UNITER Partners Achieving Results
Voice of the Community
In July 2009, the Trostyanets-based NGO Voice of the Community began to implement the project “Development of a democratic process in the city of Trostyanets by stimulating citizen participation in community life through public media.” The organization is a pioneer in using unconventional methods to promote citizen participation in local social and political life. In the framework of the project, a public media center was launched and has initiated an online web podcast entitled “You should know!” The web portal provides citizens with the possibility to learn about new events in Trostyanets district, submit questions to local politicians, and monitor local council decisions and which government authority made them. Moreover, citizens can now avoid the usual bureaucratic delays as they raise problems they need to have solved by local officials.
Owing to the project’s web podcast, other public organizations in Sumy oblast have become more proactive: they have developed an information resource which allows them to communicate their viewpoints to local government officials and connect like-minded citizens. For instance, the website has held a virtual meeting of experts to solve important community issues. This new public tool of mass communication allows each citizen to actively participate in community life by initiating discussions or proposing practical solutions to various common challenges. In December 2009 the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Council issued a cable TV broadcasting license to the NGOs’ media portal. Since the end of 2009, citizens of Trostyanets district can watch public broadcasts discussing significant local community issues in the comfort of their own homes. It is important to note that “Voice of the Community” was able to develop fruitful cooperation with the Trostyanets City Council which now represents a strong vocal force in supporting implementation the project.
Public Institute of Social Technologies
Odessa’s Public Institute of Social Technologies began implementing its project “Ensuring the Realization of Housing Rights for Dormitory Residents” in September 2009. The NGO is working to resolve important community problems related to ensuring that the rights and interests of communal housing tenants are respected by maintaining proper conditions in their homes throughout a privatization process called for in relevant Ukrainian laws. According to official statistics, approximately 130,000 people live in city communal housing which was supposed to be temporary but in fact became permanent for these residents long ago. However, state laws that could help solve the problem being implemented at the local level. One of the main obstacles is that most citizens lack access vital information and do not have title deeds for their homes. Additionally, existing regulations have yet to be discussed even as the privatization campaign gets underway. The Public Institute of Social Technologies addresses these issues by working to create information/advisory centers for citizens and members of local government. At the same time, recommendations are being developed for the Odessa City Council on the effective implementation of existing laws. The situation continues to be monitored.
