November 19, 2019, 17:00, the award ceremony for the winners of the budget transparency rating “Crystal of the Year” among Ukrainian consolidated communities will take place in the Regent Hill Event Hall (54 Michurina Street, Kyiv). This is the unique award in Ukraine, illustrating budget transparency in amalgamated communities and serving as the roadmap for improving indicators and introducing good practices of the budgeting process.

The “Crystal of the Year” celebrates the best consolidated communities that have undergone the assessment according to joint methodology implemented by USAID DOBRE and U-LEAD with Europe Programs. The nominees have been evaluated under 36 criteria in the field of public finance management. The “Crystal of the Year” event presents the best practices of the efficient financial management in communities, where all the stages of the budgeting process – from planning to reporting – are transparent and comprehensive for taxpayers who generate the local budget income. The methodology and results of the assessment will be discussed at the ceremony.

The ceremony will convene over 300 participants, including representatives from consolidated communities and municipalities and from central executive authorities; experts from international technical assistance projects, heads of diplomatic missions. During the award ceremony, the high officials will congratulate the amalgamated communities, which adhere to the ideas of openness and implement transparent budget practices, engaging local residents and applying innovative methods for ensuring accountability of public finances in their hromadas.

The list of 106 hromadas that went through the assessment.

November 19, the 2019 Budget Transparency Gala event: 

15:30-- 17:00 – arrival and registration of participants (54 Michurina Street, Kyiv

Regent Hill Event Hall).

17:00 -- 19:00 – award ceremony.

Accreditation for the media until 18:00 November 18, contact person – Olha Tkachenko, olha.tkachenko.v@gmail.com, 0994413914, 0980644151.

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Crystal of the Year Award and budget transparency assessment in 2019 is a joint effort of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the consortium of USAID/DOBRE Program implementers, European Union and its five member states Germany, Sweden, Poland, Denmark and Estonia through the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, and the public coalition “For Transparent Local Budgets!” The local budget transparency index and its assessment methodology is developed by East Europe Foundation in partnership with public coalition “For Transparent Local Budgets!” in cooperation with the Association of Ukrainian Cities supported by European Union.