The Bakhmutska city territorial community of the Donetsk Oblast and the Pokrovska settlement community of the Dnipropetrovska Region became the winners of the 2024 Good Practices Competition. The voting and awarding of the winners took place within the framework of the Community Integrity Forum, held by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Program and in partnership with RMTeam International.
The community projects received 38 and 35 votes respectively among 114 participants of the competition. Interestingly, the assessment of experts and representatives of other communities participating in the voting coincided.
Thus, the Bakhmut City Territorial Community won the votes of the evaluation participants thanks to the project to establish support centers for Bakhmut residents “With Bakhmut in the Heart.” Residents of the city destroyed by the Russian occupiers, who now live in different parts of Ukraine, receive regular assistance from the relocated city council in the form of food, hygiene products, and financial support. In the settlements where the largest number of Bakhmut residents live, various training sessions for children and adults are held, and specialized specialists help to solve the urgent problems faced by internally displaced persons. The community, divided by the war but united by their love for their city, even holds its own festive events, maintains contacts through its own media and publics, and is ready to pay attention to every fellow countryman.
Before opening a center in a particular city, cooperation is established with local authorities. Local authorities provide premises, information on the number of IDPs in the host community and support the initiative. Next, they search for partners among international donors, charitable foundations, NGOs, and businesses, and engage specialists from the Bakhmut City Council to provide advice and training.
The Pokrovske village community in the Dnipropetrovsk Region has achieved positive results that have significantly changed the lives of its residents thanks to the successful implementation of the project “Rehabilitation and Social Integration of Internally Displaced Persons in the Pokrovske Community.” Its implementation has significantly improved the quality of social and communal services, especially in the healthcare sector. The community quickly identifies the needs of each individual patient, and it is now possible to receive comprehensive medical examinations, psychological rehabilitation, diagnose diseases and receive proper treatment. The community's medical sector was able to purchase new equipment and provide rehabilitation services to wounded soldiers and those affected by Russian armed aggression.
The project began with the creation of a working group to mediate cooperation between the community's executive authorities, healthcare workers, the public, IDPs, families in difficult life circumstances, the disabled, and the population affected by the hostilities. Then, training was held for the staff of the diagnostic center of the Pokrovske Hospital on how to interact with patients who had suffered mine-blast injuries, the rehabilitation space was prepared for receiving service recipients, equipment and supplies were purchased and installed, etc.
“This victory is a recognition of the character and strength of will of two unbreakable communities. The results demonstrated by the winners should inspire all other communities in the country. The competition shows how the implementation of good practices can make a difference in people's lives. It is important that all work within the projects is carried out in compliance with the standards of transparency and accountability. NACP promotes such initiatives. We see positive dynamics. For example, over the two years of the Forum's existence, the number of signatories to the Declaration of Integrity has doubled. This indicates that local authorities are aware of the need to move from anti-corruption rhetoric to the implementation of real anti-corruption tools and promote integrity by their own example,” said NACP Head Viktor Pavlushchyk during the award ceremony.
For reference
This is the second edition of the Community Integrity Forum. It is a unique platform created by NACP to coordinate actions to build integrity in communities. The event aims to encourage local government leaders and local communities to implement good practices at the local level and use modern anti-corruption tools. Watch the broadcast of the forum here.
The forum was implemented as part of the House of Integrity project, which was launched to help the public service and local governments achieve sustainable development based on the principles and international standards of integrity. The focus is on restoration and reconstruction, as well as other selected topics.
The House of Integrity project is implemented by RMTeam International with the support of the European Union and its member states Germany, Poland, Denmark and Slovenia under the U-LEAD with Europe Program. U-LEAD promotes transparent, sustainable and accountable multi-level governance in Ukraine that meets the needs of citizens, empowers communities and offers communities real tools for implementing good practices.
