Khortytsya Island, a national park in Ukraine. Photo credit: Zaporizhzhia Sich newspaper an EF grantee
In Ukraine, there are few mechanisms for the public to provide feedback to the government. Eurasia Foundation, thanks to funding from the Charles Steward Mott Foundation and USAID, is changing that.
A series of projects generated public dialogue throughout the country, bringing citizens’ voices to decision-makers, and helping government make local improvements based on what the community had to say. For example, gas heating was installed in a number of houses in the village of Sadivniche on Khortytsya Island after residents suggested it to their local government. And this year, the boiler-house which serves Khortytsya Island will switch to cleaner fuel, which will not only help citizens and city governments save money, but will help protect the island’s environment.
These changes stem from the Sichova Rada (“Sich” Council), a group of scientists, NGO representatives, business leaders and others, organized to make policy and development recommendations to local authorities based on public discussions.
EF’s local partner in Odesa founded the Local Democracy Development Center, which gathered recommendations at ten roundtables attended by representatives of public organizations, neighborhood associations, businesses, mass media and the local government. Based on these recommendations, the Odesa city council set up a department for cooperation between city government and local neighborhood associations; formed a task force to develop a draft territorial community statute; organized debates to discuss the statute publicly; and adopted a program to resolve the city’s social problems with citizen input.
