Klitschko officially opens the ХVІ Ukrainian Municipal Forum in Odesa

At the opening session of the ХVІ Ukrainian Municipal Forum which takes place July 27-29 in Odesa the mayor of Kyiv and the chairman of the Association of the Ukrainian Cities (AUC) Vitali Klitschko has given a keynote speech about the local democracy and open governance. “After a long pause due to the pandemic, we can finally convene here, in Odesa for our local self-government forum. We all have been working in our communities, facing and solving multiple challenges. And now there is much to discuss and share,” said Klitschko. “The first day will cover transparency, efficient cooperation and synergy in local decision-making processes. Those are not just nice words, but principles the local governments must follow in their work. The latest election results showed that municipalities which recognise such policies enjoy the trust and support from their communities,” pointed out the AUC chairman. 

As he revealed, Kyiv leads the way in open governance and is ready to share expertise in smart city management, e-democracy and providing various city services. And the AUC is the perfect networking platform to share the best practices of peers.

Also, Klitschko thanked the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, its Secretary-General Andreas Kiefer and the project team who worked together with the AUC on the project called Strengthening democracy and building trust at a local level in Ukraine under which a strategy roadmap of the AUC was developed, the e-documentation system was implemented and for the first time ever the municipalities became involved into the establishing the Open Government Partnership Initiative Action Plan.

“The principles of transparency and openness are the philosophy of the AUC which should be promoted by all municipalities across the country. Today I am excited to announce the upcoming unveiling of the House of Communities, which will host the AUC events and be a place for peer-to-peer exchanges,” revealed Klitschko.

Thanking the representatives of communities and the Forum attendees for cooperation and mutual effort aimed at fostering the local self-governance in Ukraine Vitali Klitschko remarked that, “Today the responsibility to handle plentiful fundamental problems rests with the local governments. Is it a tough task? Obviously. But responding to people’s expectations together we will overcome all challenges our communities confront.”

The Ukrainian Municipal Forum is traditionally held once a year by the AUC and offers a networking platform for open dialogue between all stakeholders aimed to improve the lives of communities. This year’s convention brought together more than 500 community leaders, as well as Andreas Kiefer, the Secretary-General of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Georg Milbradt, the German government’s special envoy for the Ukrainian decentralisation reform agenda and Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, member of the European Parliament.

The first day of the Forum is themed Local Democracy and Open Governance Day. The plenary will discuss and exchange ideas on how to enhance citizens’ involvement in local decision-making, increase participation of women in politics and foster human rights at the local level. Day Two of the Forum (July 28) is dedicated to energy efficiency and themed From Energy Efficiency to European Green Deal. Dmytro Razumkov, Speaker of the Parliament will headline the Forum’s Day Three themed Day of Dialogue between the community leaders and the national authorities. The participants are expected to submit their suggestions to the national government on pressing problems of local communities and acceleration of local government reform in Ukraine. 

Also, on the sidelines of the gathering, the AUC board meeting took place. Present at the meeting were Andreas Kiefer, the Secretary-General of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and Georg Milbradt, the German government’s special envoy for the Ukrainian decentralisation reform agenda. Welcoming 45 new members, the AUC chairman Vitali Klitschko remarked that now the Association consists of 941 member communities and “this gives an increasingly louder voice to local governments.” The board members discussed other pressing issues, including heat and hot water tariffs. Vitali Klitschko told that the AUC introduced a number of important amendments to draft legislation with a focus on their impact on local governance.