For six years with communities and for communities: (not) anniversary interview with a public partnership coordinator “For transparent local budgets!”

In mid -December, the sixth anniversary of the foundation celebrates the Public Partnership “For Transparent Local Budgets”, the coordinator of which is the Odesa Regional Organization of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine. On the eve of the anniversary, we met with the coordinator of the partnership, the chairman of the Odessa Regional Board Anatoly Boyk to ask him about the main stages of formation and the largest projects that have already been implemented by members of the partnership.

• Anatoly, what is the public partnership “for transparent local budgets!”? What is his mission? Anatoly, what does the public partnership do for transparent local budgets! What is his mission?
• The mission of our partnership is to create conditions for the effective formation and use of local budgets in the interests of communities by improving the integrity, transparency of the budget process and ensuring the participation of citizens in it. Speaking in simple language, we strive for community money to work for the community itself, and the community will become more prosperous and successful. To do this, we help communities introduce various tools that increase the integrity and transparency of the budget process. At the same time, we understand that this task cannot be achieved without active involvement of the members of the community themselves, so we try to increase the awareness of citizens in the budget process, and to create mechanisms and practices of involvement in it. As a result, we get not only an economic but also a positive political effect in the form of increased trust in power.
• Who is part of the partnership, what do these people, organizations do?
• Our partnership is the first and only network of regional non -governmental organizations in Ukraine, which includes 30 NGOs and media from 15 regions of Ukraine. It focuses on the issues of raising standards and efficiency of the budget process at the local level, and partnership includes most regional NGOs engaged in our country in our country. We are six years old, that is, a relatively young network, but our partners have a very solid experience, history, ability and reputation. And another important point: the partnership includes organizations from all sub -regions of Ukraine: from Chernihiv to Odessa and from Severodonetsk, to Lviv.
• And what is the structure of public partnership? How is its functioning? And what is the structure of public partnership? How is its functioning?
• It is a horizontal network of organizations. Strategic decisions are made by general discussion of partnership participants, and the organization of their implementation is provided by the organization, coordinator and working groups from among the organizations of partnership.
• Another pretty simple, but also difficult question: what does partnership do? It is clear that the focus of attention is local community budgets, but how is it in practice? Do you not write to communities budgets or samples of documents?
• No, we don’t write. We do more important things really. Because one thing is to give the finished product, and it is not bad. Another thing is to give the tools and teach them to use the product to produce quality and necessary for all members of the community. More specifically, we use all the available range of tools and approaches: from expert research to information and advocacy campaigns, street actions and flash mobs.
• Tell us about the first partnership projects. What did it all begin?
• We started with a rather large-scale and ambitious project, when from July 2015 to February 2016 in 17 cities, for the first time in Ukraine, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of local socio-economic and budgetary policy to comply with the requirements of current legislation, implementation of the best international and Ukrainian practices of transparency, virtue and virtue and involvement. Our experts have developed a unique methodology of the “Transparency Index, participation and integrity of socio -economic and budgetary policy at the local level”, or abbreviated as – the PUD index. And carried out evaluations according to it. It was really interesting and useful – and residents of communities and heads of cities, who looked at their own work somewhat differently and how many aspects of the budgetary sphere can be improved. And, by the way, this is the main thing: in all our projects we do not strive to simply criticize local power and show what it does “wrong”. It is not: our main task is to find pain points, analyze the causes of their occurrence and make a road card – if you want, how to avoid mistakes and shortcomings in the future.

Later, in the summer of 2016, in 18 cities and towns, we held the first very large -scale campaign “Influence on the budget of your city!”. Together with the communities, we conducted street actions aimed at raising awareness and participation of locals in the budget process. During these measures, for the first time in the scale of all Ukraine, we tested an innovative tool for participation of citizens in the budget process – to submit to local self -government bodies our proposals on priority directions of spending local budget spending next year. That is, on the one hand, experts explained to people what a community budget is, what it is, how it is replenished and what is being spent, and on the other hand, we asked residents: what would you like to spend the community budget next year? We demonstrated how simple words to explain what the budget is, to tell people when they have time, because we go to people and do not wait for them to come to us, and finally ask: so what would you like? The result: for the first time, about 6,000 people took part in our actions, about one tenth of the action agreed to submit their proposals to the 2017 budget. Thus, as a result of the action, more than 500 proposals of citizens were collected to local budgets of 18 communities. And in 2019, for example, we have covered more than 120 settlements in 7 oblasts, received more than 9,000 offers from the residents to the budgets, which have submitted nearly 15,000 citizens! All the budget proposals collected were systematized and directed to the respective local councils, and in the future, public activists controlled the process of consideration of budget proposals and their consideration. I have to say that many of them were taken into account – and so in the following years such actions continued successfully: people believed that something depends on them.

• So, do your projects, although related to budgets, help people believe in themselves? Budget philosophy comes out … So your projects, although related to budgets, help people believe in themselves? Budget philosophy comes out …
• And this is quite natural. Our experts are able to explain complex things in simple words. That is, the budget is not boring, not difficult and not unattainable. Well, we count our family budgets, right? And it does not seem boring – this is a necessity. But even children are already taught to count money, plan purchases and more. This is normal financial literacy. The communities should be the same. And to whom does the residents not be solved – really, not nominally, what to do with their own budget? I say “own”, because the community budget is not alien, because it is formed thanks to residents.
• You said that the public partnership is not exclusively criticized, but still monitors and evaluates the work of the authorities. And how are the results?
• Yes, of course, because without analyzing errors it is impossible to develop an effective strategy to improve the situation as a whole. For example, four years ago, we first monitored the process of local budgets for 2017 in more than 30 cities of Ukraine, including all cities-regional centers and Kyiv. What were the results of our study? We had quite predicted conclusions, but they were based not only on forecasts or conclusions, but on specific numbers and facts. Therefore, the budget process at the local level has a number of shortcomings: this is not a non -publication of projects about the decision on the budget or failure to comply with the time and fullness of publication; and failure to comply with the terms of approval of the budget provided for by law; and restrictions on citizens’ access at a session of local councils and the reluctance of the authorities to consult with citizens on budget projects. As a result of the evaluation for all city councils, we have prepared and presented recommendations to increase the level of transparency of the budget process. And where it was introduced – at least partially – the situation has improved significantly.

And in 2018, the budget indeẍ transparency was presented within the framework of the National Conferencë “Budget Transparency”, during which the award ceremony of the winners of the Budget Prize was also held by the Crystal Year transparency – 9 cities and OTGs, which showed the best results in different components of the index.

In 2019, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the level of transparency of the budget process already 75 OTGs, and this was the largest -scale similar assessment of the level of budgetary transparency in the country. All OTGs received personal packages of recommendations̆, a ranking of transparency of the OTG was formed, and the best received budget Oscaars during our annual festive event, which is already a tradition.

• And how does the partnership make the budget more clear to people? Are there any secrets or tools?
• Yes, it is, but! It’s –Budget for citizens. In the form of brochures, together with community representatives, we present to residents information about the budget of their community in the form of infographics, explanations of the main terms, budget calendar and detailed description, how citizens can join in the budget proposals. In three years, we managed to develop, test and successfully implement more than 200 budgets for citizens in communities in 15 regions of Ukraine. During this time, he has already taken root, loved communities, and this year we have preparedmanualAbout how to create a budget for citizens with your own hands. The manual includes explanations of the main stages of budget creation for citizens, examples from different communities, reviews of community leaders and financiers about the benefits it brings. Interestingly, among the main trends of BDG-use of local Identics, the placement of information on taking into account proposals from residents of communities last year, which demonstrates the effectiveness of this tool and its results; This year, another trend is the publication of information about the challenges that the Crownavirus pandemics were put before the community budgets and so on. Thus, every year communities are looking for the best, more interesting approaches to dialogue with residents about the budget, and also reflect the relevant features of the BDG every year.

By the way, this year the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine has approved methodological recommendations on the mechanisms of public participation in the budget process at the local level, which includes in particular the budget for citizens, developed by us. So it works and it effectively.

• About budgets, that is, money is clear about money. But who in Ukraine does not know: where the money is there … corruption. Well, such realities, you will not do anything. The greater the budget – the greater corruption? Can somehow avoid this? Or fight? Does it make sense?
• There is always a sense of fighting bad things – I have no doubt about this. This is the first. And secondly, I have the answer to this question, because partnership is actively implementing anti -corruption instruments in the communities. And here the approach is very clear: we study issues, develop a set of tools to solve it, we offer communities – we help to implement what they have chosen. In 2017, 22 united territorial communities introduced more than 50 anti -corruption instruments for our active assistance, then gradually increased their capacity, and in total, 75 OTGs in 7 regions in three years made 161 decisions on the introduction of anti -corruption instruments with more than 20 expert experts. Anti -corruption programs, prevention and resolution of conflict of interest and public consultation were the most popular. That is, what did we do actually? They developed a line of ten anti -corruption instruments, because they understood that communities need to work comprehensively. Then they conducted training, which had a high level of motivation, for community management, deputy corps, legal departments in the OTG, as well as activists and elders of the communities. Further, community representatives chose two anti -corruption tools they wanted to implement, that is, we went from community needs. After that, public partnership experts were constantly accompanied by communities at all stages, developed road maps for the introduction of anti -corruption instruments, etc. Of course, all of our practical experiences we have outlined inthe manualWhat any community can take advantage of: not only theory, but also practice, and successful practice, our partners.

In addition, this year we have focused on the creation of supervisory and guardian councils in the OTGs in educational and health care institutions. A total of 53 such councils that have now started working. Why is it important? So we involve community residents: parents of students, patients of medical institutions, businessmen and more. They are looking for an effective way to improve the work of these institutions, and monitor the transparency of using funds, and offer new ideas for the release of these institutions to a new, higher stage of development.

Tatiana Pletnyova, Nizhyn Community: “What do I consider to be the main success of our community in cooperation with partnership? It is an increase in budget transparency and accountability in the community. Our budget for citizens has become popular in the community, people have not only started to understand the principle of budgeting, but also have been able to provide their proposals and wishes for it. The budget for citizens has been distributed in various institutions, from educational institutions, medicine, social protection institutions to street actions. Employees of the Department for Family and Youth, together with the youth center and expert of the partnership, Tatiana Romanova have repeatedly conducted meetings and trainings, where in an accessible form everyone was able to get acquainted with the principles of community budget formation and to understand how it affects the life of every resident. The residents of the community with great interest have taken such presentation of information, and even more so – accountability and transparency of community management.

Lilia Pulyaeva, Chaplin Community: “The Chaplinsk City Council presented the results of the local government’s ability to assess the local government. According to the results of three community evaluations, 1 and 2 cohorts of the settlement council took first place among the village councils and received $ 35,000 for the implementation of the additional project. I believe that we have succeeded in joint activities with the public partnership for transparent local budgets.

Dariya Dudarchuk, Pidvolochysk community: “Our main achievement in cooperation with partnership is to create the conditions for the wider participation of the public in the budget process, to increase the responsibility of the settlement council for the proper informing of residents of the territorial community about the state of use of budgetary funds.”

Mykola Orlov, an expert of a public partnership: “Partnership is what you breathe. It is a home for the curious and aware, it is a circle of those with whom you can even tell, and it will be again on the topic of local budgets. And our partnership meetings are like an apartment for our own, after which charged intellectuals are able to ignite all the communities of the country! ”.

Taras Halyavka, Public Partnership Expert: “Partnership for me is not only cool projections and unique products, it’s first and foremost people. People who are experts and personalities who will support and help. I hope that partnership is a long time. “

Natalia Rybalko, Public Partnership Expert: “For me, partnership is development, understanding that you are relevant to global and important things. And yet – the opportunity to constantly learn new and communicate with people “in one wave”.

Elena Ravetchenko, Public partnership expert: “Why am I in partnership? Because here I feel stability, security, emotional support, I have a great pleasure in working with communities and growing professionally. ”

Maria Orlova, Public Partnership Expert: “When two partnership experts meet, it will always be 1+1 = 3! Why? Because the spirit of partnership is always present with us and we are able to look into the future. “

Alona Matviychuk, Public Partnership Expert: “Partnership is an opportunity to work systematically, not to perform only one -time projects. My personal motivation is through a community that has its values, its soul, to implement systemic, steel changes that are not only dependent on funds. And the changes we have already introduced or introduced – they are already realized or implemented. ”

Tatiana Romanova, Public Partnership Expert: “In my life, I had the opportunity to work in many different teams. But the partnership team is a combination of expertise, professionalism, humanity and a good sense of humor. And I am extremely pleased that I am in partnership, and most importantly – our beneficiaries, feel real results from our activity. This is, in fact, the greatest motivation to change this world with this team, with these people. I believe that we have even more cool results ahead! ”.

Ella Petrenko, Public Partnership Expert: “For me, a partnership is a complex mechanism when even without one wheel the clock will not work. In our team, everyone feels significant and important, involved in a big business that changes communities, changes people, their attitude to budget funds, to community management. In my partnership, I feel the support of colleagues, here I am constantly learning and developing as a specialist, and there are always people who will put my shoulder and who I will always come to the rescue. “

Michael Jogol, Public Partnership Expert: “I am very pleased to work with people who share my values, understand me and are always ready to put my friendly shoulder and help. We do a very good thing – we help people make their communities successful and develop daily. ”