Chernihiv Development Strategy – results with public eyes

The Chernihiv City Council hosted a press conference devoted to the results of the implementation of the project on public monitoring of the implementation of the Strategic Chernihiv Development Plan for 2007-2015.

The press conference was attended by the President of the Polissya Fund of International and Regional Studies Gennady Maxak and Chernihiv Mayor Alexander Sokolov.
The project “Chernihiv Development Strategy-the first results of the public” was implemented in the regional center of Chernihiv region during January-July this year-two organizations-the Polissya Fund of International and Regional Studies and the Initiative Educational Center. The project is aimed at increasing the level of transparency and accountability of the activities of local self -government bodies of Chernihiv and the introduction of effective mechanisms of participation of the public in the process of decision -making.
According to the results of expert work, round tables were conducted with the participation of experts, local politicians, representatives of the authorities responsible for the implementation of certain operational goals, public figures and journalists. The result of the implementation of the project was the publication of the thematic information and analytical magazine “Polissya Analytics” (№4, 2010).
Gennady Maxak noted that this work was not in vain, since experts found significant shortcomings in the Chernihiv Development Strategy. First, they discovered the weakness in the strategy itself (especially in methodology). The tasks are sometimes not concerned with the strategy. Secondly, local resources often do not correspond to strategic thinking. Third, the expected results are very blurred, so it is difficult to track and control them. Fourth, the public receives little information about the implementation of “strategy”. It has also been noted that the city’s strategy is currently 50%percent.
According to Chernihiv Mayor Alexander Sokolov, there are objective reasons for this. First, the global crisis was signaled, the Chernihiv budget will crack at the seams. Secondly, the implementation of many urban programs depends on government programs, and at this level, the strategy is absent at all, whether or not money is missing. Third, the “Development Strategy” contains quite high standards for the life of Chernihiv, and if the realities do not meet them (for example, salaries are the lowest in the country), then people see, for some reason, they feel dissatisfied.
The Chernihiv Mayor called the implementation of this project a good example of cooperation between the public and the city authorities. “From the very beginning, the Chernihivs participated in the development of the strategic plan, providing their proposals to the city council. In addition, the document took place before the session of the City Council,” O. Sokolov said.
The mayor stressed that the strategic plan for Chernihiv development for 2007-2015 is a kind of business plan of Chernihiv development, a basic document that covers different areas of the city’s life for the future and its implementation will continue.