Source: Web-site of Poltava Oblast Council
On December 12, 2017, Poltava Institute of Law of Kharkiv National University “Law Academy of Ukraine named after Yaroslav Mudryi” hosted the Interregional Forum “Communities Interaction: Opportunities, Challenges, Technologies”.
The forum was organized by Poltava Oblast Association of Local Governments and Poltava Oblast Council with the support of the Ministry of Regional Development, Housing and Municipal Services of Ukraine, project of German International Cooperation Society (GIZ) “Reform of Municipal Services in Eastern Ukraine”, Swiss-Ukrainian project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” DESPRO, international technical assistance project “Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance” (PLEDDG Project), U-LEAD with Europe: Ukraine – Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Program, department of “Center for Local Self-Government Development” in Poltava oblast.
The event was attended by: heads of Poltava oblast authorities, Ukrainian MPs, local governments representatives from a number of Ukrainian oblasts, companies-investors, non-governmental organizations and associations, managers and experts of international local development projects and programs.
Forum participants were greeted by the Head of Poltava Oblast Council, Poltava Oblast Association of Local Governments, Oleksandr Bilenkiy, First Deputy Head of Poltava Oblast State Administration, Deputy of Oblast Council, Andriy Pisotskyi, Ukrainian MPs: Andriy Reka and Yuriy Bublyk, First Vice-President -Executive Director of Kharkiv Oblast Association of Local Governments, Mykola Titov, Executive Director of Poltava Oblast Association of Local Governments, Volodymyr Mykiychuk.
Oleksandr Bilenkiy, in particular, mentioned that the issues which would be discussed during the forum – IT directions of local government development, interaction of the authorities and communities, intermunicipal cooperation, success and problems of decentralization – were important in the context of further development and strengthening of local self-governance in Ukraine. He expressed confidence that participation in the forum would facilitate the establishment of partnerships, and the information received would be both interesting and useful.
The work of the forum was organized in three discussion panels.
First discussion panel – “Strengthening local governments’ institutional capacity: present-day practices, Poltava experience” – was opened by the Head of Poltava Oblast Council Oleksandr Bilenkyi with the presentation: “Interaction of the Authorities and Communities in Poltava Oblast”. The presentation was based on Poltava Oblast Council’s successful experience of organization and running of the Participative Budget Project, Oblast Call for Proposals for territorial communities’ development projects in Poltava oblast, creation of the Fund for Oblast Territories’ Development.
Doctor of Public Administration, Professor, Advisor to the Head of Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government, Vyacheslav Tolkovanov told about development of cooperation between territorial communities, on the basis of Ukrainian experience and in particular experience of Poltava Oblast.
Also, the German experience of development of cooperation between territorial communities was presented by Shtefan Dreger, international expert of the GIZ) “Reform of Municipal Services in Eastern Ukraine” Project.
The same interesting were the presentations of the Manager of DESPRO project in Ukraine, Oksana Garnets regarding the results and prospects of DESPRO project activities in the sphere of public services provision and strengthening of local self-government potential; Senior Expert in Intergovernmental Cooperation and Local Economic Development of Partnership for Local Economic Development and Democratic Governance Project (PLEDDG Project) Oleh Voytovych on methodology and standards of investors attraction and follow up.
In the afternoon, forum participants worked in the discussion panels: “Innovative Technologies for Local Government Development” and “Effective Tools of Social and Economic Development of Amalgamated Territorial Communities”.
The presentations included: “Public budget – bridge to cooperation of Kremenchuk authorities and community” – Mayor of Kremenchuk Vitaliy Maletskyi; “Information technologies computerizing the work of public structures” – Manager of Projects Development department of Magnetic One, Iryna Kolesha; “Modern approaches to data recording, control and analysis in local councils” – Deputy Director of IQusion IT LLC, Olena Sharayevska; “Transformation of regional departments of the Association of Ukrainian Cities into service centers for the cities and creation of the staff training system for local self-governance bodies” – Deputy Executive Director of All-Ukrainian Association of Local Self-Governance Bodies “Association of Ukrainian Cities” Valeriy Baranov; “Computerization of the Health Care System” – Head of the Department of Introduction of the Healthcare Information Systems DICOM HUB LLC; “NEC Corporation – innovative software products” – representatives of NEC Company in Ukraine, Yuriy Borysenko; “Single city dispatcher service “Transparent School” – Director of ICT Company, Dmytro Puchkin; “Free software for the centers for administrative services provision” – Head of the Center for Administrative Services Provision in Kremenchuk, Tetyana Pecherytsya; “Three years of local government reform and territorial organization of the authorities” – Head of the Division for cooperation with local authorities of the Department for Local Self-Governance and Territorial Organization of the Authorities of the Ministry for Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Municipal Services of Ukraine, Liliya Popova, “Instruments for support of communities’ social and economic development” – advisor on local funding of the separate department of “Center for Local Self-Government Development” in Poltava oblast, Tetyana Pautova; “Experience of GIZ Project “Administration Reform in the East of Ukraine” regarding development of the system of administrative services provision” – manager of the GIZ Project “Reform of Municipal Services in Eastern Ukraine”, Taras Zhyravel and others.
At the end of the presentations the speakers answered the questions of the participants.
The awarding ceremony took place during the forum. Ukrainian MPs Yuriy Bublyk and Andriy Reka awarded Certificates of Merit of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Director of the Department of Economic Development, Trade and Investments of Poltava Oblast State Administration Inna Ischenko and Head of Voinivka Village Council of Chutivka region Poltava oblast Anatoliy Bugai; Letter of Recognition of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – to the Head of Butenky Village Council of Kobelyaky Region Poltava Oblast, Mykola Skrylnyk and First Deputy Head of Poltava Oblast State Administration, Andriy Pisotskyi.