On June 25, 2014, a training on decentralization in media took place in Rivne. 55 journalists and editors from Zhytomyr, Rivne and Volyn oblasts took part in it.

The training lecturers were represented by authors and promoters of decentralization-oriented reform: Anatoliy Tkachuk (Research and development director, Civil Society Institute, Advisor to Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of regional development, construction, housing and communal services of Ukraine), Yuriy Hanushchak (Director of Territorial Development Institute and ideologist of administration and territorial reform) and Ihor Abramyuk, expert analyst of Civil Society Institute. All of them work as experts in the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Decentralization Support in Ukraine”.

In particular, Anatoliy Tkachuk tried to answer some questions related to decentralization of authority, while emphasizing the fundamental importance of journalists’ active participation in informing the public about the reform of local self-government and territorial authority organization. "The reform is needed in order for Ukraine to become an effective state, for Ukrainian citizens to be able to elect their authoritative and effective local government, which has  adequate resources and is accountable to the citizens and the state",  Mr. Tkachuk concluded. Expert Igor Abram'yuk drew the audience’s attention to the issue of actual participation of citizens in the management of territories and communities, and to the role of media in the process of participatory democracy. Yuri Hanushchak told about the expected results of the reforms. He argued in favour of such changes, outlined the practical modeling of communities and neighborhoods, and named the criteria for authority delienation between the state and self-government bodies: “Parallel power is local self-government. The competition (between local self-government and executive power – author’s remark) provides the opportunity to develop the country because two authorities control each other. We are at the doorstep of this reform!”

Thus, the trainees had the opportunity to hear the information first hand: they addressed the developers of the Concept of local self-government reformation and territorial organization of power in Ukraine. It should be noted that media representatives demonstrated high awareness in most issues of decentralization reforms. This allowed the organizers to hold a constructive debate on key training-related issues and productively work in journalism workshops, where the trainees presented the reports, developed by the work groups, which were formed at the start of the training.

Event organizers – DESPRO and the Association of Small Towns of Ukraine - express sincere gratitude to Rivne Oblast Council for support and assistance in organiziation and conduction of the training.