In May 2026, the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) launched the project "Local Democracy in Action: Developing Charters for the Novoukrainska, Voznesenska, Chernivetska, and Vynohradska Territorial Communities."
The project's goal is to facilitate the development or updating of Territorial Community Charters and the implementation of local democracy tools in accordance with current legislative requirements. Special attention will be paid to strengthening the capacity of local self-government bodies and civil society organizations to use these tools in practice.
Why is this important?
In 2024, the Law of Ukraine No. 3703-IX "On People's Power at the Level of Local Self-Government" was adopted. It mandates that territorial communities must adopt a Charter or bring their existing one into compliance with new standards by January 1, 2027.
However, in many communities, these tools are either nonexistent or do not meet current requirements. This initiative aims to bridge these gaps and implement effective participation mechanisms at the local level, specifically in the four participating communities:
- In the Chernivetska (settlement) and Vynohradska (village) communities, Charters have never been adopted, and there is no legal regulation of public participation tools.
- In Voznesenska and Novoukrainska (city) communities, Charters were adopted in 2020 and 2021, respectively, but they no longer comply with the latest legislative requirements.
As part of the project, we plan to:
- Conduct research on the state of legal regulation and the practice of using local democracy tools in the communities;
- Prepare a monitoring report with recommendations on bringing local acts into compliance with legislation;
- Develop draft Territorial Community Charters and amendments to local council regulations;
- Establish and support working groups involving local government representatives, CSOs, and experts;
- Hold public discussions on the prepared documents;
- Provide advocacy support for the adoption of Charters and relevant changes in the communities;
- Organize training events for community residents, CSO representatives, and local government employees;
- Prepare information materials explaining the mechanisms for using public participation tools.
The developed Charters will provide detailed regulations for six local democracy tools, including: general meetings (conferences) of residents; local initiatives; public hearings; public evaluations of local government performance; public consultations; electronic petitions; and reporting by the mayor, council deputies, executive bodies, and starostas.
The project not only meets new legislative requirements but also creates conditions for the development of local democracy, improving management quality, and strengthening interaction between the authorities and the community. It is implemented by UCIPR with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
The International Renaissance Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in Ukraine, helping to develop an open society based on democratic values since 1990. During its activity, the Foundation has supported nearly 20,000 projects totaling over $350 million
Website: www.irf.ua
Facebook: www.fb.com/irf.ukraine