The on-line forum  for village headmen of the amalgamated communities, which forum was developed on the initiative of the DESPRO Swiss-Ukrainian Decentralisation Support Project in Ukraine, was opened on the "Decentralisation of Power" web-site.

"The headman is an important participant in the process of local self-government development since he/ she is a representative of authority, the authority's image. Therefore, he/ she should have answers to the most questions asked by residents and know how to defend their interests. It is possible to acquire the necessary experience and knowledge only when you can promptly communicate with colleagues and experts on a continuous basis. That is why we initiated the development of such tool. And of course, this on-line forum should operate within the framework of the informational platform of decentralisation", Maryna Bryl, the DESPRO Project Expert on Support for National Policy, said.

The forum is moderated by Oleksandr Vrublevskyi, Consulting Expert on Headmen's Activities and Cooperation of Territorial Communities.

"When talking with headmen, I see that they need more information, they have a lot of questions and often do not know where to apply for clarifications and recommendations. It is important that currently most of the headmen have access to the Internet, consequently, they are prepared for on-line communication in technical terms.  We tried to make that forum to be simple, understandable and accessible to the maximum extent possible, therefore,  I am sure that the headmen will easily find way around", Oleksandr Vrublevskyi emphasised.

Major topics for discussion have been already created on the on-line forum. The list of topics will be gradually expanded.

"All headmen who have registered on the on-line forum will have an opportunity to ask the moderator and promptly receive an answer, as well as clarify and comment on any answers. At the same time, it would be possible to initiate a discussion of any pressing issues needed to be resolved at the legislative or methodological level. Also, it would be possible to extract much information from the communication between his/ her colleagues and experts. Anybody interested will be able to read questions and answers, however, only registered users will be able to ask questions, share their experience or comment on any correspondence between the forum participants, that is, the headmen or acting headmen in the amalgamated communities", Oleksandr Vrublevskyi explained.  

To have registered on the forum, please follow the link: forum.decentralization.ua/

It is a reminder that there are already 413 amalgamated communities established in Ukraine where about 600 headmen have been elected, more than 1700 persons are acting headmen.