The competitive selection process for the project “Empowering Local Authorities and Citizens to Foster Open Engagement and Women’s Leadership”, implemented by ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, has been completed. Following the evaluation of applications, 16 territorial communities from eight regions of Ukraine have been selected to participate in the project.
A total of 106 applications were submitted by communities with populations of up to 50,000 residents from the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, and Kharkiv regions.
“The large number of applications demonstrates the strong interest of Ukrainian communities in advancing open governance, strengthening public participation mechanisms, and enhancing women’s leadership in local self-government,” commented Yurii Stepanets, ALDA Representative in Ukraine.
Following the competitive selection, 16 communities—two from each participating region—were chosen:
- Kharkiv Region:Savynska, Rohanska;
- Rivne Region:Rokytnivska, Bereznivska;
- Poltava Region:Orzhytska, Velykobahachanska;
- Odesa Region:Konoplianska, Kurisivska;
- Zaporizhzhia Region:Mykhailo-Lukashivska, Vilnianska;
- Zhytomyr Region:Teterivska, Kurnenska;
- Dnipropetrovsk Region:Lykhivska, Pokrovska Settlement Community;
- Vinnytsia Region:Koziatynska, Olhopilska.
Throughout the project, representatives of the selected communities will participate in capacity-building programmes and training activities, receive expert support in drafting or updating their community charters, and work to strengthen mechanisms for public participation and local democracy. Participants will also join a network of communities implementing modern democratic practices, receive support for local initiatives, and benefit from opportunities to exchange experience with Ukrainian and international partners.
One of the project’s key priorities will be supporting communities in drafting or updating their territorial community charters in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On People’s Power at the Local Self-Government Level.” The project will also promote women’s leadership, foster cross-sector cooperation, and support the introduction of open and inclusive governance tools.
At the same time, ALDA emphasizes that communities not selected through the competitive process will still have access to the project’s information materials, practical tools, and learning resources developed as part of the initiative.
The project “Empowering Local Authorities and Citizens to Foster Open Dialogue and Women’s Leadership” is implemented by the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA) within the framework of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, which is supported by the European Union and its Member States Germany, Denmark, France, Austria, Poland, and Slovenia.