Projects

In a nutshell

A major multi-donor funded initiative, the Ukraine – Local Empowerment, Accountability and Development Programme (U-LEAD), has been supporting administrative-territorial reform, fiscal and sectoral decentralisation as well as local and regional development in Ukraine since 2016. This reform centres on the rationalisation of a large number of local municipalities into fewer but larger amalgamated hromadas (AHs) and the redistribution of competences between levels of government, primarily to AHs. This project supports administrative-territorial reform, fiscal and sectoral decentralisation as well as local and regional development in Ukraine, specifically:

• U-LEAD with Europe, MinRegion, and other Ukrainian stakeholders;
• developing a pipeline of sustainable and regionally significant local development projects for funding applications;
• engaging non-governmental actors, and communication/dialogue;
• providing Ad hoc support for Ukrainian public administration with regard to policy in the areas of territorial reform, fiscal/sectoral decentralisation and regional development.

Our approach

• Regional development: support regional development policies; Inter- and intra-institutional coordination; capacity development and peer learning with EU/Ukrainian counterparts; research on the current regional financing landscape and assess possibilities for national, donor, and IFI financial instruments; measure impact of regional development policies: assess current system and develop a common structure for the regional databases.
• Local development projects: develop a project pipeline with AHs on gender-sensitive project proposals for sustainable local development of regional significance submitted for financing; support and monitor implementation.
• Engagement of non-governmental actors and dialogue: involve non-governmental actors in municipal decision-making including local business; communication/dialogue with/between/among national/regional/local institutions; training module on communication and engaging with citizens and decision-makers, share and market best practice examples;
• Ad-hoc facility: mobilise demand-driven expert support; organise international and national study visits; support participation of the Ukrainian delegation in international conferences.