Policy and Strategy Development

DESPRO provides on-going support to various activities focused on decentralization related reforms of public administration, reform of regional policy, etc. DESPRO experts are also involved in discussions on reforming of communal services provision.

The project has been providing further advisory, analytical, financial and other support in designing the concept paper on state regional policy development, i.e. the Concept of State Regional Policy that is in fact the fundamental document in the set of subsequent policy papers aimed at decentralization, which are:

-      Concept of Administrative and Territorial Reform
-      Concept of Local Self-governance Reform
-      Concept of Upgrading Of Public Servants` Training

The above policy documents are those policy development elements that compose the National Agenda on Decentralization.
Key Ukrainian and international specialists, including Swiss experts are involved in designing and debating those policy papers.

In March, 2009 East Europe Foundation and  DESPRO, in a cooperation with MoRDC,  established grants for NGOs to implement the local projects of Administrative and Territorial  Reform  support in Sumska, Vinnitska, Ternopilska and Khersonska oblasts. The project is supposed to  promote the reform on the local and regional level trough providing platform for  different stakeholders to articulate their viewsa swell as develop and discuss the new lay-out of the oblast after the reform. DESPRO is supporting these activities in two oblasts Vinnitska and Khersonska.

DESPRO is working in close partnership with the  Association of the Small Cities (ASC) that is part of the Association of Cities and Communities of Ukraine. Joint activities are focused promoting improvement of  services provision in small  cities trough improving communication promoting partnership of the local self-governance bodies and   regional administrations. Experts and practitioners involved by the Association have conducted 4 workshops in Vinnytska oblast and Crimea that involved 96 mayors of small cities.

Centre of the Political and Legal Reform, a think tank involved in developing major national policy documents in the area of decentralisation and local self-governance was contracted by DESPRO to produce a publication providing information on the good European practice of decentralisation and their implications for Ukraine. The publication will also provide analysis of Swiss practices applicable in Ukraine. The target audiences for the book are self-government practitioners and policy makers.  The publication will be presented in November.

DESPRO is intensively  involved in activities carried out by international and bilateral donors dealing with reforming state public administration, regional policies, territorial and administrative set-up in the country. Amongst others these are CIDA, UNDP, USAID, SIDA. DESPRO, is part of the Task Force on Decentralization and Local Self-Government that functions under the leadership of COOF and is coordinated by MoRDC. In fact the task force operates as the Decentralization Networking Group (DNG)

13:59 | 03.05.2012 During the Press-Conference, Which Took Place on 3rd May in Kyiv, DESPRO, UNDP/MGSDP and MINREGION Experts Discussed the Problems Related to Solid Waste Management
Press-Conference dedicated to “Solid Waste. Dumps in Ukraine. Does waste disaster threatens Ukraine?” took place in Information Agency “Ukrainian National News”. Mr. Oleksandr Ihnatenko, Director of the Department of Territories’ Landscaping and Communal Services, MINREGION of Ukraine, Mr. Leonid Tulovsky, Expert on Quality Control, UNDP Project “Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Program” and Mr. Vyacheslav Sorokovsky, Expert on Decentralization, Swiss-Ukrainian project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” took part in the press-conference.
12:55 | 26.04.2012 DESPRO Has Conducted Training For Accountants of Service Cooperatives Dealing with Water Supply
On 25 – 26 April Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) has conducted a training “Follow-up operation of service cooperatives: metering the water; maintaining the water supply networks; relations with regulatory bodies; questions and answers” for accountants of water supply service cooperatives. 
12:19 | 24.04.2012 Decentralization and governance
On 24th April the workshop “Decentralization and Governance” aimed at presenting and discussing of the training modules for public servants and local self-government officials took place in Hotel Complex “Puscha Lisova” (Moschun village, Kyiv Oblast).
12:23 | 20.04.2012 Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) and Coordination Centre for Economic Reforms under the President of Ukraine have signed Memorandum on Mutual Understanding
On 20th April 2012 Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) and Coordination Centre for Economic Reforms under the President of Ukraine have signed Memorandum on Mutual Understanding.