To ensure the effective and transparent implementation of recovery projects, it is necessary to ensure the democratic involvement of all stakeholders in the reconstruction process. Since communities should be the main initiators of projects, it is important to increase the level of citizen engagement at all stages of their implementation. This was emphasised by Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, during the presentation of measures for democratic restoration and development of the regions.
“We are convinced that the decentralisation reform cannot be completed with amendments to the Constitution, it must go deeper, to the level of communities, local democracy, through various forms of self-organisation of the population, including directly with the participation of individual citizens. We already need to work on the integration of internally displaced persons, citizens who are now outside Ukraine, and veterans. And it is through the processes provided by direct democracy that we see an opportunity to engage citizens as co-owners of the recovery process,” said Oleksandra Azarkhina.
According to a study conducted by theInnovationDevelopment Centre and the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine on the state of involvement of residents in the reconstruction process, almost 70% of Ukrainian citizens are ready to join the country’s reconstruction process at the following stages
- public hearings and discussions;
- submitting proposals to project initiatives;
- open public voting for regional and local projects;
- public monitoring and evaluation of project implementation, tracking the dynamics of community development, etc.
Research results on the information and analytical dashboard
One of the key tools for engaging citizens in the reconstruction process should be the e-Dem module, which will be integrated into the DREAM digital ecosystem for recovery management – the State Digital Ecosystem for Recovery Management. The functions of the e-Dem module include, among other things, the possibility of making proposals, e-voting and e-polls, training and sharing best practices.
“From the first days of developing the ecosystem, we have been working in line with the standards of open democratic governance. Maximum cooperation between the public, government, business and international partners and an ecosystem approach give us the prerequisites to develop a truly inclusive system that would enable the widest possible range of players to participate in the planning, prioritisation and monitoring of reconstruction. The e-Dem module allows us to engage a wide range of experts and civil society representatives who could help with issues that are difficult for communities. We have already received feedback from international financial institutions that it is important to understand whether a project has been subject to public consultations at the first stage of implementation. This functionality is important for our potential investors and lenders,” said Viktor Nestulia, head of the DREAM project office .
Without public discussion, no projects will be trusted and understood in our society, said Dmytro Turchak, Director of the Strategic Planning Department of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine .
“The Ministry supports the development of direct democracy – people should be involved in government decision-making directly, not just indirectly through the representation of deputies,” he said.
For her part , Kateryna Ivanchenko, head of the Centre for Innovation Development , added that one of the key goals of the organisation is to help authorities at both the local and national levels adapt to new challenges using data-driven democratic governance.
“That is why, together with the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, we are working on the development of three key e-democracy tools. First of all, it is the development of the e-democracy module in the DREAM system, the State Fund for Regional Development (SFRD) and e-democracy indicators for GIS,” Kateryna Ivanchenko emphasised.
She added that e-democracy tools ensure a transparent, democratic and effective reconstruction process, broad public involvement and active participation in the development and implementation of reconstruction projects, and minimise corruption and misuse of funds.
“E-democracy cannot be continuous, it is constantly evolving, changing and supplemented with new tools. One of these tools is the e-Dem module, which will become a key component of the DREAM ecosystem for reconstruction management,” said Mykhailo Leichenko, Deputy Head of the Centre for Innovation Development.
For her part, Anna Yemelianova, PhD, e-democracy expert at the Centre for Innovations Development, added that “The study of the state of residents’ involvement in the reconstruction process was based on understanding which participation tools can be used and adapted in the e-Dem module.”
“The ecosystem of public participation should be present in the entire reconstruction process. There should be a system of projects from the state SFRD to the community project system, which involve participation in two forms: voting or financial participation,” said Volodymyr Kondziolka, national expert at the Centre for Innovation Development, Director of the Drohobych City Institute.
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For reference: This event was organised by the Centre for Innovations Development jointly with the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, with the participation of the DREAM Project Office and the RISE Ukraine coalition within the framework of the Transparent and Democratic Rebuilding Project under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The contents of this event are the sole responsibility of Pact and its partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.