On February 05, 2015 the first meeting of the national Steering Committee for implementation of the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) took place. 

The meeting was chaired by V.A.Negoda, deputy minister for regional development, construction, and housing and communal services of Ukraine – head of the apparatus, and Guido Beltrani, Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Ukraine. “This is the first formal Supervisory board meeting, which we hold, and, although we all meet quite frequently to discuss our joint activities, we feel, that the time has come to create a body, in which we will be able to systematically discuss, how DESPRO can support the events, taking place in Ukraine”, Mr. Beltrani commented.

The provision on the Supervisory board and its personal membership was adopted. The Steering Committee now includes the representatives of DESPRO partner oblasts from Vinnytsia, Poltava, Denipropetrivsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Sumy oblasts, of all-Ukrainian associations of local self-government bodies – Ukrainian Association of raion and oblast councils, Association of Ukrainian cities, and of the Committee for state construction, regional policy, and local self-government of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economical Development and Trade of Ukraine.

During the meeting the results of DESPRO activity and plans for future were presented, urgent issues concerning decentralization and local self-government, as well as the importance of professional development of LSB representatives and conduction of trainings for media representatives on decentralization reforms, were discussed, while suggestions and recommendations from members and participants of the Supervisory board meeting on further DESPRO activities were taken into consideration.

Summarizing the meeting results, Mr. Negoda noted: “Our today’s meeting has not only a formal and organizational significance. It is also important that we could communicate, hear one another, and define how to work in future. It is important both for the project, and for us, because we have representatives of oblasts, associations, ministries – we revised our activities, and now we know how to move on. The event, that we’ve planned, is a very useful one, and it will become an important stage of our further cooperation”.

Note:

The Steering Committee is a consultative and advisory body, created by the Swiss agency for development and cooperation, jointly with the Ministry of regional development, construction, and housing and communal services of Ukraine. The Supervisory board performs supervisory and consultative functions, facilitates coordination of implementation of joint tasks of DESPRO and the ministry, as well as respective relevant executive authorities, local self-government bodies, and state administrations in DESPRO pilot regions.

The key tasks of the Steering Committee shall be:

• Facilitation of implementation of DESPRO tasks;
• Advisory support of DESPRO work;
• Monitoring, evaluation, and suggestions concerning improvement of DESPRO activity.

In accordance to the specified tasks, the Supervisory board shall:

• Hold discussions of topical problems in the spheres of decentralization, local self-government, and other issues, related to DESPRO activity;
• Provide support on holding consultations with the public in the area of decentralization and local self-government;
• Provide support during implementation of suggestions and recommendations on improvement of normative and legal acts and development of draft normative and legal acts in the spheres of DESPRO activity;
• Present proposals and recommendations on DESPRO activity, according to the results of discussions;
• Suggest respective activities to coordinate efforts with other initiatives in the sphere of decentralization and local self-government.

The Steering Committee shall act based on the principles of free will, openness, transparency, and equality of rights of its members.