How can local authorities make their communities greener? Sustainability and long-term orientation is among the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance, and making “cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030. Local authorities and citizens can make a substantial contribution in this direction.

The webinar “Engaging citizens in environmental protection”, held on 17 June, completed the series of webinars to disseminate the results of the contest “Best Practices in Local Self-Government – 2020” in Ukraine.

The webinar was organised in the framework of the Council of Europe Programme “Enhancing decentralisation and public administration reform in Ukraine”, in co-operation with the Ministry of Communities and Territories and the Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government.

The municipalities of Vinnytsia, Bila Tserkva, and Boratyn presented their practices dedicated to creating safe and comfortable habitats in their communities:

1. Vinnytsia presented its initiative on youth participation to address environmental challenges. Its main credo is that youth engagement in decision-making is a key factor for the sustainable development of a community. Local authorities are supporting initiatives of the young people, which resulted in:
   • the creation of eco-sites on the premises of educational institutions;
   • the creation of the ecological centre “Green Class”;
   • the equipment of a gym with exercise bikes that produce electricity;
   • the “Environmental Forum”, which encouraged the discussion on the Concept of Integrated Development of the Vinnytsia City until 2030.
2. Bila Tserkva municipality created an innovative interactive map of green areas in the city – “Smart Green Bila Tserkva”. This map is available on both personal computers and as a smartphone application. On the map, users can see the “passport” of a tree: species, age, condition, and a photo. It allows to easily add any tree to the register, and it helps develop current and long-term landscaping plans. Local authorities actively involve citizens in landscaping activities to jointly make the community more comfortable for everyone.
3. Boratyn village is improving its household waste recycling, which currently reaches only 5% on average in Ukraine. The practice “EcoCommunity: the path of change” showed how from the organisation of household waste collection in the village, the community started sorting recyclable materials and even initiated composting organic waste. This is reducing the number of fires, ultimately improving the quality of air and ground waters.

The webinar was held in a hybrid format, engaging representatives of local authorities at all levels and their associations, members of the Ukrainian Parliament, the leadership of the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development and regional journalists. Over 250 participants joined the event through the online platform and the social media streaming.

The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance has been supporting Ukraine in implementing this contest, based on its Best Practice in Local Government Programme toolkit, for almost a decade. The toolkit has been successfully adapted into a sustainable and popular contest for local authorities, organised annually by the Ukrainian Ministry of Communities and Territories Development. The Best Practice toolkit is one of the most popular methodologies of the Centre of Expertise. This year, it is being implemented also in Armenia, Hungary, Moldova, and Turkey.

Previously, the first Webinar discussed “Successfully implemented public initiatives and projects as an indicator of interaction between local authorities and residents”. The second Webinar presented “Quality educational services: from kindergarten to the university of the third age”.