Experts from the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) recently presented the initial draft of a Model Charter for village, town, or city territorial communities, seeking suggestions and expert opinions from representatives of civil society.
Maksym Latsyba, Head of the UCIPR Civil Society Development Program, explained that the draft consists of 73 articles. Participants had the opportunity to review the document a few days prior to the expert discussion.
"The Law of Ukraine on Democracy at the Local Self-Government Level" mandates that the charter include four essential procedures: public hearings, local initiatives, general meetings, and public assessments. These will also be sent out for feedback,” the expert emphasized.
Maksym Lukinyuk, a UCIPR Consultant on Public Participation Mechanisms, added that the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine is developing methodological recommendations for local councils to implement the Law on Democracy at the Local Self-Government Level.
These recommendations will include a draft Model Charter for territorial communities, incorporating insights from experts in the field. Once finalized, it will be submitted to the Ministry of Development for further processing.
"The Ministry of Development is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Law on Democracy at the Local Self-Government Level. The adoption of the law is just the first step; how it is implemented at all levels of government is far more critical.
This year, the ministry is tasked with developing methodological recommendations on the forms of participation of residents in the development of local democracy. This will also ensure the implementation of the law, whose key provision is the mandatory adoption of charters," said Oksana Pavliuk, Head of the Department for Local Self-Government Development and Interaction with Council of Europe Institutions at the Ministry of Development.
Oleksiy Orlovsky, Director of the Democracy and Good Governance Program at the International Renaissance Foundation, noted that communities currently require support from civil society institutions to develop high-quality charters.
"This is a significant document that can be referred to as a 'local constitution' for other legal acts adopted at the territorial community level. Therefore, the issue of its quality will be paramount," Orlovsky added.
The first draft of the Model Charter for village, town, or city territorial communities will be open for comments until March 28. A subsequent expert discussion, considering amendments from civil society representatives, is scheduled for early April.
The discussion was organized by the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research as part of the project “Widespread Introduction of the Latest Public Participation Tools through the Implementation of Law No. 3703-IX 'On Democracy at the Local Government Level,’” with support from the International Renaissance Foundation. This discussion reflects the organizers' position and does not necessarily represent the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
Read also: Implementing public participation tools at the local level: launching the new UCIPR project!