Helping curb corruption at the local level
- Details
- 02.06.2015
2 June 2015, Kyiv – Over 30 civic activists from 17 regions of Ukraine took part in a workshop hosted by UNDP Ukraine to increase their capacity for expanding anti-corruption efforts to regions.
This meeting was organized for representatives of civic organizations, charity foundations, and civic initiatives, projects of which received small grants from UNDP Ukraine. Out of 61 regional organizations that applied for funding, 23 were awarded the grants to implement anti-corruption initiatives in two-thirds of regions in Ukraine.
The scope of their projects includes monitoring public procurement / tenders, tracking illegal building, tracking estate of dubious origin, searching corruption risks in local scale decisions and addressing them, monitoring declarations and lifestyles, and checking registers of property.
The workshop aimed to educate participants on the specificities of different kinds or reporting and various tools for effective communication to boost their efforts to confront corruption.
In the opening speech, UNDP Democratic Governance Expert Maksym Klyuchar welcomed the opportunity for participants to build their skills to stamp out corrupt practices and uphold the rule of law at the local level.
After introducing the micro-project support initiative for anti-corruption, Chairman of the Board of the Charity Foundation "Center for Civic Initiatives" Andriy Vyshniak (as UNDP's partner in running the initiative) helped the participating organizations delve into good reporting practices, and the Center's Financial Manager Nadiya Kydenko engaged participants in discussion of rules and policies of financial reporting.
Apart from the organizational issues, the workshop provided participants with the opportunity to learn effective tools for successful communication to efficiently promote their achievements and attract collaborators, particularly a storytelling technique and social media tools.
During his special lecture-training, Communications Expert Mykola Malukha helped anti-corruption civic activists harness social media tools to fight corruption. Covering all aspects of Facebook, Twitter, and other new media tools, Mr. Malukha ensured participants leave the workshop with practical skills and tips to enable them to get more people engaged with their anti-corruption efforts and take part in the discussion that is important for their community and the country.
Later, Maksym Klyuchar delivered a presentation about various online platforms devoted to such issues as open budgets, declarations, local initiatives, lease of municipal property and others.
This portal is run by UNDP in Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
