Transparency in the Second Year of the Full-Scale War: Results of Ukrainian Cities

On April 17, at 10:00 a.m., the Transparent Cities program of Transparency International Ukraine is going to present the second study of the transparency of Ukrainian cities in wartime conditions according to an updated methodology. 

In 2023, society changed significantly: Ukrainians became more demanding and had less tolerance for unmotivated closure of information. The situation was fueled by corruption scandals at both the national and local levels. The problems caused by the war persisted. 

The Transparent Cities program of Transparency International Ukraine has been assessing the transparency of city councils for seven years. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the methodology has been adapted. This year, the program presents the second wartime study (for 2023), in which analysts assessed an additional 10 frontline municipalities.

Which cities made a stunning leap and moved to the category of transparent? How did the frontline cities cope with the challenges? What did local self-government manage or fail to do? Which cities closed information, and which introduced innovative solutions? We will cover this and more during the presentation.

After the publication of the results, an expert discussion will be held with specialists from the field of municipal administration, central government, and civil society organizations. 

Main topics for discussion:

• challenges local authorities and citizens faced: what local self-government bodies managed to do and how?
• successful practices of wartime governance and tools that will stimulate transparency and strengthen Ukraine on the path to European integration;
• open data and access to information: the cities' need for common, clear, and public rules to engage with central authorities. 

The event will be attended by:

• Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine;
• Andrii Borovyk, Executive Director of TI Ukraine;
• Anastasiya Mazurok, Deputy Executive Director for Operations at TI Ukraine;
• Pavlo Kuzmenko, mayor of Okhtyrka;
• Andriy Moskalenko, First Deputy Mayor at Lviv City Council;
• Myroslava Prymak, analyst at «Chetverta Vlada»;
• Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

We invite representatives of local self-governments, public authorities, the public sector, the media, experts, and citizens to join the online presentation of the study and discuss the challenges and successful practices of cities.

On December 14, the leaders of European countries decided to open negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. TI Ukraine is convinced that it is more important than ever for our cities to work on transparency because this is what Ukrainian society demands. Without transparency of processes, further successful European integration and recovery are impossible.

Date: April 17.

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Event language: Ukrainian/English (simultaneous interpreting provided).

For a presentation and event reminder, register at the link https://bit.ly/3POeNh8 

For additional questions, please email transparent-cities@ti-ukraine.org.

Contact for media: Yevheniia Semchuk, Program Communication Manager, semchuk@ti-ukraine.org,  063-302-44-22.