Dear colleagues,

     We would like to invite you to take part in the Forum “25th Anniversary of the Local Self-Government in Ukraine: High Time for Decentralization” that will be held on December 15, 2015, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Parus Business Center, 2 Mechnykova St. (entrance from Lesya Ukrayina blvd). 

     This year, Ukraine is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the local self-government. The law “On the local councils of the people’s deputies and local and regional self-government” was adopted on December 7, 1990. It is symbolic that Ukraine celebrates this anniversary in the heat of the public discussion regarding the draft amendments to the Constitution in part of decentralization.

     The local self-government reform was given a top priority after the Revolution of Dignity. Over a year and a half, Ukraine has passed a long way in the decentralization process: adoption of the laws on amalgamation of the territorial communities, fiscaldecentralization, and regional policy reform are worth mentioning in this context. The amendments to the Constitution which have recently become a subject of public discussion should guarantee that this reform could not be rolled back.

     The challenges on the way towards this important reform can be overcome through expert public discussion. Open discussion of the key aspects of decentralization by experts and politicians will provide a possibility to develop common solutions and present them to the media and the public.

     To this end, key participants of the decentralization reform will get together on December 15, 2015. MPs of Ukraine, members of the Constitutional Commission, members of the Government, experts, representatives of the civil society and local self-government bodies, members of the associations of the local self-government bodies, and media have been invited to participate in the Forum. 

     Draft programme is available here!

Simultaneous interpretation into English will be provided.