One of the main tasks of EUACI as an international technical assistance Programme is to enhance the capacity of local government, civil society, and media to contribute to the fight against corruption. For this purpose, together with two CSO Hubs (CSO Center for Support of Civic and Cultural Initiatives “Tamarisk” and CSO Centre “Women’s Perspectives”), EUACI have announced a call for project proposals in 5 “Integrity Cities”: Mariupol, Nikopol, Chernivtsi, Chervonohrad and Zhytomyr.
According to its rules and eligibility requirements, such projects have to include active involvement and cooperation with local civil society activists/journalists and youth in the “Integrity Cities”. Activities within these projects should focus on the following topics:
- oversight of local government,
- implementation of accountability and transparency mechanisms,
- monitoring the way anti-corruption tools are being applied,
- contribution to the development and promotion of transparency and accountability of local authorities.
As a result, EUACI’s partners received 36 proposals from the regional and local CSOs (Chernivtsi – 6, Chervonohrad – 4, Zhytomyr – 7, Nikopol – 9 and Mariupol – 10). After the competitive selection of project proposals, evaluation committees recommended to fund and implement 12 of them.
These projects will cover various anti-corruption activities on the local level – from application and promotion of the transparency and accountability in healthcare sector, establishing transparent procurement, ensuring effective regulatory policy for local business, monitoring local budget spending and providing anti-corruption educational programmes for youth to launching anti-corruption advocacy campaigns to raise awareness of existing anti-corruption. The time frame of their implementation is between July 2019 and February 2020. Below is the list of selected projects:
Mariupol:
- NGO «Power of Entrepreneurs» (Project «Regulatory Policy in Mariupol»);
- NGO «Centre for Civil Initiatives «Skhidna Brama»» (Project «Corruption is»);
- NGO «Alliance for Civil Rights» (Project «Budget Pies»).
Nikopol:
- CO «Nikopol Center for Civil Initiatives» (Project «Responsible Youth Against Corruption»);
- Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Civil Society Organization «Energy of Life Plus» (Project «Introducing Transparency and Accountability Tools for the Authorities in Nikopol»);
- NGO «Regional Association of Masters of Public Administration» (Project «Transparent Regulatory Activity – Guarantee of Economic Growth in Nikopol»).
Chernivtsi:
- NGO «Patients of Bukovyna» (Project «Transparency and Accountability of Communal Medicine in Chernivtsi»);
- NGO «Bukovyna Agency for Regional Development» (Project «How Does the City Work?»).
Chervonohrad:
- NGO «Analytical-Advocacy Center Lviv Regulatory Hub» (Project «Effective Regulatory Policy as a Way of Preventing and Countering Corruption»);
- NGO «Center for Civic Monitoring and Research» (Project «Transparent Procurement: Increasing the Effectiveness and Publicity of Use of Budget Funds in Chervonohrad»).
Zhytomyr:
- NGO «Endspiel» (Project «Forming Competency for Use of Anti-Corruption Tools by Active Youth»);
- NGO «GREENERY» (Project «Creating an E-Cabinet for Zhytomyr Residents»).
In June, the CSO Hubs with the support of EUACI experts, provided orientation sessions on project management, finance, communications and reporting, followed by signing the grant agreements with the winners. Project proposals from Mariupol and Nikopol were reviewed and evaluated by the evaluation committee of CSO hub Center “Tamarisk” composed of three members: one EUACI representative and two Center “Tamarisk” representatives/independent experts. The evaluation committee of CSO hub Center “Women’s Perspectives” reviewed and evaluated project proposals from Chernivtsi, Chervonohrad and Zhytomyr. It was also composed of three members: one EUACI representative and two external experts engaged by the Center “Women’s Perspectives” (from International Renaissance Foundation and from the Coordination Council of the Civic Network OPORA). The project proposals were evaluated based on the following criteria:
- readiness to cooperate with local authorities;
- measurable project results;
- sustainability of results after the project ends;
- innovative project ideas;
- creative use of media and information technologies.
The CSO hubs’ network (includes Center “Women’s Perspectives” and Center “Tamarisk”) was established by the UNDP in Ukraine, as a part of the “Civil Society for Enhanced Democracy and Human Rights” project, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative aims to increase the capacity of Ukrainian civil society and media to counter corruption and mitigate corruption risks on local level. One of its key activities is the “Integrity Cities” project.