Decentralisation in Ukraine: seminar series

The project

The Project aims to help the Ukrainian authorities implement decentralisation reform and strengthen public governance institutions at national and subnational levels, throughout the country. It is jointly implemented by the OECD Regional Development Policy Division and the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme, in close collaboration with the Government of Ukraine.

The project builds on the findings of the OECD Territorial Review of Ukraine (2014). More information about the project (PDF brochure).

4th OECD SEMINAR: FOSTERING INTER-MUNICIPAL CO-OPERATION FOR IMPROVED PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY

This was the fourth seminar in a series forming part of the OECD project Supporting Decentralisation in Ukraine. The seminar, held in Zhytomyr on 18 July 2017, provided a platform for local authorities from Zhytomyr and neighbouring localities to exchange on their experiences and challenges faced in fostering inter-municipal co-operation as part of the ongoing decentralisation reform. Participants had the opportunity to hear how their peers are tackling the challenges of public service delivery in transport, infrastructure, education and waste management.

The seminar was opened by Mr. Matviy Khrenov, Deputy Mayor of Zhytomyr City Council. The audience included policy makers and practitioners from the public sector, think tanks, as well as representatives of associations, NGOs and international organisations involved in the decentralisation reform.

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key messages

This seminar explored some of the challenges faced by Ukraine’s newly amalgamated communities in fostering inter-municipal co-operation (IMC), as a means to improve public service delivery and strengthen regional development. The key messages arising from the seminar included:

IMC can improve the efficiency of public service delivery when municipalities have overlapping or redundant functions, leading to better quality and a greater variety of public services on offer. The joint provision of public services (e.g. water, waste management, energy, transport and telecommunications) allows municipalities to benefit from economies of scale, while retaining their identity and the functions that either do not require a larger scale of provision or do not affect neighbouring municipalities.
IMC can help to build trust among neighbouring municipalities, and can be a useful first step towards more binding arrangements such as municipal mergers.
Autonomy of local governments, including the ability to delegate functions, is essential to facilitate IMC.
A national policy and supportive legal framework for IMC is indispensable, along with strong political leadership and accountability towards citizens.
IMC is gradually gaining acceptance in Ukraine, with the total number of projects implemented increasing from 43 in July 2016 to 85 in July 2017. Areas of co-operation are focused on local road repair, solid waste disposal, local infrastructure, dams, and coastal fortifications.
The main challenges for IMC in Ukraine include low awareness; limited experience in initiating, organising and implementing projects; limited financial capacity; a lack of trust among municipalities and insufficient support from higher levels of government.
Key drivers of success in Ukraine's IMC projects include financial support and incentives, good management and organisation, and support from the regional government. However, awareness of the IMC legislation seems to be low, particularly among higher levels of subnational government, and there is an absence of good practice examples within Ukraine for municipalities to learn from one another.
IMC can help Ukraine's newly amalgamated communities to combat legislative instability (e.g. the recent reduction in excise tax revenues), circumvent barriers imposed by the current legal environment, and reduce the risk of unfunded mandates.

DOCUMENTATION

AGENDA

English

Ukrainian

3RD OECD SEMINAR: ENHANCING PUBLIC INVESTMENT ACROSS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

The third seminar in a series being held as part of the OECD project Supporting Decentralisation in Ukraine, was held in Lviv on 22 June 2017. It explored how the OECD’s Recommendation of the Council on Effective Public Investment across Levels of Government (Ukrainian) can help Ukraine strengthen subnational finance and investment practices in the context of the country’s ongoing decentralisation reform. The audience included representatives of national and subnational administrations from throughout Ukraine, policy practitioners, think tanks, associations and members of the international donor community involved in Ukraine’s decentralisation reform.

Also AvailableEgalement disponible(s)

Decentralisation in Ukraine: Seminar 1