Making Local Services More Effective
Ukraine: People’s Voice Project

• Overview
• Results
• Counterparts
• Task Team
• Learn More

By many accounts, local public services were in disarray in the Ukraine in the years following independence in 1991. Public dissatisfaction with the quality of services was growing. Limited budgets were a big culprit, but other factors also contributed. Municipal authorities had limited capacity to engage citizens in identifying solutions for better service delivery, while communities were unskilled in advocacy for improvements. Even at the best of times, the responsiveness of public agencies to citizens was poor and it often appeared to a certain extent that new policies and practices were not being seriously reviewed prior to implementation, particularly at the municipal level.

Learning from its pilot phase, the project started in 2003. It aims to improve the effectiveness, integrity and governance of six selected municipalities (Makiyivka, Chernihiv, Komsomolsk, Lutsk, Alchevsk and Kolomiya) through sustainable partnerships among citizens, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and municipal governments. "Report cards" gave citizens a channel to provide feedback on where municipal services were doing well, and where they needed improvement and allowed for targeted development in both areas. Local stakeholder committees, created to share ideas and help shape future municipal projects, gave citizens a true voice in community development. ISO 9000 quality management certification for public officials, strengthening of local NGO capacity to monitor service delivery and much-needed reforms in the communal housing sector (including utilities) also provided lasting value to communities short on financing but rich in potential.

"Everything has changed significantly since we set up a condominium in our building. Our balconies were reconditioned, order was brought to our basements and the grounds were cleaned and filled with playgrounds. We also hold volunteer clean-ups regularly with our residents taking part." —Halyna Drozdova, Member of the Rassvet Condominium Association

"The supported provided by the People’s Voice Project that led to the development of a Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped Children has been crucial for our community. Handicapped children now have an opportunity to be brought up in families, not in state-owned institutions. If children with developmental delays receive rehabilitation at an early age, they can attend kindergartens and then go to specialized schools or, probably, become ordinary pupils of secondary schools." —Iryna Popova, Head of the Alchevsk City Council Department of Labor and Social Policy

• Over 125 micro-projects to improve community well-being through a Citizen Engagement Fund were completed. These projects, selected and co-financed by local communities, facilitated cooperation between local governments and community leaders and exposed various community groups to innovative practices.
• Stakeholder committees were developed in each of the project cities that supported the local management of the project, including citizen engagement activities.
• Surveys of local service delivery were carried out to benchmark and establish priorities for each community and monitor progress. The latest survey of local service delivery carried out in April 2007, showed positive changes in housing services, increased access to information and social services.
• Capacity-building of local NGOs was supported to facilitate citizen engagement activities through "report cards," to promote themselves within the local community, build partnerships and attract alternative sources of funding from other donors or through the development of community foundations.
• The provision of housing services improved, through support for the creation of condominium associations, privatization of housing service delivery and improvements in the management of multi-apartment buildings (completed in Chernihiv and Makiyivka). Not only were these efforts replicated city to city, but some of the lessons learned were integrated into national housing policy development.
• Service delivery standards were created and internal analysis of decision-making processes was carried out through the quality management certification process (completed in Makiyivka, Lutsk and Alchevsk).
• Public consultations and integration of community needs were assessed in the development of a social service delivery centre (in Alchevsk and Lutsk).
• The project is leaving a legacy of stronger communities in the Ukraine.

• Ukrainian Municipalities – Makiyivka, Alchevsk, Kolomyia, Komsomolsk, Chernihiv and Lutsk
• Planning and Development Collaborative International (PADCO)
• International Centre for Policy Studies, Ukraine
• Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, Ukraine
• Municipal Development Institute, Ukraine
• Counterpart Creative Centre, Ukraine
• Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Ukraine

• Craig Neal, Task Manager (ECSPE)
• Tom Monastyrski, Project Director (ECSSD)
• Alexander Kucherenko, Project Manager
• Volodymyr Hnat, Project Coordinator (Municipal Development)
• Natalia Sukhodolska, Project Coordinator (Citizen Engagement Activities)
• Maria Kryvoruchko, Communications Officer
• Maryna Ogay, Research and Analysis Officer

• Ukraine People’s Voice Project Website