Experts and authorities discussed Chernihiv’s social development

On April 26, 2010, a round table “Chernihiv: Strategy and Reality” was held at the Expert Club “Clean Policy”. The expert discussion of the participants presented the results of monitoring the implementation of the Program # 3 “Social Development” of the Chernihiv Development Strategy, as well as published by the survey of the opinion of the residents of Chernihiv on assessing the level of satisfaction with the activities of city authorities in the social sphere.

The roundtable was attended by Deputy Chernihiv Mayor Oksana Tunik-Fiz, Heads of the Department of Health of the City Council, Chernihiv City Center for Social Services for Family, Children and Youth, Department of Physical Education and Sports

The event was held within the framework of the joint project of the Polissya Fund of International and Regional Studies and the Initiative Educational Center “Chernihiv Development Strategy – the first results of the public through the public”, implemented with the support of the Denmark Ministry, which was provided through UNDP and Creative Center.

During the roundtable, the Vice President of the Polissya Fund of the International and Regional Studies Yuri Vdovenko presented the results of public monitoring of the implementation of the Program # 3 “Social Development” of the Chernihiv Development Strategy. This section of the strategy consists of 30 tasks in the field of social services providing the population: medicine, education, culture, preventive measures, physical education and sports, law and order.

According to Mr Vdovenko, there is very little information in the open access to the tasks prescribed in the strategy. And the program itself does not have a methodology of evaluation and monitoring of its implementation. As in the previous sections of development strategies, current measures are often classified as strategic points. “Well, how can you record ongoing repairs for strategic goals?” – is amazed by a public expert.

Therefore, there is a need to bring the program tasks to modern requirements: to supplement with unaccounted tasks, to exclude tasks that do not relate to the strategic level and to make adjustments in view of the current economic state of city development.

During the roundtable, the results of the Chernihiv public opinion were presented on the satisfaction of the activities of the city authorities in the field of social services. Therefore, according to the Polissya Fund of International and Regional Research, almost a third of the respondents consider the activities of local authorities in the social sphere unsatisfactory, most dissatisfied – 45, 9 % – in the field of health care.

Chernihiv is most approvingly evaluated by the authorities to promote healthy lifestyles and to ensure law and order in the city.

New approaches to social services development are not enough for the authorities, this is evidenced by the fact that a quarter of the respondents know nothing about them.

The deputy mayor Oksana Tunik-Frease stressed that the analysis and monitoring of public organizations by the city authorities strategizes and stimulates the authorities to more efficient work and reporting to the public.

At the same time, Ms. Tunik-Frise acknowledged that certain problems in communication did not allow the executive bodies of the city council to provide comprehensive information on the information that NGOs asked in a timely manner. That is why in the analysis of the implementation of the city development strategy in the social sphere presented on the round table opposite many points was noted “unknown”.

The deputy mayor has publicly promised in a short time in writing to provide all the information asked by NGOs.

Representatives of the relevant profile departments and departments of the city council, which participated in the work of the roundtable expressed their thoughts on the problems and prospects of implementation of the city development strategy in their fields. Most city specialists complained about the lack of financing of the points registered in the program, but noted that despite all the complexities, the executive bodies of the city authorities do everything possible to realize the tasks of the recorded in the document.

As a result of the discussion, representatives of public organizations were clearly assured by the officials that the authorities are open to cooperation with the public and Gorov to provide any information about their activities.