Strengthening the Capacities of Local Authorities in Ukraine

Project completed

Ukraine and the Council of Europe (CoE) have agreed on an Action Plan 2011-2014 that foresees simultaneous implementation of projects on legal assistance and on capacity building. The project "Strengthening the Capacities of Local Authorities in Ukraine" is part of this action plan. The CoE’s practical and methodological expertise successfully implemented in other transition countries guarantees an effective application of its toolkits in Ukraine.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Ukraine
Governance
Rule of Law - Democracy - Human rights
Decentralisation
01.04.2011 - 31.05.2015
CHF 1'325'000
Background

The existing public administration system in Ukraine is highly centralised, complex and inefficient in regard to the distribution of decision-making powers and budgetary means. Competences of local self government authorities often overlap with those of state administrations, thus causing conflicts of powers and hindering regional economic development. The new dynamics in the local self governance reform process observed in late 2011 could potentially lead to subsequent redistribution of powers from the national to the local level. Under the current legislation and also in view of the coming reforms local authorities need to be reinforced through appropriate policies and strategies, with new competences and expertise to efficiently deal with the current and new challenges, and guarantee provision of public services at a level that meets the need of the population

Objectives

Provide support to the establishment of a strong and effective local self-government system by implementation of European innovative tools for governance at locallevel.

Target groups

Mayors, representatives of local self-government, members of municipal, rayon and oblast councils, executive staff of municipalities and administrations responsible for local governance and public services delivery, representatives of LGAs. Indirect beneficiaries are citizens of target municipalities that get public services of a better quality. Altogether, at least 500 representatives of partner municipalities will improve their capacity through project activities.

Medium-term outcomes

  • The quality of local governance exerted by Ukrainian authorities is measured and improved thanks to the use of mechanisms offered by the CoE “Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level”.
  • Institutional capacity of local authorities to deal with their tasks is strengthened and improved through introducing modern management tools, performance indicators and benchmarking systems.
  • Results

    Results from previous phases:  

  • Partnerships with the key project stakeholders (central authorities, local governance associations (LGA), educational institutions, donors, etc.) were established;
  • Based on clear criteria participants from 32 municipalities and 4 oblasts were selected and took part in various project components in 2011.

  • Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
    Credit area Swiss cooperation with Eastern Europe
    Project partners Contract partner
    Other International Organization
    • Council of Europe


    Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF   1'325'000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF   1'262'595
    Project phases

    Phase 1 01.04.2011 - 31.05.2015   (Completed)