Applications Open for the 2021 “Best Practices of Local Self-Government” Competition

The Ministry of Regional Development announces the start of the “Best Practices of Local Self-Government” competition in 2021. Local self-government bodies of all levels are invited to take part.

This year the competition will be held in the following thematic blocks:

1. Community cohesion

The practices should demonstrate an adequate level of consolidation of the community’s population and the conditions created by local authorities to ensure cohesion and equal opportunities for self-realisation of every social group, including those living outside the administrative centres of the territorial community.

These may be practices of:

• forming local identity (by socio-economic and cultural-historical criteria);
• partnerships between local authorities, business and the civil sector;
• business initiatives and start-ups to involve young people in local socio-economic development processes and encourage them to stay in the community;
• cooperatives as drivers of community development and cohesion.

2. Organisation of the system of providing medical services at the local level in the context of healthcare reform

Every year the powers of basic-level local self-government bodies in healthcare expand, which requires a quick response to new challenges and a search for practical and effective solutions.

Examples of practices:

• staffing and development/optimisation of the network of healthcare institutions;
• development of medical infrastructure, material and technical provision and availability of medical services;
• safe and uninterrupted provision of medical care at the outpatient stage or ensuring the logistics of vital medicines;
• local programmes promoting a healthy lifestyle involving civil society organisations, and training programmes for medical staff on conducting medical and business activities;
• uninterrupted transportation of patients and medical staff to places where medical services are provided;
• effective solutions for controlling and overcoming the spread of Covid-19 at the local level, in particular through tools of inter-municipal cooperation
• cooperation with state authorities.

3. Implementation of strategic development projects

Attention should be focused on practices with lasting results and a long-term impact of implemented projects approved by the Community or Oblast Development Strategy, with a description of specific examples of how achieving the set goals brought positive change: creating general conditions for restoring jobs/employment of the population; ensuring a favourable environment for the development of social initiatives/volunteering; business interest in areas previously considered unpromising.

Examples of practices:

• strengthening the community’s investment capacity/attractiveness;
• the domino effect or the principle “Money goes to money”;
• creating spaces for joint work, exchange of experience and sale of products;
• development of territories remote from the administrative centre of the territorial community;
• inter-municipal cooperation in the context of developing dialogue and partnership for quality services in the community;
• preserving/strengthening the competitiveness of the cultural and tourism industry.

Attention, Competition participants!

The Competition is held in accordance with Ministry of Regional Development Order No. 118 of 19.05.2021 (download), which approved the updated application form (download).

The organiser asks local self-government bodies to follow exactly this format when preparing practices for participation in the Competition.

The Ministry’s partner in holding the Competition is the Council of Europe Programme “Decentralisation and Public Administration Reform in Ukraine”.

You can learn more about the Competition at the link