Action plan – Vinnytsia, Ukraine, 2021 – 2025

At-a-Glance

Duration

August 2025

Date Submitted

30th July 2021

Foreword(s)

Vinnytsia City Territorial Community consistently implements the principles of open government, recognizing that the introduction of democratic, open government at the local level is vital, as local government is closest to citizens and provides them with basic services, and at this level citizens can quickly feel involved in making and implementing the most important decisions. Vinnytsia Development Strategy 2020, approved in 2013, Vinnytsia Integrated Development Concept 2030 (2019), Vinnytsia City Territorial Community Development Strategy until 2030 (2021), Partnership Strategy between Civil Society Institutions and Vinnytsia City Council (2021) to be identified as strategic priorities for formation a strong local community, which provides for the development of civil society in the city by expanding the participation of CSOs in decision-making, stimulating organizational and expert development of CSOs, activating citizens in implementing their own initiatives; these documents introduce the principles of participation and give a central place to the person and their needs in planning the development of the city. By joining the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More in 2020, Vinnytsia City Territorial Community is working with civil society institutions and other OGP members to promote the open government agenda at the local level and improve public services for its residents. The development and implementation of the Action Plan in cooperation of Vinnytsia City Council with civil society institutions and the whole community will further strengthen trust and interaction between the public and local authorities, create conditions for open governance through transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, participation, control and supervision, and increase local self-government.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

The implementation of the values ​​of open government is enshrined in the main strategic document of Vinnytsia City Territorial Community – Strategy 3.0. The commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... of the Action Plan will be guided by increased public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio.... The principles of Strategy 3.0 include “Involvement and cooperation – the public is maximally involved in the development of key decisions and their implementation, in particular with the widespread use of various forms of participatory democracy. Active participation of community residents, cooperation of various stakeholders to achieve common goals of the city development contributes to the integration and establishment of Vinnytsia as a strong community.” The development of an open government is also part of the strategic vision of the Partnership Strategy between civil society institutions and Vinnytsia City Council:  “CSOs are organizationally capable and institutionally developed, they are professionals and experts in their fields. CSOs are reliable partners of VCC in developing and addressing the needs of the community and its residents. VCC provides financial, resource and informational support to CSOs to carry out their activities. CSOs and VCC interact systematically, involving CSOs in the development and implementation of local policies, through transparent interaction mechanisms. Interaction is based on equality, transparency, voluntary participation and mutual responsibility.” 

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

In 2020, Vinnytsia entered the top five cities with the highest level of transparency in the annual rating of Transparency International. The Program for Promoting the Development of Civil Society Institutions for 2015-2017 was approved and implemented, which established the City of Content Hub – a social innovation that is being used for the first time in Ukraine and created for intersectoral dialogue between the public, local authorities and business. There is a program to provide financial support to CSOs for the implementation of socio-cultural projects, which is designed to provide CSOs with practical, methodological and material support for public tasks of the Vinnytsia City Development Strategy 2020 (since 2012). The Innovative for Ukraine budget of public initiatives (since 2015), the Budget of school initiatives (since 2019), the City competition of ecological initiatives for students (since 2019) is introduced. The Public Union of Public Organizations of CSOs City of Contents was established (2020). A memorandum of partnership was signed between the City of Content Civil Society Network and Vinnytsia City Council (2020). Also on the basis of the signed Memorandum, a Partnership Council was established, which includes representatives of CSOs and VCC. The Partnership Strategy between civil society institutions and Vinnytsia City Council has been approved (2021). All strategic documents include measures aimed at developing an open government.

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

Ukraine in general and Vinnytsia in particular are on the path to democratic transformation and are gradually building a strong and active civil society. One of the main tasks in this way is the cooperation of citizens with the authorities to address pressing issues that can be implemented through the introduction of direct forms of citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in local government. CSOs,  as separate institutions that require openness, transparency and accountability from local governments, must demonstrate these principles in all areas of activity. Transparency, accountability and openness of CSOs are necessary to establish cooperation and partnership with local governments based on the principles of transparency and creating a level playing field for all CSOs, both permanent and newly established. One of the challenges for Vinnytsia for the next decade will be its transformation into a local territorial community, which includes 7 territorial communities adjacent to Vinnytsia. The formation of an integrated community of Greater Vinnytsia will require new solutions in all spheres of public life, including open government. At the same time, this process opens up new opportunities for building VCTC capacity. The action plan includes commitments that enhance public participation: allow residents of communities, including surrounding areas, to be partners and assistants to local governments for the development of their hometown, increase the institutional capacity of CSOs. 

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

Fulfilling the obligations of the Action Plan will enable citizens, including residents of adjacent communities, to have more opportunities to participate in decision-making related to life and development. Interaction offices, organized on the example of the already existing Cities of Content Hub, will become centers of information dissemination, holding public events, organizing public discussions. Through the development of Standards for Public Participation in Vinnytsia City Council Decision-Making, the community and local self-government will receive the maximum benefit from public participation, which is based on partnership and mutual responsibility. The implementation of Quality and Good Governance Standards for CSOs will help to reach a general consensus on the standards of non-profit organizations, establish parity between public expectations and the level of CSOs, and increase confidence in civil society and the institutional capacity of CSOs. Open consultations with the public will increase trust in local authorities, form a sense of ownership and responsibility for decisions; allow to establish an effective dialogue between the government and the public, increase the level of transparency, predictability, reasonableness and quality of decisions taken by local governments; to promote awareness of the activities of these bodies; eliminate possible corruption risks when making regulations and decisions.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

Fulfilling the obligations of the Action Plan for the implementation of the Open Government Initiative for Partnership in Vinnytsia City Territorial Community in 2021-2023 will promote public involvement, in particular through the widespread use of various forms of participatory democracy, expanding community dialogue, increasing social capital, enhancing public participation in decision-making , will strengthen the cooperation of various stakeholders to achieve common goals of the city, will promote the integration of the surrounding areas and the establishment of Vinnytsia as a strong community.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

New opportunities and new challenges for Ukrainian cities, as well as for Vinnytsia, are related to decentralization – a reform that was mainly based, in particular, on Vinnytsia experience in the development of municipal government and local self-government. It is very likely that the next decade will be a decade of rapid development of Ukrainian cities and communities through the new powers and much greater resources that communities have received as a result of decentralization.

Vinnytsia strives to be a comfortable European urban community that is constantly improving, finding new and effective answers to the challenges that are increasingly emerging in an increasingly competitive and changing world.

Strategic vision of the Vinnytsia City Territorial Community Development Strategy until 2030: Vinnytsia is a magnet city, a modern and comfortable city; the community in which one wants to live and work; space of open opportunities and prospects.

One of the main tools to achieve this goal is the implementation of the principles of open government in all spheres of city life.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan.

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Vinnytsia City Council
• Municipal Enterprise Institute for Urban Development, Vinnytsia City Council
• Office OGP
• NGO Podillia Agency for Regional Development
• Community Fund Podilska Hromada

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

Working Group on the Implementation of the Open Government Partnership Initiative, which includes representatives of the executive bodies of Vinnytsia City Council and civil society institutions. The activity of the working group is connected with the involvement of state bodies, support of internal and external communication channels in the process of implementation of the Action Plan; coordination and liaison with other units involved in their implementation of the Action Plan.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

A working group has been set up in the city to implement the Open Government Initiative for the joint creation, coordination and implementation of an action plan. This is the steering group, the OGP driver in the city, which is responsible for the process of developing the Action Plan, implementing the measures, defining the dissemination and communication plan and monitoring the results.

The working group organizes a wider circle, which includes a large number of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, and actively participates in the joint development of commitments, as well as in their implementation and monitoring.

There is also a virtual space for consultations and suggestions for citizens to discuss acts related to the preparation, monitoring and evaluation of the plan through the city’s website and other communication channels.

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

To ensure the diversity of representation, we tried to reach all groups of citizens. The draft Action Plan was posted on the website of Vinnytsia City Council for free access and submission of proposals by all comers. In addition, the selection of civil society organizations involved in the development of commitments included the representation of three vulnerable groups, including genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... and women’s groups, people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec... and indigenous peoples.

The working group sent more than 50 invitations to organizations and individuals to participate in the process of developing the Action Plan according to diversity (age, gender, migration, organized and unorganized groups) and residents of the surrounding areas.

Who participated in these spaces?

To create an Action Plan and commitments, as well as to present a draft Action Plan, which includes:

• Representatives of Vinnytsia City Council – 8
• Representatives of the public of Vinnytsia City Territorial Community – 47
• Representatives of the public of Ukraine – 8
• Representatives of the Association of Ukrainian Cities – 2
• Representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine – 1
• Representatives of OGP Local – 2
• Representatives of Mentoring Organizations Association for Development Participation – 1
• International Center for Nonprofit Law -5
• Questions received via the Internet – 12

How many groups participated in these spaces?

17

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive...?

11

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

As part of the implementation of the Action Plan, responsible executors were identified for each of the obligations to organize coordination and cooperation with other executors and stakeholders. The responsible executor creates a working group to fulfill a separate obligation, which will meet quarterly to plan activities, coordinate responsibilities between implementing partners, identify and overcome problems in the implementation of obligations.

The Open Government Initiative Partnership Working Group, which includes representatives of the executive bodies of Vinnytsia City Council and civil society institutions, carries out general coordination between all executors.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

The monitoring body of the Action Plan will consist of two representatives of Vinnytsia City Council, two representatives of the Coordinating Council of the Network of Public Organizations of Civil Society City of Contents and a representative of the Institute for Urban Development.

Monitoring will be carried out each time an assessment of compliance is made.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Olena Orlenko, Municipal Enterprise Institute for Urban Development Deputy Director for the Development of Internat, orlenko_o@vmr.gov.ua

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

A Monitoring and Evaluation Officer (MO) will be appointed to monitor OGP activities. Their responsibilities will include:

• Develop an effective involvement strategy during the implementation of the Action Plan.
• Development and joint implementation of monitoring measures.
• Support the public in constructively engaging in the OGP process.
• Contact government agencies and civil society responsible at the regular forum for fulfilling specific commitments during the implementation period.
• Establish a partnership between all media and the OGP process.
• Monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of OGP.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

The MO liaises with government bodies responsible for fulfilling specific commitments to obtain progress and report to the working group. This update will occur at least quarterly. Steps will be taken, as appropriate, to discuss progress and any important points to be reported, or any implementation issues that may need support.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

The results of the implementation of the Action Plan will be communicated to the public through:

• Vinnytsia City Council web portal;
• Regular communication with traditional media, as well as the publication of materials on social networks.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Nataliia Velychko, Chairperson of the Board, NGO Podillia Agency for Regional Development
• Olena Danilova, Chairperson of the Board, Community Fund Podilska Hromada

Full – Action Plan – Vinnytsia – OGP – URK
News Article – Implementation of the OGP Initative Continues