1 3 Decentralization Reform in Ukraine Donor Board on This is the first Digest of the Donor Board on Decentralization Reform in Ukraine. It will be issued quarterly by the Donor Board Secretariat and will update Donor Board members and the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Communal Services of Ukraine (MinRegion) of the work of the Donor Board structures (the Working Groups and the Secretariat) and will highlight those issues that require the attention of the Donor Board at strategic and policy levels. Digest April – September 2017 Since the establishment of the Board in spring 2017, the following Working Groups (WG) have been set up: Working Group #1 on Administrative Territorial Reform and Decentralization Legal Framework Working Group #2 on Local Self-Government Finances and Budgeting Working Group #3 on Local Democracy Working Group #4 on Regional and Local Development Working Group #5.1 on Administrative Services Working Group #5.2 on Municipal Services Working Group #5.3 on Humanitarian Policy Working Group #5.4 on Healthcare Services Working Group #6.1 on Communication Working Group #6.2 on Training System and Knowledge Management The first round of WG meetings focused on the finalization of a Common Results Framework (CRF) for Decentralization Reform Implementation in Ukraine, and included a set of indicators to ensure a unified decentralization and local self-governance (LSG) reform progress monitoring. An agreement was reached with the MinRegion and the EU to set up an integrated automated monitoring system that will allow the tracking of reform achievements across the key sectors, requiring data inputs from key sectoral Ministries and the regions. It will also be useful to various consumers, including the public. Below is an update on the discussions and issues raised under each thematic WG: 2 ADMINISTRATIVE TERRITORIAL REFORM AND DECENTRALIZATION LEGAL FRAMEWORK Delays in adopting constitutional changes and lack of supportive legislation for further development of a new LSG system call for additional pressure to address these issues. The MinRegion and the Donor Board Secretariat, in consultations with the donor community, initiated an outreach meeting of the Donor Board members with members of the Verkhovna Rada to advocate for a legal regulation in such areas as: i) ensuring the ubiquity of local self-government (in particular land management outside of settlements and spatial planning on the whole territory of amalgamated communities); ii) forming an efficient rayon structure within the administrative and territorial setup; iii) public service delivery in local self-governments; and iv) further promotion of voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities (in particular, towns of oblast significance). A brief on the details of the existing legal initiatives and positions of different stakeholders was prepared with the participation of the WG 1 members. LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT FINANCES AND BUDGETING The Group advocates for better coordination between the MinRegion and other sectoral Ministries in the area of financial decentralization, in particular, subventions for healthcare. There is a need to advance the subvention calculation formula for primary and secondary healthcare levels and to secure working relations between the Donor Board WGs 2 and 5.4 and the donor coordination body being established at the Ministry of Health. The MinRegion has already sent a letter to the Ministry of Health initiating the set-up of an inter-sectoral WG to address the pending cross-sectoral issues. LOCAL DEMOCRACY The group called for transparency of the process of drafting laws related to local democracy, and in particular, the laws “On the Statutes of Territorial Hromadas” and “On Starosta” (village chairperson), and
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Decentralization Reform in Ukraine
Donor Board on
This is the first Digest of the Donor Board on Decentralization Reform in Ukraine. It will be issued quarterly by the Donor Board Secretariat and will update Donor Board members and the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Communal Services of Ukraine (MinRegion) of the work of the Donor Board structures (the Working Groups and the Secretariat) and will highlight those issues that require the attention of the Donor Board at strategic and policy levels.
Digest April – September 2017
Since the establishment of the Board in spring 2017, the following Working Groups (WG) have been set up:
Working Group #1 on Administrative Territorial Reform and Decentralization Legal Framework
Working Group #2 on Local Self-Government Finances and Budgeting Working Group #3 on Local Democracy Working Group #4 on Regional and Local Development Working Group #5.1 on Administrative Services Working Group #5.2 on Municipal ServicesWorking Group #5.3 on Humanitarian Policy Working Group #5.4 on Healthcare Services Working Group #6.1 on Communication Working Group #6.2 on Training System and Knowledge Management
The first round of WG meetings focused on the finalization of a Common Results Framework (CRF) for Decentralization Reform Implementation in Ukraine, and included a set of indicators to ensure a unified decentralization and local self-governance (LSG) reform progress monitoring. An agreement was reached with the MinRegion and the EU to set up an integrated automated monitoring system that will allow the tracking of reform achievements across the key sectors, requiring data inputs from key sectoral Ministries and the regions. It will also be useful to various consumers, including the public.
Below is an update on the discussions and issues raised under each thematic WG:
2ADMINISTRATIVE TERRITORIAL REFORM AND DECENTRALIZATION LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Delays in adopting constitutional changes and lack of supportive legislation for further development of a new LSG system call for additional pressure to address these issues. The MinRegion and the Donor Board Secretariat, in consultations with the donor community, initiated an outreach meeting of the Donor Board members with members of the Verkhovna Rada to advocate for a legal regulation in such areas as: i) ensuring the ubiquity of local self-government (in particular land management outside of settlements and spatial planning on the whole territory of amalgamated communities); ii) forming an efficient rayon structure within the administrative and territorial setup; iii) public service delivery in local self-governments; and iv) further promotion of voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities (in particular, towns of oblast significance). A brief on the details of the existing legal initiatives and positions of different stakeholders was prepared with the participation of the WG 1 members.
LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT FINANCES AND BUDGETING
The Group advocates for better coordination between the MinRegion and other sectoral Ministries in the area of financial decentralization, in particular, subventions for healthcare. There is a need to advance the subvention calculation formula for primary and secondary healthcare levels and to secure working relations between the Donor Board WGs 2 and 5.4 and the donor coordination body being established at the Ministry of Health. The MinRegion has already sent a letter to the Ministry of Health initiating the set-up of an inter-sectoral WG to address the pending cross-sectoral issues.
LOCALDEMOCRACY
The group called for transparency of the process of drafting laws related to local democracy, and in particular, the laws “On the Statutes of Territorial Hromadas” and “On Starosta” (village chairperson), and
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pointed to the need to adjust the Local Democracy Concept to the decentralization reform realities. The WG found it challenging to define reliable indicators for measuring the quality of local democracy; the indicators are still being discussed.
REGIONALAND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
The group’s discussions have been focusing on synchronization of approaches between the MinRegion and the State Statistics Service of Ukraine to measure regional and local development and, in particular, the use of sustainable development indicators and the regional competitiveness index. The WG raised the need for a unified approach/ methodological recommendations regarding regional planning, as well as the need to speed up the process of drafting and adopting the law “On State Strategic Planning” that will lay the foundations for sectoral strategic planning. The group has initiated the elaboration of a list of social-economic development indicators for enlarged communities (hromadas) that can be used for measuring and comparing development across hromadas. It is also developing a list of “white spots” (gaps): areas that require urgent donor support to advancing regional and local development. Reforming the local cadastre system was already identified as one of those gaps.
PUBLIC SERVICEPROVISION
5.1 Administrative services The group provided a set of practical recommendations for launching and maintaining the administrative services reform portal www.cnap.in.ua (including the use of a joint calendar for coordination of training events related to CNAPs in hromadas) and is now initiating the process of elaborating a unified mechanism for assessing CNAPs’ performance, for which additional donor assistance is required. Donor funding is also being sought for organizing the country-wide monitoring of the quality of administrative service provision.
5.2 Municipal Services The WG appealed to the MinRegion to conduct in the near future inter-sectoral coordination meetings related to the elaboration of a National Water Strategy (water and sanitation), as well as communal service provision standards and a system of communal service provision monitoring. Communal assets management was
identified as a gap in the existing training system, which is being brought to the attention of WG 6.2. It was recommended that the MinRegion seek donor support for elaborating a regulatory package related to the work of condominiums. The group has also started discussing recommendations for hromadas on implementing civil protection functions (e.g. policing, fire brigades, disaster preparedness that are being transferred to LSGs – another area that requires urgent donor support.
5.3 Humanitarian policy The WG identified a need for coordination between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Youth and Sport regarding the issue of establishing educational-humanitarian districts in hromadas. It also pointed to the general lack of donor technical assistance in the area of youth policy, culture and sports.
5.4 Healthcare Services The launch of this WG has been delayed due to lengthy negotiations with the Ministry of Health concerning possible coordination roles (given that the Ministry of Health has its own coordination platform with relevant donors). The MinRegion has sent a letter to the Ministry of Health asking for the set-up of an inter-ministerial WG on pending issues that require coordination.
COMMUNICATION, TRAINING SYSTEMS AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
6.1 CommunicationThe WG focused on the elaboration of the Communication Strategy and Action Plan and their adoption, incorporating the identification of indicators that can allow measuring success of their implementation, and the restyling of the decentralization brand (including adoption of a common logo and the use of the website decentralization.gov.ua).
6.2 Training System and Knowledge ManagementThe WG has identified two priorities on which it will focus in the near future: a) Elaboration of a long-term LSG Training Concept under the auspices of the MinRegion, and b) coordination of training and other technical support provision in the regions by different projects and service providers that will be led by U-LEAD and its Central Reform Office. In this context, the possibility of establishing Regional Coordination Boards at the level of regional state administrations and the Centers of LSG Development is being considered.
