGOs can provide evidence from their work with target and client groups and their local communities, including statistical information and case studies.

Policies and performance against polices should be evaluated and reviewed Lessons about the performance of other polices should be reviewed and the proposed policy assessed against this learning, in design and implementation. Review and evaluation of policies may highlight gaps in provision, identify where implementation is not proceeding as intended, or where adverse or negative effects are arising. NGOs have a key role to play in assisting with evaluation and review – through specific evaluative activities involving their members and client/target groups and through their independent ‘watchdog’ role, being able to alert The Local Authority to implementation failures or abuses that are arising from implementation. Review and evaluation are critical contributors to the processes of reformulation of policy, particularly where changes in resource allocation are needed.

All appropriate documentation will be shared as far as possible with NGO consultees. Public consultation events will be publicised widely and information that will enable effective participation in these events will be provided to participants.

Application of Policy Cycle as analytical instrument allows not only to take into account positions of all stakeholders but also to use resources (Financial, human, intellectual etc.) in the optimal way in dealing with a policy problem. The cyclic logic of policy-making contributes to a clear identification of the viewpoints of NGOs and authorities.



POLICY CYCLE STAGE

WHAT DOES IT COVER? MECHANISMS

Agenda setting Understand and formulate the problem; Identify the need for a policy; Identify social groups likely to be affected by a

policy directly or indirectly (beneficiaries); Determine how best to meet the needs of the

beneficiaries

Provision of information; Inviting submissions; Public hearings and

forums; Joint committees and

work groupsPolicy drafting Establish mechanisms for consultation with

citizens and NGOs; Engage stakeholders in consultation and dialogue

processes; Review information and evidence about the

problems as well as a political, economic and social background;

Set overall objective for policy; Generate and assess policy options. For each

option:- Examine how the option will operate in the

real world;- Identify and assess potential risks to

implementation and delivery;- Examine implementation conditions;- Identify and allocate resources (financial,

human, intellectual etc.) that would be needed for each option;

- Assess cost effectiveness of each option, taking into account non-cost and financial factors;

Finalize option appraisal and identify the optimal or preferred option

Establishing minimal standards for public consultations;

Ensuring access to policy drafts and related information;

Delivery of expert seminars

Decision-making

Ensure all relevant documentation has been appraised, and provides the case against which the decision can be made

Ensure all relevant costings and financial information are available

Ensure that those involved in the policy- and decision-making are provided with all relevant information

Communicate results of the policy decision and its expected impacts

Access to documents related to a policy problem and draft decision;

Public hearings, citizen juries, participative budgeting;

Decision making held in public

Policy implementation

Ensure appropriate objectives have been set for implementation

Set key milestones (indicators) towards achievement of policy

Open and transparent tendering;

Planning and development of strategic



Draw up a monitoring and evaluation plan Train staff engaged in implementation to acquire

the right knowledge and skills Organize contracts with organizations which

support is required for policy implementation Effective management of policy implementation Enable NGOs to monitor the implementation

efficiency

partnership

Policy monitoring and evaluation

Collect information about how the policy is implemented

Monitor and measure performance Evaluate against policy objectives Review resources allocated Review knowledge and skills to ensure effective

delivery

Use of collected information (feedback) about the implemented policy;

Regular meetings with NGOs;

Expert research and analytics

Policy reformulation

Identify and disseminate good practice Review policy effectiveness and lessons learned Use learning to reformulate existing or to identify

new policy problem

Expert research and analytics;

Policy review through committee meetings, expert consultations, public discussions etc.

4.2. Levels of citizen participation and policy cycle

To ensure effective citizen participation in the policy making, the Council of Europe Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-Taking Process proposes various levels of participation to be allowed for by both authorities (particularly local authorities) and NGOs.

Level of participation

Description What does it include? Policy cycle stages

Information Open and easy access to relevant, accurate and timely information is fundamental in relation to both the transparency and accountability of policy. Information should be accessible to citizens and NGOs to enable them to efficiently undertake their watchdog roles.

Decision-making procedures of the local authority

Documents relating to policy design

Documents relating to draft decisions and decisions to be implemented

Documents and shorthand reports of consultations and other social events

Continuous coverage of information on websites of

Important for all policy cycle stages



engaged entities Consultations Means whereby local authorities

and NGOs widely discuss various ways of addressing a specific policy topic. It is anticipated that during consultations the local authorities collect and generalize views and ideas which may turn to be quite different. The topics often originate with the local authorities rather than the citizens.

Public hearings and round tables, with stakeholders to identify topical issues and collect proposals

Expert seminars and meetings aimed at the development of expert recommendations on problem solution

Sessions or committee meetings, with opportunities for public questions and comments

Social events, conferences, forums and seminars to inform and discuss the implementation of policy with NGOs and the public

Important for all policy cycle stages

Dialogue Two-way communication between the authorities and NGOs and citizens. Broad dialogue is often not specifically connected to a particular issue or a current policy development process. It is a common means for discussion of issues between the authority and NGOs. The agenda for discussions can therefore be set by either side. Collaborative dialogue is built around a specific policy development. It will be more focused and arises from a topic or issues raised through the broad dialogue mechanisms. It is important for identification of the stages of the policy implementation strategy, and therefore often leads to joint recommendations, draft regulatory decisions and policy initiatives.

Regular meetings for an exchange of views and specialized meetings to address a particular topic or issues

Authorities’ and NGOs’ feedback to the meetings held

Important at the stages of agenda setting, policy drafting and reformulation

Partnership A Partnership implies shared responsibilities in the policy

Engagement of NGOs at the policy making or

Important at the stages of policy



process. Partnerships are more usually developed for the design and implementation of specific polices or projects, where NGOs may be engaged to assist with delivery.

implementation stage NGOs have the right to

remain independent, to launch campaigns related to respective policy issues;

Potential co-decision-making (for example, in setting local budgets).

drafting, decision-making and implementation

The Council of Europe’s “Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-Taking Process” provides a ground for development of the engagement matrix of NGOs and local authorities in the policy making process. The matrix is given in the table below.

STAGES AGENDA SETTING POLICY DRAFTING

DECISION IMPLEMEN-TATION

MONITORING

ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Adv

ocat

ing

NGOs bring up issues that are topical for community as well as actualize problems and needs of a specific group. As a rule, these issues and problems are neither regulated by law nor addressed at the political level

Guarantees of considering the needs and interests of all stakeholders influenced by policy

Influence on senior officers prior to decision-making (voting)

Monitoring aimed at publicizing information as to whether the intended policy initiative objectives are achieved

Info

rmat

ion

and

awar

enes

s bui

ldin

g NGOs share their views and opinions with local authorities and act as channels to reach citizens, providing information

Informing all stakeholders (particularly citizens) about the policy making process

Informing stakeholders about a policy and its potential impacts

Focus on awareness raising, explanation of benefits and limitations as well as impacts of political decisions



Exp

erts

and

co

nsul

tatio

nsAn expert analysis and research contribute to actualization of specific issues for authorities and society as well as to development of major approaches to solution of existing problems

An analysis and research on topical issues as well as raising additional priorities to be put on agenda

Detailed analysis for information and influence on senior officers

Fundraising for conducting research on impacts of a specific policy

Inno

vatio

ns

Development of new solutions and approaches as well as demonstration of how they can be put on agenda

Proposed solutions of topical issues through use of new approaches, practical solutions, new models, which will help resolve topical issues and meet the interests of specific groups

Serv

ice

prov

isio

n

NGOs as key process participants can offer alternative or new services to citizens

Input into policy design with an allowance for the needs of specific stakeholders as well as creation of conditions to meet those needs

A key participant of implementation of the initiative usually bears prime responsibility for the outputs

Responsibility for monitoring of outputs in respect of their quality, efficiency and sustainability

Wat

chdo

g ro

le

Following the policy making process to ensure it is transparent and maximal consideration is given to the interests of citizens

Following the decision-making process, ensuring it is democratic, transparent and effective

Evaluation and ensuring that policy is delivered according to the specified plan without negative impacts

Evaluation of whether the initial policy objectives are achieved

ROLE OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES



Info

rmat

ion

shar

ing

Provision of accurate, timely and updated information to all stakeholders in an accessible format.Procedures: development and support of a transparent decision-making process; ensuring simple and understandable civil participation procedures

Provision of timely and complete information about the consultation process

Provision of information about the policy being implemented

Provision of information about implementation of strategies and procedures

Provision of information about all stages of policy delivery

Proc

edur

es

Development of and compliance with minimal standards of consultations (setting goals, identification of minimal participation rules, timeframe etc.)

Proposals and following the procedures and mechanisms for co-decision- making

Observance of established rules and standards of conduct

Prov

isio

n of

res

ourc

es

Encouragement of active civil society engagement through allocation of budgetary funds and other material support

Meeting of due deadlines and provision of appropriate resources for consultations to ensure participation of various representatives of civil society

Creation of conditions for support of active civil society participation and NGO engagement at the decision-making stage

Ensuring active civil society participation at the state of implementation through allocation of budgetary funds or other material support

Res

pons

iven

ess

Ensuring active participation of authorities; skills of listening, properly responding and establishing feedback

Ensuring active participation of authorities; skills of listening, properly responding and establishing feedback

Acceptance of civil society contribution

Openness and response to specific problems related to the policy implementation environment

Response to specific issues raised by representatives of civil society

The Local Authority will use the widest range of approaches possible to ensure that the views of all sections of the community can be taken into account in decision-making and to engage NGOs in effective dialogues and other participation mechanisms. Any methodology not specifically prohibited by law can be used for these purposes. The Local authority will not be constrained by those approaches which are specifically mentioned in the law, but should use as many different mechanisms as possible



5. COOPERATION INSTRUMENTS OF AUTHORITIES AND CITIZENS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN UKRAINE

5.1. Local referendum

A local referendum is a method for acceptance by citizens of regulatory legal acts and other socially significant local decisions by voting.

Local referendums are the prerogative of territorial communities: according to the Constitution of Ukraine the territorial communities facilitate holding local referendums and practical implementation of their results.

In terms of their contents local referendums are the form of direct local democracy that provides for realization of local public power directly by local communities on the territory of relevant districts.

Local referendum is a main means of local lawmaking of territorial community that allows relevant communities to take part directly in local governance.

The current Law “On Ukrainian National and Local Referendum” was passed in 1991 and is obsolete. It is now time to revise it, the law as amended will firstly stipulate bringing the referendum provisions in line with electoral laws and secondly take into account objective reality of local development and allow to make a local referendum an effective mechanism for citizens’ influence on decision-making.

The main problem today is formal obligatoriness of local referendum resolutions. On the one part, the current law stipulates that decisions made at a local referendum have a larger legal effect than resolutions of local Councils in which territory the referendum is held. The law also stipulates the possibility of holding a consultative local referendum which results may be allowed for by local self-government bodies and officers when adopting respective regulatory legal acts. Considering a limited list of grounds for holding a compulsory local referendum, regulations on a consultative referendum have for a long time offered an opportunity to neglect the expression of citizens’ will. Since a direct expression of citizens’ will is crucial to policy making, a local referendum has to become a priority form of expression of community will in respect of addressing locally significant issues.

In September 2010 the Cabinet of Ministers submitted Draft Law “On Local Referendum” No. 7082 for consideration of the Parliament, which was approved by the Parliament in its first reading on 19.04.2011. The Draft Law has a number of critical limitations. Even if passed, the Draft Law will hardly expand the capabilities of citizens to exert influence on solution of locally significant problems. Specifically, the Draw Law limits a list of issues to be put to a local referendum; the only issue of the kind left is reorganization and liquidation of acting municipal preschool educational institutions. The list of such issues however requires a substantial expansion. Similarly to the current Law, the procedure for initiation, organization and holding of a referendum is set forth in such a way that local self-governance bodies can easily block up putting to a referendum those issues which solution is beyond the interests of local authorities.



In addition, the legal regulation quality of the procedure for initiation, organization and holding of referendums is sensibly inferior to that of the election procedure regulation.

Despite the available complications, direct will expression of citizens is of key importance for effective policy making. A local referendum has therefore to become a priority form of community will expression in addressing local problems. With the above in view, development of an appropriate environment for participation of community members in local governance through local referendums requires a crucial revision of the legislation.

5.2. Public evaluation of executive bodies’ activities

Public evaluation of executive bodies’ activities is the assessment of the executive bodies’ activities and of the efficiency of adoption and implementation of taken decisions aimed at developing proposals for resolving community significant problems.

To create adequate conditions for citizen participation in public policy making, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Regulation No. 976 “On Approval of Procedure for Promotion of Public Evaluation of Executive Bodies’ Activities”, dated 5 November 2008. This document offered opportunities for NGOs to be engaged in design and monitoring of state policy, specifically at the local level.

Who initiates? NGOs shall send a letter of enquiry to executive bodies; Within 3 days, the executive body shall issue an order for carrying

out an evaluation and taking actions required to prepare respective materials; it sets up a working group for preparation of materials if required;

The executive body shall consider the developed proposals at the next board session with engagement of the civil society institute which made the evaluation; develop and approve actions aimed at implementation of the proposals.

How informing is being secured?

The executive body shall: notify the civil society institute about initiation of public evaluation

and the content of the order; post information about conducting public evaluation on its own

website within 7 days; publicize the proposals developed by the CSO on its own website; issue a written response to the civil society institute as to reviewing

results of the expert proposals and planned actions as well as publicize respective information through media within 10 days.

What are the outputs?

Executive bodies allow for public evaluation results in their work

Limitations of legislative regulating of the public evaluation of executive bodies’ activities



Legislation makes no provisions in respect of obligatoriness of considering public evaluation results directly in the decision-making process of authorities. In other words, even if the proposals are reviewed at a session of an executive body, there is no guarantee they will have an impact on a specific resolution of one or another issue.

Legislation on promotion of public evaluation is recommendatory when it comes to local self-government bodies’ activities. This means that use of the community expert potential by this local governance branch depends on political will of individual officers.

A request for public evaluation may be sent only in writing, which means that the use of electronic communication channels is limited. This falls short of up-to-date tendencies of e-governance expansion in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Legislation stipulates no professional requirements to civil society institutes which initiate the evaluation as well as to their experts. In fact, any legalized non-governmental organization may forward to an executive body a request for conducting public evaluation. If the expert potential of the requesting civil society institute is inadequate, it may engage external experts, though a direct obligation to do so is not legally stipulated. Inability of one or another civil society institute to conduct an adequate evaluation may discredit the importance of such cooperation instrument in the eye of both local authorities and community.

As a rule, public evaluations are funded by a civil society institute on its own account. The potentiality of attracting resources from stakeholders is limited as there are no respective legal regulations. Willingness and possibility of an executive body to allocate certain funds for public evaluation depend on the object, place and time of evaluation.

Legislation stipulates no mechanisms for preventing a conflict of interests during public evaluation. It may happen that experts involved have professional or financial obligations to the evaluation object, family ties with representatives of authorities etc. In such a case independence of public participation is at risk.

5.3. Consultations with community

Consultations with the community are the mechanism of organized by the executive bodies discussion of developing and implementation of state policy aimed at engagement of citizens into the local governance, provision of opportunities for their free access to information about executive bodies’ activities, as well as provision of openness and transparency of the relevant bodies activities. Consultations are held on the issues concerning socio-economic state development, realization and protection of human rights, satisfaction of their political, economic, socio-cultural and other interests.

Consultations with the community are one of the most wide-spread instruments of local democracy, as they allow building diversified and productive dialogue between the authorities and community directly.

To engage public in the process of policy decision-making, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Regulations No. 996 “On Securing the Public Engagement in State Policy Making and Implementation”, dated 3 November 2010. The Regulations laid down a procedure for holding consultations with citizens, which is based on the Standard Provisions, at a Ministry, other central executive authority, the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, oblast, Kyiv and Sevastopol state administrations.



Who initiates? Consultations are organized and held by a body which is the main developer of a draft regulatory legal act or prepares proposals for a specific area of state policy; it collects and publicizes information, prepares proposals and analyzes results;

Consultations are held according to an annual plan made by executive bodies with an allowance for proposals of Community Boards; NGOs may initiate consideration of off-schedule issues (if examination of issues is initiated by at least 3 civil society institutes, consultations are to be compulsorily held);

Who is entitled to participate?

Local self-government bodies can be engaged into consultations; For holding consultations with the community the initiator

(executive body) who involves the relevant Community Board has to take measures for representation of different social groups, entrepreneurs, CSOs, local self-governance bodies and other counterparts.


A consultation plan shall be approved prior to the beginning of the year and publicized on the website of the executive authority or otherwise;

During the consultations executive bodies shall provide complete information about their progress to media;

Public consultation results shall be publicized within 2 weeks of their completion.


Executive bodies shall allow for results of public consultations when making the final decision or in their further work.

Executive bodies shall draft a report, based on public discussion results.

Consultation with the community can be held in the form of public discussion with the community and public opinion research (Fig. 5).



Fig. 5

Limitations of legislative regulation of public consultations:

Public consultation results are allowed for by executive bodies when taking the final decision on a specific problem OR in further work. An abstract potentiality of taking such results into account in ‘further work’ opens the way for authorities to neglect respective issues.

Systematic public consultations are recommendatory rather than mandatory for local self-government. The efficiency and format of using this instrument depend on political will of specific officers.

It is a Community Board and civil society institutes rather than individual citizens, who may enter some issues in the approved public consultation plan. At the identification stage of topical issues of the political agenda and in the context of the unstructured civil society and poor instruments for liaison with citizens, the above restricts the capability of an individual to bring up issues before authorities.

Local self-government bodies may, but are not obliged to, be engaged in public consultations. This limits consistency of policy making in regions and may result in disregard of some important issues which have to be considered when executive bodies take decisions.

Law stipulates that when holding public consultations, an executive body shall ensure representation of different social groups, economic entities, civil society institutes, local self-government bodies and other stakeholders. The procedure for securing such representation is not


Consultations with community

Public discussion Public opinion research

Forms of public discussions:

conferences, forums, public hearings, round tables, gatherings, meetings with public;

TV and radio debates, webcasts, e-consultations (through the informational resource “Civil society and authorities”, websites of executive bodies)

Public opinion research is conducted with the help of opinion surveys and social studies, establishment of telephone ‘hot lines’, monitoring of comments, interviews, review of other materials, summarizing questions and proposals set forth in citizens’ requests.

Public proposals during public discussions may be submitted to respective authorities in verbal, written and electronic form; anonymous proposals are not registered.

To arrange for a public opinion research, executive bodies may enter into agreements with research institutions, specialists, experts, civil society institutes et al.

26


however specified, responsibility for non-compliance with representation requirements not established.

According to laws, one of the main channels for publicizing information about holding, the process and results of public discussions is websites of local authorities. Considering that not all the local authorities have their official sites, informing practices may be inadequate (specifically, capabilities of local self-government bodies may be limited). This also applies to quality of e-consultations.

5.4. Community Boards

Community Board is a permanent collective elected consultant-advisory body created for provision of citizen participation in state governance, affecting public control over the activity of state authorities, for taking into consideration positions of community when developing and implementing the state policy.

In addition to establishment of a procedure for public consultation of local executive bodies, Regulations No. 996 “On Securing the Public Engagement in State Policy Making and Implementation” of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated 3 November 2010, obliged the above bodies to hold constitutive meetings within 3 months in order to set up Community Boards. The Cabinet of Ministers also approved the Standard Provisions on a Community Board at the Ministries, another central government executive authority, the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Oblast, Kyiv and Sevastopol City, Rayon as well as Kyiv and Sevastopol District State Administrations.

What are the main tasks and rights of a Community Board

A CB develops and submits proposals and amendments to a public consultation plan to the authority it is set up at and organizes such consultations;

A CB submits proposals to the authority as to drafting regulatory legal acts pertaining to state policy design and implementation;

A CB collects, summarizes and submits proposals of NGOs to the authority, which address socially significant issues, monitors consideration of public proposals and criticisms in decision-making;

A CB conducts public evaluation and public anti-bribery evaluation of draft regulatory legal acts;

A CB organizes social events; A CB submits its annual operational reports; A CB sets up standing and as hoc bodies and engages in its work

representatives of administrations and local self-governments, international and domestic specialists of expert and research institutions, enterprises, organizations etc.;

A CB obtains from the authority information required for its operation (particularly draft regulatory legal acts to be consulted with public);

The authority where a CB is set up renders logistical support to its operation.

How it is being set Representatives of all civil society institutions legalized according to



up? Ukrainian laws can be elected as CB members; CB members are elected at a constitutive meeting by preferential

voting for candidates who voluntarily expressed their wish to join the CB and were nominated by civil society institutes; there may be elected one representative of each civil society institute;

The CB term of office is 2 years; the number of members is approved by the constitutive meeting;

To set up a CB, an authority creates an initiative group to prepare a constitutive meeting with involvement of civil society institutes; if a CB is set up, 60 days prior to expiry of its term of office the CB creates an initiative group for forming a new CB composition; applications for membership cease to be admitted 10 calendar days before; the CB composition is approved by the authority on the basis of the minutes of the constitutive meeting;

How it works? The Head responsible for running the CB and his deputies are elected from amongst CB members by preferential voting;

The CB Secretary functions may be performed by an employee of a PR structural subdivision of the authority, who is not a CB member;

CB operational forms are open sittings conducted as required but no less than once a quarter; sittings may be attended by an authorized representative of the authority in an advisory capacity; other persons may take part in sittings at the invitation of the Head;

A CB passes its resolutions by open voting by a simple majority of the attending members; in case of equal distribution of votes the Head casts the deciding vote;


Information about the CB creation and operation is provided through the official website of the authority where the CB is set up or in any other acceptable way;

The authority should publicize all information about holding the constitutive meeting on its website or in any other acceptable way not later than 30 days before the meeting;

Resolutions of the authority, which are passed after considering the CB proposals, should be communicated to CB members and publicized within 10 days of their passing with an indication of the recommendations allowed for or reasons for their rejection.


CB resolutions are recommendatory and shall be obligatorily examined by a respective authority.

Despite the fact that setting up Community Boards as a legislative obligation for administrations and a recommendation for local self-government bodies has become an important step on the way to the enhanced public engagement in the decision-making process at the local level, CBs have not yet turned into an instrument of effective influence. The first experience of their formation indicated that authorities haven’t yet learned to cooperate with public in the most effective way, on the one part, whereas civil society institutes themselves have proved to be unprepared for adequate self-organization and cooperation, on the other part. Monitoring of CB operation demonstrated that the requirements of Regulations No. 996 of the Cabinet of Ministers were mostly violated by unconscientious activists of



initiative groups assigned to prepare constitutive meetings. It is essentially explained by lack of understanding of the functions and role by civil society institutions. In some cases however the CB formation procedures were broken by authorities.

Below are given the most commonly encountered breaches of the community boards formation procedures:

- groundless denial of participation of civil society institute delegates in constitutive meetings by initiative groups;

- transfer of constitutive meeting time by initiative groups without notification thereof of all participants of the meeting;

- falsifying the results of will expression of representatives of civil society institutes during constitutive meetings;

- refusal by senior officers of administrations to approve the composition of duly set up Community Boards.

Some initiative groups inadequately implemented provisions of Regulations No. 996, namely:

- introduction by initiative groups of additional criteria for participation of civil society institutes in constitutive meetings, which are not expressly stipulated by Regulations No. 996 (for example, non-compliance of the territorial status of a civil society institute with the level of the executive authority, the civil society institute is run less than two years etc.);

- introduction by initiative groups of requirements to civil society institutes to submit additional documents (copies of charters, state registration certificates of legal entities etc.);

- attempts by executive authorities to secure superiority of the organizations that are loyal to them in the CB composition or to restrict the participation of other entities in constitutive meetings through efforts of such organizations;

- taking the lead in CBs by representatives of political parties and acting Councilors representing the majority in respective local Councils;

- participation of the same representatives of some organizations in several CBs at different executive authorities.

Limitations of legislative regulation of community boards’ activities:

Systematic public consultations are recommendatory rather than obligatory for local self-government. In other words, formation of advisory bodies at respective authorities depends on political will of specific officers.

Legislation does not regulate the procedure for setting up initiative groups and holding constitutive meetings for CB formation in a sufficiently express way, neither does it stipulate any penalties for breach of the current procedure, which offers scope for abusive practice on the part of both authorities and unscrupulous civil society institutes.

Legislation stipulates no express quantitative requirements to the CB structure (it relates in particular to the number of commissions and committees, responsibility of Deputy Heads for specific directions of regional policy), neither does it prohibit delegation of votes to CB members.

Legislation makes no provision for terms of setting up community boards and their operation, namely: efficient publicizing of information about the operation of initiative groups and minutes of



constitutive meetings, time limits for the senior officers to approve the CB composition and for agreement on the Provisions on CBs.

5.5. Residential general meetings of citizens

Residential general meeting of citizens is a meeting of all or part of residents of a village (or villages), town aimed at addressing locally significant issues, they are a form of direct participation of citizens in dealing with local problems.

Law did not vest the general meeting with the right to adopt local normative acts but it may become the strongest form of direct democracy in terms of its impact on local authorities. The main advantage of the general meeting as a direct democracy instrument and a form of local self-government is organic embodiment of a collective social action: discussion of problems, reflection of a collective thought and taking a collective decision with engagement of community members. Each participant of the general meeting offers his opinion in one way or another, expresses his interest in a specific event, which may assume common value when matched against views and interests of other participants.

The general meeting of citizens serves a number of functions that are positive for community, namely:

• provision of information to dwellers by local self-government bodies;• obtaining or refining (confirming) information from the community;• promotion of active citizen engagement in local self-governance irrespective of political views;• it is a necessary element in creation of community self-organization bodies.

Alongside with positive aspects, some negative issues, topical for Ukraine, have to be mentioned:

• passivity of citizens, absence of proactive people as to holding the meetings;• unpredictability of meeting results;• decisions made are not always easy to implement.

The procedure for holding residential general meetings of citizens is stipulated by Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-governance in Ukraine”, Regulations of the Verkhovna Rada “On Approval of Regulations on Residential General Meetings of Citizens in Ukraine” and community charters.

What is the competence of general meetings of citizens?

consideration of any issues that are the authority of local self-governance according to the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, putting forward proposals to respective bodies and organizations;

discussion of draft decisions of Councils and community self-organization bodies in respect of important local issues;

hearing information presented by t senior officers of local self-government bodies, reports made by managers of companies, institutions and organizations which belong to communal property;

informing community about decisions made by Councils and their executive bodies as well as their implementation progress,



election of citizen committees and community self-organization bodies; approval of their charters (regulations), addressing the issue of early termination of their powers;

putting forward proposals related to transfer into communal property or sale of respective enterprises and organizations;

addressing issues of consolidating funds of population, enterprises, organizations and institutions for provision of community amenities, environmental protection etc.;

consideration of issues related to assistance to the disabled, war and labor veterans, lonely aged citizens, large families et al.;

discussion of issues related to involvement of citizens in accident management and disaster recovery, support to Councils and state bodies in mitigation of such consequences;

discussion of other issues affecting the interests of a respective community.

Who initiates? The general meeting of citizens is convened at their place of residence:- by the Head of a village, township, the Mayor or the executive body

of a respective Council, community self-organization bodies; - at the suggestion of at least one third of the total number of the

citizens residing in a respective communityWhat are the procedures?

The meeting is convened as required but not less than once a year and is competent if attended by more than a half of the citizens residing in a respective community and entitled to participate in the meeting, whereas in case the meeting of citizens’ representatives is convened, it is competent if attended by at least two thirds of representatives of respective communities;

The meeting preparation may be entrusted to both employees of the Council executive bodies and a working group comprising proactive community members;

The meeting is opened and presided by the Head of a village, township or the Mayor or his Deputy, whereas in case the meeting is convened by the decision of a respective community self-organization body, it is opened and presided by the Head of that body. To keep the minutes of the meeting, a Secretary is elected; a Presidium may be elected to run the meeting;

The agenda and procedure of the meeting are approved by the latter.What are the outputs?

Resolutions are passed by the majority of votes of the attending citizens by open or secret voting;

Based on results of the meeting, its minutes are drawn up and signed by the Head and Secretary of the meeting;

The general meeting of citizens is entitled to take decisions on early termination of the powers of community self-organization bodies;

Resolutions passed by the meeting within the framework of current legislation are compulsory for community self-organization bodies, as well as for citizens residing in a respective territory that shall be taken into consideration by local self-government bodies;



Resolutions of the general meeting, which comprise requests or proposals to respective Councils and their executive bodies, managers of companies, institutions and organizations, are not compulsory but shall be considered by the above within the period stipulated by law.

The specifics of legislative regulation of the procedures for holding residential general meetings of citizens:

Quality and efficacy of using the general meeting of citizens as a cooperation instrument of authorities and public are often dependent on will of a specific City Council.

Legislation of Ukraine permits a local Council to refine the procedure for convening, holding and consideration of resolutions of the meeting in each community.

It is the local Councilors who are to determine how to hold the general meetings in a respective community so as to avoid the situation when the local life is turned into permanent meetings, on the one part, and to ensure the general meetings are held even if some local senior officer for any reason makes an objection, on the other part.

It is stipulated that each local Council shall develop and approve mechanisms for exercising the right to hold the general meetings in a specific community. It is legalized either by a separate section/chapter of the local Charter or by the Regulations on Meetings, approved by the Council decision.

Considering broad power of local Councils in respect of establishing the general meeting procedure, the impact of this instrument on making important community decisions might be limited.

5.6. Self-organization associations of citizens

Territorial self-organization of citizens is the right exercised by community in the form stipulated by law to independently and within its responsibility uphold its interests in regard to locally significant issues, which is effected directly or through set up territorial self-governance bodies. Self-organization associations of citizens (hereinafter “SOACs”) are representative bodies established by legal residents of a village, township, city or their parts to address objectives provided for by law.

Under legislation of Ukraine, Village, Township, City and District Councils (if available) may allow to set up building, street, quarter and other SOACs on the initiative of their dwellers and vest them with some of their powers, funds and property.

The legal status, organizational and operational procedure of community-based SOACs are defined by law, specifically by the Constitution of Ukraine, Law “On Self-Organization Associations of Citizens” and other laws, Enactments of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, central government and local executive bodies as well as by decisions of respective local self-government bodies and resolutions of local referendums, territorial community statutes, orders of the Heads of Village or Township Councils, Mayors, the Heads of District Councils (if



available), Regulations on SOACs, resolutions of community-based meetings (conferences) of dwellers who elected SOACs. The above means that the legal framework regulating SOAC activities is rather wide though desuetude of some regulatory legal acts (specifically, “On Self-Organization Associations of Citizens” and “On Local Self-Governance in Ukraine”) requires conceptual revision of relevant legislation.

Despite the inadequacy of current regulation, the institute of territorial self-organization of citizens as that of direct democracy in the local self-governance system is of great significance:

Firstly, it is the closest to citizens; Secondly, it ensures close links between SOAC activities and everyday interests of community.

In other words, structuring of territorial community through self-organization is an effective way of its addressing issues of local significance.

What are the SOAC types available?

SOACs of settlements – Village and Township Committees; SOACs of city districts which dwellers form a territorial community

though the community is not an independent local self-governance entity (such SOACs may be set up if a respective City Council takes a decision against establishing District Councils within the city);

SOACs set up by some dwellers of a settlement (building, street, quarter and residential area committees).

How are they set up? Voluntariness Territoriality Controllability and responsibility to respective Councils; Financial and organizational independence.

What are their specific operational principles?

Initiation of SOAC establishment. Community-based meetings (conferences) of dwellers may turn with an initiative of setting up a self-organization body to their Village, Township or District Council (if available), provided the meetings were attended (represented) by at least a half of the dwellers of a respective territory, who are entitled to vote. Community-based meetings (conferences) of dwellers also elect an initiative group which members will represent the interests of the dwellers participating in the meeting (conference) at a respective local Council. A resolution of the meeting (conference) is passed by a majority vote of the attendees.

Filing an application for setting up a SOAC to a respective Council. The initiative group files an application for setting up a SOAC to a respective Village, Township, City or District Council, which is supplemented with the Minutes of the community-based meeting (conference) of dwellers, covering the issue of establishing a SOAC, with an indication of the main lines of its activity, as well as a list of attendees of the community-based meeting (conference) of dwellers.

Obtaining a permit for setting up a SOAC. A permit is granted by a respective Village, Township, City or District Council. The issue of establishing a SOAC, submitted for Council consideration, shall be looked into at the nearest meeting of a respective Council with participation of members of the initiative group of the community-based meeting (conference) of dwellers. The Council decision on granting a



permit to set up a SOAC shall by all means indicate the name of the SOAC, its main lines of activity, powers and conditions for their discharge as well as the territory within which the SOAC will operate.

Election of SOAC members. SOAC members are elected by a community-based meeting (conference) of dwellers, subject to the equal right to vote, by secret ballot of legal dwellers of a specific area. The general SOAC composition is defined by a community-based meeting (conference) of dwellers. The meeting (conference) organization is the responsibility of the Executive Committee of a respective Village, Township, City or District Council (if available).

Approval of the SOAC Regulations. A meeting (conference) of dwellers approves the SOAC Regulations. Control over observance of the SOAC Regulations is imposed on the Council and its executive body which registered the SOAC.

SOAC legalization. Legalization of a SOAC is mandatory and effected by registration or notification of its establishment. Registration confers a legal entity status to a SOAC. A SOAC is registered by the Executive Committee of a respective Council. To register a SOAC, representatives authorized by a community-based meeting (conference) of dwellers shall file an application and submit documents specified by law to a registration body.

What are the main functions?

to represent, together with elected officers, the interests of dwellers of a respective building, street, residential district, village, township or city at a relevant local Council and its agencies as well as local executive bodies;

to put forward proposals to local draft programs for socio-economic and cultural development of respective administrative and territorial units as well as local draft budgets in accordance with the established procedure;

to engage community on a voluntary basis in activities aimed at protection of historical and cultural heritage, disaster clean-up operations, construction and repair of roads, pavements, utilities and shared facilities;

to monitor quality of services delivered to the dwellers of apartment buildings in the territory of a respective SOAC;

to support educational institutions, cultural and sport organizations; to assist elderly people, the disabled, bereaved families of soldiers and

servicemen, low-income and large families as well as lonely citizens, orphan children and children void of parental care;

to assist law enforcement bodies in their maintenance of public order according to law;

to keep record of the citizens living in the territory covered by a respective SOAC by their age, place of work or training;

to support elected officers of a respective local Council in organization of their meetings with voters, reception of citizens and other work in election constituencies.

Limitations of legal regulation of SOAC activities:



SOACs are actually of double nature: they are set up by citizens who are allowed to do anything which is not prohibited by law, however they start operating only after official registration by relevant local self-governance bodies. This means that, on the one part, SOACs are a form of community participation in addressing local problems and discharge the powers delegated by relevant Village, Township or City Councils, which enables us characterizing them as government agencies which have features in common with local self-governance bodies. On the other part, SOACs are run on a voluntary basis (exceptions can be made only in case of their managers). In addition, the double nature of SOACs results in their double subordination: to respective Councils and the dwellers who elected SOACs. With the above in view, SOACs have individual features of both a public authority and an NGO, which often obscures their nature for citizens and representatives of authorities.

The SOAC establishment procedure is rather complicated, which hinders a large-scale creation of such entities. In fact, their legalization by authorities is double: initially a respective Council takes a decision on granting a permit for setting up a SOAC with an indication of its operational territory and then registers the SOAC. The unduly bureaucratized procedure discourages dwellers from initiation of such entities.

The SOAC development rate is greatly dependent on the position of respective Councils. Though legislation offers an opportunity to set up SOACs on the initiative of citizens, the position of a local Council as to this issue should be quite active, specifically in terms of protecting the rights of specific community groups. After all, an area may be often inhabited by groups of citizens with potentially competing interests. Each of such groups may declare they represent the interests of some territorial entity, while trying to use the SOAC legal status. Hence, to realistically allow for the interests of the majority of citizens, local authorities should exercise in a considered way their legal right to grant a permit on SOAC registration on a mandatory basis. Saying that, if many SOACs are registered, respective Councils will not be able to duly cooperate with them on an individual basis for objective reasons, which will result in inadequate consideration of proposals and initiatives of citizens.

The complicated procedure for holding meetings (conferences) of dwellers opens the door to violations during their holding, which often becomes a case at law.

The scope of SOAC potential powers is not expressly limited by law. As a result, SOACs fulfil nonrelevant functions in the interests of some stakeholders.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE AUTHORITIES ON ENHANCING CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN THE LOCAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

To introduce the principles and mechanisms of cooperation of authorities and public at the local level, which are stipulated by the Council of Europe Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the



Decision-Taking Process, the following steps should be made, allowing for instruments of citizen engagement in policy making, provided for by Ukrainian laws:

In terms of improved efficiency of local referendums:

Adoption of a redrafted law on a national and local referendum, which will bring this institute in compliance with other regulatory legal acts of Ukraine as well as stipulate a generally binding nature of local referendum decisions made for a respective territory in regard of issues falling within competence of a territorial community.

In terms of improved efficiency of public evaluation of local authority activities:

to extend a generally binding nature of statutory provisions, regulating the public evaluation process, over activities of local self-government bodies;

to provide for an opportunity to send electronic requests for public evaluation of authority activities;

to provide for a generally binding nature of consideration of public evaluation results in policy decision-making; if an authority believes that the evaluation conducted is of inadequate quality or does not cover the issues under discussion in full, it shall provide the community and NGOs with clear and substantial explanations of the reasons for its position;

to provide for by law the mechanisms for prevention of a conflict of interests in public evaluation of local authority activities;

to oblige local authorities to allocate/provide for local budgetary funds for public evaluation; to organize training of NGO members in effective techniques for public evaluation of local

authority activities; one of the ways is identification by authorities of a pool of NGOs responsible for delivery of training.

In terms of improved efficiency of public consultations:

to provide for obligatoriness of consideration of public consultation results by local authorities in taking final decisions (particularly the views of beneficiaries of a specific policy);

to extend a generally binding nature of statutory provisions, regulating the public consultation process, over activities of local self-government bodies;

to provide individual citizens with an opportunity to put forward proposals in respect of the issues to be covered by public consultations;

since issues of local significance are competence of all local authorities, local self-government bodies shall be by all means engaged in public consultations of local executive bodies;

to provide at the community level for a mechanism ensuring representation of different social groups (particularly beneficiary groups) at public consultations.

In terms of improved operational efficiency of Community Boards:

to improve a general openness of initiative group work owing to regular publicizing of their composition, current documents and decisions made on the official website of the authority where the Community Board is set up;



to provide for an obligatory advance notification by the initiative group of civil society institute delegates as to their exclusion from participation in the constitutive meeting with an indication of respective reasons;

to introduce a clear procedure for appeal of wrongful acts or passivity of initiative groups in respect of constitutive meeting participants;

it is expedient to elect Deputy Heads of Community Boards allowing for their fields of activity, they may also act as the Heads of CB standing commissions;

to determine to number of CB commissions/committees in the ratio: 1 commission per 10 CB members;

to amend Regulations No. 996 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in terms of introducing the exact time limit for approval of the Regulations on CBs by an executive authority;

Community Boards shall approve their own procedures, which allows to structure and at the same time simplify the organization of CB operation;

to provide for an express provision on prohibition of delegating the voting right by CB members in the Regulations on CBs;

to bring the Regulations of CBs in conformity with the rules and procedures of the authority where such CBs are set up;

to specify the time limit for publicizing the information prepared by initiative groups, including their decisions (particularly in respect of the reasons for denying participation in the constitutive meeting);

to specify the time limit for publicizing the constitutive meeting minutes; to specify the time limit for approval of the CB composition by a senior officer with an

indication of an exhaustive list of cases when he can’t approve the CB composition; to specify the time limit for approval of the Regulations on the CB by a senior officer with an

indication of an exhaustive list of reasons for which he might not approve the Regulations; to prohibit participation of several civil society institutes relating to one organizations in a

constitutive meeting aimed at setting up a CB; to design a procedure for appeal of wrongful acts of an initiative group in preparation of a

constitutive meeting, including a list of reasons for revocation of a resolution of the constitutive meeting;

to encourage the participation of sectoral civil society institutes and organizations of similar focus in constitutive meetings.

In terms of improved efficiency of residential general meetings of citizens:

to oblige local Councils to adjust the procedure for residential general meetings of citizens or introduce amendments to the current regulatory activity so that the meetings are held regularly and have a realistic impact on local decision-making.

In terms of improved efficiency of people self-organisation bodies (PSB):

to specify clearly the legal status of people self-organisation bodies and their members in the legislation of Ukraine;

to simplify the procedure of opening PSB, reducing the dependence of their legalization from the local authorities’ will, simplify the procedure of holding residential meetings (conference);



to stimulate the activity of local councils when setting up PSB with the aim of proper representation and protection of residents’ interests through the institute of self-organisation;

to stipulate more clearly in the legislation specific powers that might be delegated by local council to the PSB.

For active usage of different levels of citizen engagement into the decision-making process at the local level it is necessary to increase effectiveness of:Information:

Local authorities and public organizations should constantly inform each other, as well as their communities about their activities and co-operation through web sites, mass media, open events, press-conferences and briefings, public hearings, announcements and banners, it is necessary to use in full the potential of social media. Any information materials on the activities of local authorities and public organizations are to be widely disseminated. Deputies of local councils, as well as political parties have to report regularly to community about their activity.

Local councils should take decision on the mechanisms of access to information about regulating documents adopted by them or their executive committees, allowing feedback;

Information-methodological centres are to be created by local authorities and public organizations in order to raise the quality of informing citizens;

Social advertising should be the subject of co-operation between local authorities and public organizations;

The analysis of needs in information should be conducted before effective informing and it should be made through polls, research of public opinion etc; local authorities and public organizations should discuss and identify the most effective information channels for informing citizens.

Consultations: Consultations with the public can be made in different formats (public hearings, round tables,

social and expert polls, on-line discussion, questionnaires, public reception office and “trust boxes”, trainings and seminars, public expertise, holding at site reception by public organizations and further forwarding of citizens opinions to local authorities in the form of information notes etc);

Consultations with public should be schedules and held in accordance with territorial community statutes;

Efficient explanatory campaign should be organized before holding public consultations; Consultations should be held in convenient for public hours; Local authorities should constantly inform public organizations and communities about

discussed and adopted regulatory documents; Representatives of local authorities should participate in territorial meetings; The intensity and contents of public consultations should not depend upon the political situation

in the region; Local authorities should nominate experts for public consultations with due diligence. It would

be sensible to create in co-operation of local authorities and public organizations a database of field experts who can be addressed on specific questions.



Citizens should have a right to address local authorities or specific representative through mass media. Both citizens and public organizations should be able to submit specific questions into the agenda of relevant local council.

Dialogue and partnership: The dialogue and partnership of local authorities and public organizations should be regulated; Local self-governance bodies should facilitate the development of local self-organisation

bodies; Strategies for development of cities/towns/villages should be prepared in co-operation of local

authorities and the public.

To raise the efficiency of the mechanisms of information, consultations, dialogue and partnerships it is necessary to encourage local authorities to hold systematic meetings with the representatives of civil society organizations as well as their training aimed at needs analysis of communities and elaboration of joint ways of their satisfaction.

7. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT METHODS

This section of the Guide provides some practical points and some ideas for types of events that can increase citizen engagement. Common types of engagement events (Round Tables, Focus Groups etc) have not been specifically included, but it is hoped that some of the ideas here may encourage those involved in connecting citizens and authorities to think about how these types of events are organised, and some possible techniques that can be used in public forums and meetings are noted. In



addition, a few examples of some alternative methodologies for consultation and discussions are provided. It is hoped the practical ideas in this section will help to make citizen engagement more effective.

Techniques to be used at the beginning of the engagement process

The results of community consultation activity are likely to be improved if thought is given to how the community (citizens and organisations) are informed and consulted before engagement takes place. Information and publicity before consultation activity is often promoted through posters, leaflets, information on websites, word of mouth, telephone calls, personal letters, press releases or invitations. Social media are increasingly used, particularly to reach target groups who are regular users of these media. Getting this right can often mean the difference between good meaningful contact or a negative response. Understanding the ways in which different target groups need to be reached through different means, and what their expectations are as to how they will be informed is important. A community which is not informed before any intervention technique is used to engage with them is then less able to participate to a fuller extent. It is often overlooked how important the preparatory work is in raising awareness in the community about events and processes that are being planned to find out their views and engage them in decision-making.

Surveys

Surveys are a useful way of gathering information on needs and attitudes – they are particularly useful if we want to find out what people think of a particular service or a change to a service. Everyone is familiar with the surveys – the following methodology is a different method of investigation to find out information that can form the basis of policy decisions involving the community and citizens:

Co-investigation

Co-investigation is a method of research inviting collaborating agencies and community members to identify issues and themes that are intrinsic to the community – which can be motivators for individual and collective action. Co-investigation is a process through which members of a community along with workers identify problems, issues and areas of local interest. They collect and analyse information, build capacity and gain local knowledge on a collaborative basis to build up a picture of the area they live and work in. It is particularly useful in communities to identify as possible areas for change and renewal and where environmental issues/need for improvements are important in an area. This exercise is also particularly useful in developing a community profile.

Method of co-investigation includes the following steps:

1. Identify key local groups in the community; then, working with members of groups and other citizens who are interested in being involved, encourage Individuals to reflect, analyse and record



what their thoughts and feelings are of the area. These reflections help to identify the focus of the Co-Investigation.

2. Identify the key agencies and types of provision in the area under investigation and any relevant local plans etc about the area.

3. Representatives of the key agencies will now recruit Co-Investigators from the local groups, to carry out an investigation/survey of the local area. This will include a Walkabout - using camera, tape recorder, notebook, etc. The Co-investigation teams will record feelings, thoughts, aspirations, issues about the area. These investigations may include: Interviewing people in cafes, workplaces, on the street – asking their views about the area Taking film and photographs of good and bad aspects of the area Finding out stories about the area – its history, people etc

4. The Co-Investigation teams will then plan the next steps, which could include: Organising a local public meeting to discuss the findings Organising an exhibition of photographs etc and asking the public to comment on what is displayed – what do the photographs say about the area; what do they suggest could be done in the way of improvements

5. The Co-Investigation teams will then draw up plans, identifying how and by whom improvements/activities can be undertaken. This can enable partnership working between authorities and communities to address identified issues.

Practical advice on running events

Venues for events

Think carefully about the venues you choose for events, and try to find a space where people will feel comfortable. A ‘neutral’ space is often a good choice. When you set up the meeting tryto avoid a traditional lecture or classroom style set up of tables and chairs with everyone facing the front. This layout often creates a division in the room between ‘important voices’ and ‘audience’. Instead get participants to sit in a circle or around small tables.If it is possible, make the room as inviting as possible by providing teas and coffees,welcome signs, and any appropriate decorations. Many facilitators like to make the room look and feel more like a café rather than a meeting room. This creates a less divisive, more relaxing atmosphere, and sets expectations of engaging in conversation rather than listening to speeches.

Discussion style

Meetings can be more effective if they are facilitated, rather than chaired.Simply put, this means being less controlling and helping the group to take the centre stage. Facilitation means supporting groups to work effectively together and to involve all participants in a meaningful way.



The role of the facilitators is to:• Set discussion tasks• Keep people to task and time Make sure everyone has their say• Writing up notes and feeding back views to the organisers of the meeting

Facilitated meetings often involve participants working in small groups, where the meeting has a larger number of participants, and feeding back their discussions to plenary sessions. It is important that these groups identify someone to take notes of discussions, either on a flip chart or in a note book. Event facilitators need to ensure they have the flip charts and notes from each small group at the end of the event.

Event planning tips

It is important to prepare an agenda for your event in advance. It should 1. contain clear objectives (so everyone has shared expectations of the day) and a realistic time frame.2. When you are planning your event try to keep it simple and ensure that as many participants as possible can be fully engaged.3. If you will be asking your participants to work in small groups without a facilitator besure to prepare clear written instructions for each breakout session.4. You should prepare your questions in advance. Good questions are the foundation ofa good consultation event. Try to ask open-ended questions that allow the discussionto keep flowing. For example questions beginning with ‘How’, ‘Where’, ‘What’ or ‘Inwhat ways’. Avoid asking closed or leading questions.5. Plan in advance how you will record people’s views and at the end of the event, ensure people present are informed as to what will happen next - how their views will be considered/taken into account; what the next steps of consultation/participation will be etc.

Facilitating effective discussion

Questions are useful to clarify generalisations and assumptions that the participants may bring with them. It is useful to distinguish between ‘closed’ and ‘open’ questions:Closed questions – these are designed to generate a yes/no response. They are oftenused to close down conversation, but can also be used to get affirmation or commitment. It is good to close down the session or focus on getting a final answer by using this type of question:• Does this make sense?• Do you prefer option one or two?• Can you live with this proposal?

Open questions – these questions are designed to stimulate reflection and discussionmaking yes/no responses impossible. It is good to begin with and to continue usefuldiscussions using this type of question:• What are the issues as you see them?• Why is that important to you?



• When did you first encounter this problem?

Try to avoid closed questions until the end of the discussions when you are trying to bring the conversation to an end. Up until this point try to use open questions that allow the participants to explore issues further.

Try to actively listen to conversations to find areas where people agree and disagree with each other. If people can’t all agree after the discussion then show them you are going to record all varying views.

Formats for Discussions:A useful format for a discussion around which you can build an event might be thefollowing: (examples of activities in parenthesis)• What is the situation now? (presentation, brainstorming and clustering)• What do we want to see in the future? (small group discussions and clustering)• What steps need to be taken to get from our current situation to the future hopedfor? (small group discussions)• Which of the steps and suggestions are most important? (prioritisation).

Some ideas for activities for events

Presentations/Examples/StoriesIf the group is not already familiar with the topic of your event it is often good to organise a presentation to get people thinking. The presentation shouldn’t be overly long and should bring home to the participants why the topic for discussion is important. One type of presentation that can be valuable is asking someone to share a relevant personal experience (Stories). Try to make sure it will be relevant to the whole group and that it allows generalisations to be made from it as a starting point for discussion. An interesting version of the story option is to present (using power point for instance) several contradictory examples or visions for the future (Scenarios)and ask the participants to consider what they think the benefits and downsides are to the different scenarios.

Voting with your feetDesignate one wall of the room as ‘agree’ and the opposite side as ‘disagree’. The centreof the room represents ‘unsure’. Read out a statement and ask the participants to position themselves along a line between the two sides according to how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement.

Once people have chosen where they want to stand you can ask a few people to explain why they have chosen to stand where they are. When all sides have been heard you can ask the participants if anyone has changed their mind and wants to move based on the arguments put forward.

This activity is good for people who aren’t comfortable speaking up in large groups as it allows them to express their views without having to talk. It can be good to start this activity with a test statement on an unrelated topic. Note down how the participants generally agreed, disagreed or were divided on each statement. Statements can include any of the issues under discussion at the event.

Brainstorming



Brainstorming is a way of generating lots of ideas from a group. The golden rules of anybrainstorming exercise are that all contributions are welcome and that contributionsshould be short and fast paced. The purpose of the exercise is to generate a large number of undeveloped ideas and then to work as a group to find themes of thinking and to explore initial thoughts further. When looking for new ideas it is useful to split the main group into pairs or small teams or even to ask them to think on their own as individuals; the ideas generated are then shared with the whole group. A practical way of doing this is asking people to focus on an issue and write as many ideas down on post-it notes as possible in their small groups in a timed exercise and then stick all of the ideas up together on the wall. The next step is to looking through the post-it notes generated as a group with the facilitator leading, and to group similar thoughts into a few key ideas.

ClusteringWhen participation in small groups or plenary have developed a large list of ideas, issues or options it is often worthwhile clustering and grouping them. Ask participants to write up one post-it per issue using thick pens and large letters.

Take one post-it at a time and put it on a sheet of flipchart paper. Ask for clarification ifyou don’t understand any of the items. Once a few are on the sheet ask the participants if they can see any that are related. Move the post its that are related so they are next to each other. Soon groups of related items will form. Ask the participants to come up with a name for each group and draw a border around each group of post its.This activity can either be done led by a facilitator or you can let the participants cluster the post-its themselves. Double check that everyone is happy with the groups of issues that are formed.

Brainstorming and Clustering can both be very useful ways to generate new ideas and solutions to existing problems and issues. They can therefore be used to set agendas for joint action and also to inform policy

Group discussionsFor in depth discussions during an event, it is usually best to work in groups of up to eight with a facilitator or up to five without. This allows the participants maximum speaking time and people are less likely to feel intimidated about speaking out in such small groups. If groups are running their discussions without a facilitator be sure to provide clear written instructions and to ask for a volunteer to take notes and report back from the session. It can be a good idea to mix groups up over the course of an event.

Plenary discussionsWhile small group discussions are usually vital in consultation events there also need to be sessions where everything is brought together as a whole group. Plenary discussions can become dominated by a few people who feel comfortable talking in front of larger groups so it is usually good to limit plenary discussions to short reporting back periods between group work where the bulk of the activity takes place.

There are some alternative methodologies that can enable participation and discussion of ideas and issues:



Market PlaceThe Market Place is a technique for involving participants in creative thinking and promoting their solutions to a specific situation. Participants are grouped into workshops or small focus groups to come up with ideas or solutions to tackling identified issues or needs. Each individual workshop has to agree what they think are the best or most effective solutions to put to the rest of the participants.

The groups then enter into a market place to sell their solutions to all participating. The participants are given votes or stickers to vote with and have to choose and prioritise what they think are the appropriate solutions - the different groups have to try to sell their solutions to the “voters”: the other participating groups.

The market place itself consists of exhibition boards with sheets available to attachthe solutions to. Incentives can be offered to participants to vote for particular solutions or forms of creative advertising can take place. This creates a two pronged effect by seeing how creative people can be to get their message across and at the same time finding out whether it is the way we present solutions or whether the solution itself is strong enough to carry the vote as the most appropriate or meaningful to the participants. The end product of the process is the gaining of an indication oftruer feelings at an event where everyone’s vote counts and these feeling can be measured on a quantitative as well as qualitative basis.

This form of engagement is useful for Public Meetings, Forums or invited participants in an area where issue identification and gauging perception and feelings about an area are required. It can be a useful tool but has to be handled with great care and must be particularly well facilitated. Participants have to be aware at all times what is expected of them and how their participation affects the process.

World Café EventThis approach attempts to create the illusion of an informal café setting during aconsultation event. The room should be set up to resemble a real café, using smallpaper tablecloths and providing some suitable food for participants to share. Background music and room decorations could also be used to give your event a real café-theme. The best option is usually to hold it in a real café.

The facilitator introduces the session and asks the first question. Discussions take placein the small table groups. Paper tablecloths are used to scribble on. At the end of the first question session people report back to the facilitator and wider group. A new question or discussion topic (related to the first one) is then introduced by the facilitator – at this point, the participants should stand up and move to a different table to ensure that the group mixes well. There should always be one person who remains behind at the table to explain what is written on the tablecloths. Discussion on every issue is recorded on the paper tablecloths – anyone at a table can write on the cloth, and add comments to other people’s comments. As people move around and new questions are asked the areas of common agreement start to surface.

The World Café is a good approach for relatively large groups and allows for a very livelyand creative atmosphere. The choice of question(s) for the café conversation is crucialfor the success of an event. In general it is useful to phrase the questions in a positive



format and in an open-ended format to allow a constructive discussion. If participants do not find the questions for discussion inspiring the event is unlikely to be successful. More information can be found at www.theworldcafe.com

Open SpaceOpen Space is an event structure that is based on the participants taking responsibility for the agenda and content of the event. It requires break out rooms or spaces and at least half a day to run.

Open Space events have a central theme but not fixed agenda. At the start participantsstand or sit in a circle, the theme is introduced and participants are invited to identify issues that they are interested in and are willing to take responsibility for running a session on. Once a number of people have stepped forward with sessions the sessions are allocated amongst available rooms and timeslots.

When no more discussion topics are suggested the participants sign up for the ones theywish to take part in. Participants are then free to wander around and dip in and out ofsessions as they see fit. Open Space creates very fluid and dynamic conversations held together by mutual enthusiasm for interest in a topic.

The fundamental principles of Open Space are:• ‘Whoever comes are the right people’ (the best participants are those who feelpassionately about the issue and have freely chosen to get involved in a particular break out session)• ‘Whenever it starts is the right time’ (Open Space encourages creativity both duringand between formal sessions)• ‘When it’s over it’s over’ (getting the work done is more important than adhering torigid schedules)• ‘Whatever happens is the only thing that could happen’ (let go of your expectationsand pay full attention to what is happening here and now)• There is also one ‘Law’: The ‘Law of two feet’: (If participants find themselves in asituation where they are not learning or contributing they have a responsibility to goto another session, or take a break for personal reflection, or an informal discussion with anyone else taking a break.

It is important to have refreshments (tea, coffee) available throughout an Open Space event, to have a point where those not actively participating in a session at any particular time can meet informally or take a break.

It is vital that there are good written reports from all discussions, complete with actionpoints, available at the end of the day. Those who have taken responsibility for the sessions at the opening of the Open Space event are responsible for providing notes, flip charts etc as records of the sessions. The facilitator will need to encourage people towrite their notes up. Open Space events are often very inspiring and energising; however, they are by their nature impossible to control in detail so if you are looking to answer very specific questions you should probably look for more structured approaches. They are however a very valuable approach where there are a number of issues which are inter-related, and where it can be valuable to enable very


http://www.theworldcafe.com/


flexible conversations to take place that are determined by the participants, rather than to an agenda set externally. More information can be found at: www.openspaceuk.com

Drop in/drop out activitiesNot everyone will be interested in taking part in a formal consultation event. Some people cannot give up several hours of their time but may still want to have a say.Drop in approaches work well when the consultation is taking place as part of a largercommunity event. Drop in/drop out consultation methods are simple and quick activities such as voting on a personal priority using sticky dots on a wall chart showing what ideas they agree with, writing a postcard with a view and placing it in a posting box provided at the venue, or post-its for people to leave comments and ideas arounda theme or short and simple questionnaires.The idea is that these activities are very simple and speedy to participate in. They are often used linked to an exhibition (see above under using the results from Co-Investigation) which can make use of photos, maps, models, plans etc, where the wall charts etc can be used to collect comments on the themes presented in the exhibition.

Graffiti wallTo set up a graffiti wall or table you will need some large sheets of paper and a varietyof arts materials. The idea is that a key question is written up on the paper and thenparticipants are invited to write and draw their own responses. This can lead to lots ofcreative input and the results are often best captured through photographing the sheets at the end of the day. This is a good way of getting young people to participate effectively and also can be helpful for those who prefer not to or are not able to write down comments on a formal feedback document.

Again, this activity can form part of another event or an exhibition.

Online discussionsParticipants can be invited to take part in an online discussion using Internet forums such as google/yahoo groups or social networking sites like Facebook. These are free and easy to set up online, and can be a good complement to the face-to-face event, allowing participants to meet up beforehand or after the event to discuss their ideas. When using online methods you should be particularly wary of excluding certain people who may not be able to engage online.

All of these different ideas can help engagement and can be used within forums and conference type events to increase participation.

Techniques to be used at the end of an event

This section of the Guide started by making some suggestions as to how to start an event. Just as important is ending an event well, so that participants not only feel that they have been engaged, but that something will happen as a result of their participation, and they are informed as to what will happen.



Actions

Whatever the type of event, whatever its size (small focus group or large forum) it is very important to ensure that participants know what actions will result from their participation .

If the event has been organised to gather views and ideas and consult on issues, ensure that at the end, participants know what will happen next and if there will be feedback to them on actions that result from the event.

It can also be useful to involve participants in discussion at the end of an event as to what should happen next. After the group’s ideas and themes of conversation have been gathered together, you can ask your participants for suggested actions that arise as a result of the discussion. Depending on the number of participants, this can be done as a group exercise or one where the participants work together in small teams to come up with ideas and feed back to the group. Actions should be written up on wall charts for everyone to see clearly. This is a very good approach where some partnership activity can result from discussions at an event.

Prioritisation (Sticky dots)

Voting on the most important themes or actions is also a good way of finishing a meeting. This is a way of bringing the group together in consensus on the most and least important issues to come out of their discussions. Give the participants a number of sticky dots to vote with. Three dots per person is a good number – this works best with small to medium sized meetings, as if there are a very large number of participants, the process can take too long and can become unwieldy.

Participants can use all dots on one item or spread them across two or three items. Thevoting creates a visual record of support. In order to make the voting as easy as possibleremember to leave space next to each option where people can place their votes.

Feedback

As with publicity about consultations (see the start of this section), publicity about the results and ensuring feedback, not only to participants but to the wider community is important. Make sure that all groups and individuals who have been specifically invited to an event receive the record of the event and the action that will result, even if they have been unable to attend. Ensure that all the same means are used to publicise resulting actions – media, including social media, websites, community notice boards etc.

As action is taken on any issues resulting from events, ensure that this is also publicised. Ensure too that conversations, dialogues, consultation meetings, round tables, forums, focus groups and all of the other activities that are noted in this section of the guide are ongoing throughout the policy and decision-making cycle. These different techniques and methodologies can be used at each and every stage in different combinations. A variety of approaches to citizen engagement are important to ensure the maximum possible participation and results.



AFTERWORD

If you have read this guide through to this point, you will realise that what it contains is not just theory. Twelve pilot areas have used the processes described in this guide and they have found that increased citizen participation in decision-making brings results. The case studies illustrate some of their achievements. The ideas in the practical section are all tried and tested and have been used in different countries to increase the effectiveness of participation. The detailed section on the legal framework in Ukraine demonstrates that provisions already exist that enable the Council of Europe Guidelines to be fully implemented.



But we have been aware, throughout the whole of the project that has led to this “How To” guide, that many local authorities in Ukraine know that they can increase citizen participation in decision-making but are often not sure of the best ways to go about it. We hope, therefore, that this guide will provide ideas, and also the direction, for local authorities, NGOs and citizens to increase their partnership working and to enable more effective decision-making as a result of increased citizen participation.

This guide and the whole programme would not have been possible without the active engagement of a very wide range of people – both from our pilot communities and also others. As individuals, they are too numerous to mention by name, but they include members of NGOs, appointed and elected officials and Mayors, and also the citizens in the pilot communities who have become actively engaged in the projects. We wish to thank everyone involved – without their commitment and participation, this project could not have succeeded. We hope that for everyone who got involved, the programme has been worthwhile, has given them ideas and, we hope, enjoyment in achieving new projects. Our especial thanks must go to our pilot communities – Donetsk, Telmanovo rayon, Novoazovsk rayon, Amvrosiyevka rayon, Makeyevka, Krasnoarmiysk, Luhansk, Alchevsk, Bryanka, Lysychansk, Severodonetsk and Kremennaya – and in particular to those representatives from these communities who took time out of their busy lives to attend our training sessions: it was wonderful working with all of you and sharing time and ideas. And finally, our thanks to all the project team members from SESP and ALI. We hope that in our partnership, we have demonstrated the benefits of working together.

Christine ForresterStrategic Advisor

Annex.

The recommended protocol for signing by representatives of the local authorities and NGOs

THE FRAMEWORK FOR CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

INTRODUCTION



Non-Governmental Organisations and organised civil society are essential contributors to the development and realisation of democracy and human rights. In democratic societies, decision-making powers are given to elected representatives, who will ensure the implementation of their decisions through the Executive bodies of the state at either national or local levels. Where powers, responsibilities and resources are passed to the level of Local Authorities, for policy making and resource allocation, it is essential that decision-making is based on good policy principles and effective planning processes. European practice recognises that increasing the rights of citizens to play a role in decision-making, not solely through their elected representatives but through a range of mechanisms, brings benefits of their views and interests to the policy making process and also connects citizens more closely to the democratic process. Non-Governmental Organisations in particular bring benefits of knowledge and independent expertise to the policy process. NGOs are formed by and represent a multiplicity of interests in society and communities and can act as a key channel for participation and engagement of citizens.

OBJECTIVES FOR THE LOCAL AUTHORITY

Recognising this role of NGOs and that effective citizen participation in decision-making accords to European norms, ……….(the Local Authority) will operate within the following principles:

1. In order to achieve effective decision-making and use of resources, the Local Authority will adopt a policy and planning cycle that:Identifies the ways in which citizens can be engaged at all stages of the cycleIdentifies the appropriate mechanisms that will be used to ensure effective citizen engagement

2. The Local Authority will ensure the transparency of its decision-making processes by:Ensuring information about meetings is widely disseminated, to enable citizens to attend Providing access to information, including relevant documentation, on policy recommendations and budgetsProviding feedback on the results of decision-making to citizensAdopting as a local statute this framework to ensure transparency

3. The Local Authority will ensure their accountability to the citizen by:Ensuring transparency of decision-making processes

Enabling citizens to attend meetings and to ask questions and request information from elected and appointed officialsEnabling wide citizen participation in decision-making processes Widely publicising the results of decision-making processesAdopting as a local statute this framework to ensure accountability

4. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) will be acknowledged by the Local Authority as key channels of participation through which the interests of citizens can be represented. The Local Authority will recognise that they are free and independent bodies in respect of their aims, decisions and activities. They have the right to act independently and to advocate positions different from those of the authorities with whom they may otherwise co-operate. The Local Authority will recognise the contributions that NGOs can make in:Advocating



Information and awareness buildingExpertise and adviceInnovationService provisionWatchdog role

5. The Local Authority will ensure that the contributions of NGOs and citizens to the decision-making process without discrimination. It will acknowledge the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and in particular freedom of expression (Article 10) and freedom of assembly and association (Article 11).

6. The Local Authority will also support the development of an enabling environment for NGO and wider citizen participation. This will include:

Acknowledging the rule of law Adherence to fundamental democratic procedures Political will to ensure effective participation The implementation of legislation Clear procedures for participation Long term support for a sustainable civil society Creation of conditions for dialogue and co-operation including access to resources (financial,

human and physical) to enable the development of dialogue and participation

7. The Local Authority will have regard to the specific approaches to citizen participation as are outlined in the Annex to this Framework agreement.

OBJECTIVES FOR NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS

Non Governmental Organisations within the Authority’s area will ensure that:1. They are transparent and accountable in their operations, providing information to both the authorities and to citizens about their activities.

2. They aim to develop good practice in relation to governance, including transparency and accountability, financial procedures, and ethical practices.

Where they are representing the interests of groups of citizens, they will consult on the issues that they are proposing and will ensure that their views are accurate and representative

When presenting evidence or policy cases to the local authority, they will ensure that these are demonstrably based on evidence, that information is not falsified in any way, nor misrepresented

They take part in opportunities offered to them for participation effectively and with respect for the processes that have been developed. Whilst keeping the right to challenge, lobby and advocate, they will respect the legitimacy of the democratically accountable institutions that have the legal right to decision-making.



Signed on behalf of ……….. (the Local Authority)

by: …………………. ………. (date)

Signed on behalf of NGO …………………………

by: ………………….. ……...… (date)

Mini-projects prepared by coalitions of NGOs and local authorities

TAKING DECISIONS AND ACTING TOGETHER! RECONSTRUCTION OF GOGOL PARK

Severodonetsk

WHAT WE DID – PROJECT FOCUS:Piloting the civil participation framework in the reconstruction process of Gogol Park for a subsequent design of a Green Zone Development Strategy of Severodonetsk.

HOW WE DID IT



The project was initiated by Private Entrepreneur Natalia Zuban who posted an appeal to the city dwellers to take part in the park reconstruction on the site of the Moy Gorod (My City) e-newspaper.

The project was supported by the Community Board at the Severodonetsk City Council . The initiative was presented and discussed in public.

An initiative group was set up, which comprised elected and appointed officials, representatives of the Community Board, media, business community and active representatives of civil society. 5 consultation meetings were held with relevant specialized departments of the City Council.

We made use of conventional techniques (public consultations and discussions) and new instruments (discussion of the initiative via the Internet). This allowed to expand a range of project partners and develop an environment for use of the framework for civil participation.

A fundraising campaign was conducted, which yielded about UAH 200,000 for the project implementation (the local budget, charitable contributions of businesses and private persons, money-box funds and volunteer work).

A plan of actions for the park reconstruction was implemented (clean-up from sprouting, cutting down and stubbing old trees, pruning, installation of a sprinkling system, wiring, planting trees and bushes, installation of a lighting system, benches and a children’s playground).

The activities within the project were publicly monitored, which strengthened trust between the parties on the basis of mutual accountability.

WHAT WE LEARNT: USE OF A WIDE RANGE OF CIVIL PARTICIPATION INSTRUMENTS. The level of public engagement in

the project implementation is assessed as tangible participation. The use of a co-planning mechanism is indicative of the development of cooperation traditions, including formation of culture of joint responsibility of the parties for planning and outcomes.

FOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENT OF RESULTS in improving a specific facility (a city park in this case). STRATEGIC APPROACH TO PROTECTION OF INTERESTS in the provision of urban amenities, city

improvement. To develop green zones of Severodonetsk, the City Council took the following decisions: “On approving the location of parks, public gardens and other green zones of Severodonetsk” and “On giving the name of Gogol Park to the park in Sovetsky Avenue near the Severodonetsk Collegium School”. The decision-making process allowed for public recommendations.

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS: 1. OPEN AND SIMPLE ACCESS TO INFORMATION. It is important for a comprehensive analysis of a

problematic situation and subsequent constructive dialogue. 2. MERIT OF PARTNERSHIP. The parties can contribute to a discussion their knowledge and experience

in addressing problems. Exchange of experience may encourage innovations, which will allow making an efficient use of resources.

3. IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENCE. Organizations involved in the implementation of a joint initiative should stay independent, more specifically challenge decisions, launch campaigns and protect the interests of their target groups.

SUPPORT TO LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT SYSTEM: CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIP

Roza Luxemburg Village, Novoazovsk Rayon

WHAT WE DID – PROJECT FOCUS:

Piloting citizen participation mechanisms in the decision-making process related to improvement of the abandoned territory of the former kindergarten in Roza Luxemburg Village.

HOW WE DID IT:

Rationale:



R. Luxemburg Village is an administrative centre of the Rozovsky Village Council which comprises six settlements. There are 880 dwellers in the Village, including 152 children of pre-school and school age. One of the topical problems is the lack of children’s playgrounds and other improved areas where parents could have a good time with their children.

The dwellers suggested using the abandoned territory of the former kindergarten in the central part of the Village as a recreational zone. A 1200 square metre pit was left after the kindergarten building had been taken down. It is in the immediate vicinity of the school buildings and territory as well as the active kindergarten, which presents a potential threat to life and health of both children and adults.It was therefore necessary to look for ways of eliminating a potential threat of accidents and arranging for a recreational area for the villagers.

Towards that end:

The Novoazovsk Rayon NGO “Civil Movement “Golos Gromady” (Voice of Community)” put forward an initiative to non-governmental organizations of the Rayon, participating in the project “THE CITIZEN AND THE STATE: DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE IN UKRAINE”, to support the idea of improving the abandoned territory of the former kindergarten in Roza Luxemburg Village, with the villagers involved. The idea was discussed at a round table with the NGOs and the Head of the Rozovsky Village Council. The attendees came forward with their proposals for implementation of the initiative. They supported the idea of citizen engagement in the abandoned territory improvement process at all the stages ranging from discussion of the problem to its solution. The NGO “Civil Movement “Golos Gromady” was selected as the leading organization in the project. It developed and submitted to the Oblast Competition the mini-project “Support to local self-government system: Citizen participation and partnership”.

During the project design: The NGO “Civil Movement “Golos Gromady” canvassed the villagers’ opinion to identify the most topical local

problems. The improvement issue of the territory was brought forward for discussion at a citizens’ gathering. Stakeholders were identified. A PR information campaign was conducted, which allowed to engage businesses in the project implementation.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:1. To pilot new citizen participation methods and techniques.2. To develop an effective mechanism for interaction and cooperation of local authorities, community and business.3. To jointly solve local community problems of social significance.

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS: 1. It is NECESSARY to look for effective partners at the authorities-community-business level, who are committed

to mutually beneficial and fruitful cooperation.2. An open and direct dialogue of NGOs and local authorities with community is NECESSARY, which will allow

gaining trust of the dwellers to both.3. It is NECESSARY to believe in and be confident about the possibility of handling local problems by combined

efforts even within the current legislative environment.PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE – EFFECTIVE MECHANISM OF ADDRESSING SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF COMMUNITY

MakeyevkaWHAT WE DID – PROJECT FOCUS: We engaged the Makeyevka dwellers in the local decision-making process, accumulated experience in partnership of NGOs with local self-government bodies in policy making. We used civil participation mechanisms to engage the community in the process of joint examination and decision-making by local authorities in respect of such issues as the state of yards of Condominiums and Committees of Self-Organization Associations, planting of greenery, improvement of the area and implementation of socially significant initiatives.



Our activities included: Public opinion poll Questionnaire survey Formation of a coalition of partners, initiative groups, Community Boards and Committees.

HOW WE DID IT:At a meeting of the Advisory Committee, a Working Group set up within the project “The Citizen and the State: Developing Partnerships for Good Governance in Ukraine” put forward a proposal to all NGOs, Housing and Public Utilities Departments and members of the Advisory Committee concerned to explore the ideas of a mini-project. The next meeting of the Committee selected the idea of the Methodological Center for Active and Opening Condominiums of the Association “Business Development Agency”: “Improvement of the Makeyevka dwellers’ quality of life through community engagement in solution of environmental problems of yards of Condominiums and Committees of Self-Organization Associations”.A policy and strategy were designed for improvement of the ecological state and aesthetic look of yards in line with respective environmental standards and regulations as well as a project was developed, titled “Partnership dialogue – effective mechanism of addressing social problems of community”.New approaches to civil engagement in the decision-making process were piloted in accordance with the Citizen Participation Strategy.Expert and training workshops were delivered, round tables held. We worked with the Makeyevka dwellers through NGOs, the coalition and the Methodological Center for Active and Opening Condominiums.The NGO Association “Business Development Agency”, the coordinator of the coalition, represented the interests of the dwellers of the Zelyony residential district through the Methodological Center for Active and Opening Condominiums and together with the dwellers tested and piloted the Citizen Participation Strategy in making decisions on local socially significant problems and creation of conditions for more efficient community engagement allowing for application of local resources as well as pooled efforts of the Zelyony-1 Committee of Self-Organization Association, the Suzirya Building Owners Association, social-minded schools of the residential district, the coalition, the City Council and its Executive Committee and the Rayon Administration.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED: To take part in the solution of local problems together with the City Council and its Executive Committee in

partnership of NGOs and authorities To allocate responsibility between the Association, and the City Council Executive Committee at the

Advisory Committee of the project “The Citizen and the State”. To maintain partnership and make use of the Citizen Participation Strategy as well as the Green and White Books.

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS: To conduct a broad dialogue with authorities and work in partnership: authorities – NGOs. To use the system of an Advisory Committee, Community Boards, Expert and Coordination Panels, working

and initiative groups in the work. To set up Methodological Centres for Active and Opening Condominiums as well as resource centres for

NGO support in respect of socially significant and ecological initiatives.

RESEARCHING ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF LISICHANSK AND LOOKING FOR THEIR SOLUTION

Lisichansk

WHAT WE DID – PROJECT FOCUS:Studying ecological problems of the city, looking for ways to address them and implementing the tasks set in an orderly manner.

HOW WE DID IT



The project was initiated by members of the Parostok (Sprout) Ecological Club at the Lisichansk Multi-Discipline Lyceum, who have accumulated some experience in exploring this problem and realized that one children’s ecological organization is unable to resolve it on its own. The project was supported by the Executive Committee of the City Council, elected officials and community. An initiative group was set up, which comprised elected and appointed officials, representatives of media and community. 4 meetings of the group were held as well as 4 meetings with relevant specialized departments of the City Council and 6 consultations with managers of industrial companies. A dedicated city conference was organized and held, which revealed a keen interest of the city dwellers in addressing this problem. Mutual understanding in respect of dealing with the tasks set was developed with most of city services engaged in ecology (municipal services of the City Executive Committee, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, ecological functions of industrial companies etc.). City media activity in the field was improved (the Noviy Put newspaper alone published more ecologically focused materials within 2.5 months of the city ecological conference that throughout the previous year). The first joint actions of community and municipality were taken to resolve environmental problems of the city (the Krupskoye Lake was cleaned up in the vicinity of the Proletariy Glass Factory, “age-old” dumps removed in some streets located at the Seversky Donets and Verkhne-Belenkaya Rivers). Monitoring of city water reservoirs was initiated (measurement of pH, the total concentration of salts and oxygen content of water).

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:• To discuss general city issues with all the community.• To develop mutual understanding between the city community and authorities.• To plan any work and coordinate its implementation.• To postpone own interests to the public welfare.

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS: 1. Look for like-minded people – they are always around.2. Maximal glasnost – “many heads are better than one”.3. Experience of old folks plus enthusiasm of youth are a pledge of success.

STRONG SELF-ORGANISATION ASSOCIATIONS – SUCCESSFUL CITYLuhansk


Promoting the engagement of Luhansk dwellers in the local decision-making process through strengthening the role of self-organization associations (SOA).

HOW WE DID IT



Focus groups were set up and surveys (consultations) of SOA members and elected officials carried out. Visits and working meetings of City Executive Committee employees and city councilors with SOA representatives were organized. The activities aimed to strengthen SOAs were actively supported by the Mayor and the Internal Policy Department of Luhansk City Executive Committee.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:

We managed to understand and use the optimal scheme-linkage “City Council – City Councilor (elected in a respective district) – SOA”* in organization of and control over activities in the housing and public utilities field. In addition, we identified the main sore points and risks in the SOA operation.

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS:

1. Make use of high-ranking officials’ aspiration to establish feedback with their electorate to put forward your demands.

2. Cooperate by all means with political forces of your region but do not join them.3. Get the support of local city councilors in your work.

* SOAs in cooperation with local city councilors identify facilities for repair and improvement in their district, the City Council organizes repairs, based on proposals of elected officials and SOAs, the funds equally spent among the districts, councilors monitoring the allocation of the city budgetary funds and SOAs monitoring quality of works.

DEVELOPMENT OF WEB PORTAL “DIALOGUE FOR THE SAKE OF REFORMS” AND ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR ITS UPDATING

Luhansk

During the implementation of the project “The Citizen and the State: Developing Partnerships for Good Governance in Ukraine” the website “Dialogue for the sake of reforms” was developed and is now run.



The website was developed as a communication platform for discussion of socio-economic reforms as well as an information portal providing access to the unique data base about reforms and their introduction in Luhansk Oblast.

Systematic operation of the site ensures a continuous socio-political dialogue with an opportunity of electronic feedback between authorities and citizens. Expression of citizenship by Internet forum participants contributes to introduction of e-democracy procedures and improvement of community engagement in the decision-making process of Luhansk Oblast.

A high visiting rate of the web portal provides for introduction of information transparency mechanisms of authorities.

Based on implementation results of the mini-project, an interactive forum was developed, which promotes a wider community engagement in discussion of socio-economic reforms and government initiatives.

It has been recently observed that awareness of Luhansk Oblast inhabitants has improved, fragmentarity in understanding the direction of socio-economic reforms eliminated.

Creation of opportunities for discussion of social, political and economical issues in the on-line dialogue format guarantees equality in expressing views and level appraisal of the current situation.

The information field of accommodation of authorities’ and community’s interests in virtual space allows to design an integrated strategy of regional and national development.

The project implementation enables us to identify three basic principles of interaction between authorities and citizens via the Internet:

1. Corrective information of citizens. Creation of awareness of all stakeholders via an on-line dialogue has to agree with a competence factor in the respective field, whereas discussion results have to serve a vector for adjustment of actions taken by authorities.

2. Targeting and clarification.

3. Feedback from the population.

OUR CITY IS CLEAN AND GREENKremennaya

WHAT WE DID – PROJECT FOCUS:Involvement of the Kremennaya community in the decision-taking process of the Kremennaya City Council by joint development and implementation of the Program “Our City is Clean and Green”.

HOW AND WHY WE DID IT:Rationale:



Despite the fact that our city is called “the DONBASS OASIS”, its dwellers do not consider Kremennaya as a green city and complain about the lack of planting, the availability of unauthorized garbage dumps and lack of an adequate number of waste bins.

A common view is that it is the Municipal Service Centre which is to deal with planting of greenery and removal of unauthorized dumps in Kremennaya, cleaning up its streets, walkways and flowerbeds. However, the Centre lacks technical and financial resources to solve all the problems.

To address the situation:• A working group was set up, comprising the community leaders trained within the project “THE CITIZEN AND THE STATE: DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE IN UKRAINE”. 6 consultation meetings were held with relevant specialized departments of the City Council.• To identify the most topical local problems, a survey was conducted.• A business community survey was carried out to identify socially responsible city businessmen.• A round table was held, attended by employees of the Municipality, Rayon Administration, businesses and NGOs.• Public hearings were held.• On 11.04.2012 an extended meeting of the Community Board was held at the City Council, where social partners were invited for developing a coalition and planning further actions within the project.• To engage in cooperation as many community members as possible, the project idea was presented at a session of the City Council. • At 12.00 on 23.05.2012 an Ecological Forum was held with participation of active community dwellers, chairpersons of street committees, elected officials and NGOs. The theme of the presentations was “What has to replace a dump? What am I going to do for the purpose?”• A PR-campaign was launched in media and on the city website.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED: TAKING DECISIONS FOR THE SAKE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN A CONSOLIDATED WAY: the most important lines of activity were identified through a survey; a plan was jointly developed and instruments determined to be used for addressing the project tasks; USING CIVIL PARTICIPATION INSTRUMENTS: civil participation and community engagement mechanisms were piloted not only in decision-making but also in program implementation; FOCUSING ON RESULTS: the Kremennaya community has been encouraged to assess the environmental situation in the city and identify ways for its addressing; 3 joint subbotniks (volunteer clean-ups) of community and municipal companies were held; REALISTICALLY ASSESSING ONE’S OWN AND PARTNERS’ CAPABILITIES: the project was not funded yet and this part of the project is not complete (a program is in place, a facility was allocated for joint activities, subbotniks were held, the former city fountains were cleaned from soil with the support of business and municipal companies; incomplete is the project part which was planned to be financed owing to oblast funds: purchase of seedlings, placement of garbage bins and commissioning of the fountains).

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS: 1. It is impossible to fulfil the tasks of even the simplest project in a qualitative way without partnership and

constructive dialogue. Look for reliable and committed partners. 2. A project has no future without a ‘shopfloor’ initiative and commitment ‘from above’. The more active citizens are

engaged in a project, the higher its implementation quality, the faster the project implementation progress, the more understandable the project will be for authorities.

3. A project requires equal partnership. All partners are equally valuable and hold equal positions.

BRYANKA – THE CITY OF ARTISTS Bryanka


Improvement of the cultural standard and introduction of general public to decorative and applied arts by demonstrating works of original and unique artists, photographers and craftsmen. Promotion of



cooperation between NGOs and city authorities in the design of a city program for development of culture.

HOW WE DID IT:

At the moment the project is not financed, it is therefore possible to describe only pre-project activities.Prior to the project implementation, a meeting of citizens keen on culture in our city was held at the Bryanka Technological and Economic College which trains artists and designers. An exhibition of creative people of the city was also organized at the place. The core of the working group for the project implementation was formed after both events, which comprised representatives of the city authorities, the Culture Department, NGOs and individuals.

A decision was taken at one of joint meetings to hold an exhibition of creative works and deliver master classes in decorative and applied arts in open air near the Community Centre on the Day of Bryanka.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED:

We learnt to conduct a constructive dialogue between individuals, NGOs and the Culture Department, boosted our joint activities aimed at improvement of the cultural standard of citizens and their introduction to cultural values of the city. NGOs and individual members of the community are more effectively engaged in decision-making by the Culture Department.

As the project has not been implemented in full, it is impossible to assess its success/failures.

THREE KEY BITS OF ADVICE WE WOULD PASS ON TO OTHERS:

1: A proverb runs: “Knock at the door and it will be opened”, however it is not always that people are ready to cooperate after you turned to them for the first time (this applies to both citizens and authorities). You have to ‘knock’ again and again and then try to ‘climb’ through a window (in a figurative sense of the word).

2: “One man no man” – do not dump all the project work on one person. Yes, the leader is required but the leader with no team is only a lonely warrior.

3: “What the eyes fear, the hands do”. The most complicated stage of project implementation begins when the goals are set and the ways of attaining them identified: you are in the picture of all stages of the forthcoming work, which scope may reduce your enthusiasm. The main point is to resist panic and start implementing the project step by step without getting stuck with the entire scope of work.
