On 30-31 March, a national level round table "Smart Cities - Innovations in Local Governance" was organized in Ivano-Frankisk city. Among the participants were representatives of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the Ministry of Regional Development and the State Agency for Ukraine’s e-governance, and Ukrainian municipal authorities. Together they discussed perspectives of development of smart cities in Ukraine in the context of decentralization reform.

«As UNDP we believe that smart solutions for the cities like Ivano-Frankivsk and for the cities where you come from can bring all progress. Increase of information and communication technologies can help to reach those people whom we couldn’t reach previously like people in rural areas. Decentralization and democratic access to data and to services – those things go hand in hand, that is why this event, this programme and this particular aspect is so relevant to Ukraine,» Mr Janthomas Hiemstra, UNDP Country Director in Ukraine, has noted during the official opening of the Conference.

“We are glad that this roundtable covers the whole range of topics related to smart cities and electronic governance. This will give us deeper understanding of today’s needs of the small cities”, Ms Juana Mera Cabello, First coucellor, the Head of Section “Economic Cooperation, Social and Regional Development” of the EU Delegation in Ukraine, highlighted.

Mr. Ruslan Martsynkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk city mayor, expressed hope that introduction of e-governance will be successfully implemented in Ukrainain cities. “We are glad that our city has an opportunity to share our own experience regarding the introduction of innovative technologies,” noted the mayor during his welcome speech.

National level round table "Smart Cities - Innovations in Local Governance" was organized with support of the joint EU/UNDP Project “Community-based approach to local development” (CBA). During this event, Ukrainian cities shared their experience regarding the introduction of e-governance system, new technologies for improving transparency of the cities and the quality of life for city-dwellers, improvement of cooperation between the citizens and the government authorities.

The Conference participants analysed the practical examples of smart cities strategies applied throughout the world and discussed the possibility to apply such strategies in the small cities of Ukraine. The previous day the guests of this event also went on a field visit to the municipal objects of Ivano-Frankivsk City Council where some ‘smart cities’ principles are applied, including energy efficiency, separate waste sorting, etc.

In the framework of this round table, the EU/UNDP Project introduced its activities plan to support innovative governance initiatives at the municipal level. This Project’s component focuses on two ‘smart solutions’ – transparency and accountability of the local state institutions and provision of services using e-governance principles.