Oksana Garnets, Senior Coordinator of Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine” (DESPRO) believes that strong central power would ruin the country.
Administrative and territorial structure of Ukraine grounds on Soviet self-governing model. We have a rigid centralization of power. Decision-making process does not take into account the citizens’ opinion despite of the fact that the latter do depend on the decisions made. The system does not ensure the delegation of responsibilities from central power to local self-governing bodies.
It’s not a “life”. One thing when an entrepreneur, because of some reasons, addresses the government for some services… But, state system of all levels is not a client-orientated.
While speaking about the “client”, I mean not only entrepreneurs, but general citizens. When communicating with State Administrations, they often act as supplicants, “hitting their foreheads”. Like in Soviet times, public services provision is pretty difficult nowadays and so-called, un-transparent.
For example, according to the current legislation, land ownership can be assigned to Village Council, change of its target usage is under Rayon Council mandate, but, in fact, all issues are considered by Rayon State Administration. A few more years of such a “market”, which does not presuppose decentralization and regional and administrative and territorial reforms in Ukraine can result in the fate of lagging Latin American countries.
Our perspectives are: non-competitive production, non-competitive trade, rampant to unmanageable sizes capital city surrounded by “ghost’ towns and villages. In case, if Ukraine wishes to remain a real country and move forward, it has nothing to do but ensure the reforms.
What, where and when?
One more and more often speak about decentralization, i.e. regional development, local self-governance reform and administrative and territorial reforms. Optimistic is the fact that they speak about the issue not on an expert, but on a government and policy levels. I think, it happens because it becomes more and more difficult to maintain and control the government, which has too many responsibilities, up to controlling the prices on gasoline and buckwheat.
Many countries passed the similar way of reforms (e.g. Poland, Slovakia), but I believe that Ukraine will go its own, as always, unique way taking into account foreign experience.
Swiss Confederation, despite of its small territory, is known as a highly decentralized country with strong local self-governing traditions.
Switzerland is a federative parliamentary republic that has four official languages despite its population is less than 8 million people.
Because I manage the Swiss-Ukrainian Project on local self-governance, I’ll try to explain how Ukraine can use the experience of this small country.
In Switzerland the decisions are made on 3 levels: (a) local – associations of citizens and local-governing bodies; (b) canton level (regional) – canton’s parliament and its executive body as well as association of citizens; (c) country level – bicameral federal parliament, federal government and ...... association of citizens.
The challenges are being solved on the level they appear. For the matter, the adequate decentralized financial resources are being used. It is possible due to the fact that taxes, as a rule, are remaining on local level.
Similar models of cooperation of rural communities with local power we are trying to implement in Ukraine. By the moment it takes place in three regions: Vinnytsya and Sumy Oblasts and AR Crimea. Taking into account the financial possibilities of local budgets, we support the Projects on the grounds of co-financing.
We focused on water supply sector – one of the most important for normal life. The Projects’ goal was twofold: on one hand, to restore the water supply system in a particular village; on the other, to create, due to water supply system, an active community, which has adequate understanding of public services system as a whole.
While adding our resources to local budget and community contributions, we demonstrate how it is possible to construct one’s own water supply system.
Further on, we teach the citizens how to manage the water supply network, to form economically reasonable tariffs and to ensure its sustainable operation. I should note that citizens are ready to implement projects for the benefit of their communities facilitating their social and economic development. This process can be called as “social mobilization”.
Thus, small local projects turn from usual infrastructural into social and economic and have an essential impact on communities’ development. After solving water supply problems in particular villages, communities do next steps aimed at improvement of life quality. These are: street lightning, medical posts, waste removal, etc.
For example, the community of Dashev village, Vinnytsya Oblast, implemented its own project on street lightning after successful water supply project. It was done without any donor support!
Unification of the the resources aimed at settlement’s challenges solutions seems to be a catalyst that triggers the mechanism of community’s self-sufficiency. It serves for the increase of its cooperation not only with local power but with all stakeholders, interested in region’s development, including business sector. The above proves the improvement of investment attractiveness of the settlement.
In case if neighbor villages support the similar initiatives, the investment climate of the whole region will improve.
Analyses assessment demonstrates that being adopted, Swiss models could be pretty successful in our country. And… well-known Ukrainian myth re “It’s none of my business” is fading away.
For the politicians making the decisions on national reforms, our experience should signal on the following: do not be afraid that citizens on the sites are not ready to take responsibility. They do ready! They only need legislative and institutional support.
BusinessProfile:
Oksana Garnets, Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine”, Senior Project Coordinator in Ukraine
Borne: 16 August 1950, Kyiv
Education:
· Kyiv State Pedagogical Institute named after M. Gor’kiy (currently – National Pedagogical University named after M. Dragomanov), Department of Physics and Mathematics (1972);
· Postgraduate. Research Institute of Psychology (currently – Institute of Psychology, APS of Ukraine named after g. Kostyuk), PhD in Psychology (1980);
Professional experience:
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1983-1987
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Kyiv Municipal Council,
Deputy Head Assistant
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1987-1992
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Psychological Research Institute named after G. Kostyuk, APS of Ukraine,
Senior Researcher
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1992 -2000
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Representatives of UNESKO-Chornobyl Program,
Coordinator
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2000-2004
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UNDP Chornobyl Recovery and Development Program,
Manager
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2004-2008
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UNDP Project “Human Security for Youth in Ukraine”,
Manager
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Since 2008
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Swiss-Ukrainian Project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine”,
Senior Project Coordinator in Ukraine
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Family status: non married, has a son
