The Transparent Cities program has presented the Transparency Ranking of 100 Ukrainian cities and the Accountability Ranking of 50 Ukrainian cities.
Annually, the Transparency Ranking of 100 Ukrainian cities and the Accountability Ranking of 50 Ukrainian cities were published in the first months of the year. Considering the context of perceiving the results, this year’s study is published with a focus on recommendations that are relevant in the conditions of war.
The aim of the study was to record the existing development and progress of the municipalities in order to return victoriously to their rebuilding and improvement.
The leader of both rankings according to the results of 2021 is Mariupol (91 points out of 100). This is the second time the city has become the leader; it won last year as well. The City Council has implemented many good practices in the field of publishing data, providing online services, working with the geoportal, etc.
In addition to Mariupol, the five leaders of municipal transparency in 2021 are Lviv (85.49), Dnipro (84.2), Drohobych (83.16), and Mukachevo (81.3). The average transparency level of 100 cities is 48.5 points.
The leaders in the Accountability Ranking are Mariupol (58.75), Dnipro (39.75), Ternopil (39.75), Lviv (33.25), Bakhmut (31). The average accountability indicator of 50 cities is 16 points.
This year, for the first time in 5 years of the study, 5 cities crossed the mark of 80 points and are now classified as “transparent” — this is an unprecedented level of openness of cities. They made important decisions concerning e-democracy, development strategies and regulatory policies, data publication, budget, etc.
“Transparency and accountability not only help cities develop in peacetime. These are the factors that help overcome crises more effectively. Therefore, we have prepared recommendations for local authorities of the cities remote from the front line that will help them survive the war,” states Anastasiia Mazurok, Chief Operating Officer.
Among the recommendations that may be useful for cities in wartime are the following: introduction of electronic registration of housing applications and online applications to social assistance institutions, ensuring the distribution of funds among civil society organizations, etc. Furthermore, it is advisable that city councils in the front-line zones restrict access to the available data on the official resources of the city and publish the volume and parties of humanitarian assistance. An important step for cities during the war will be the severance of friendly relations with cities in russia and belarus, as well as the renaming of streets that are associated with russia.
Let us remind you that the Transparency Ranking assesses the transparency of city councils in 100 largest cities of Ukraine and demonstrates the level of implementation of best practices. The Accountability Ranking of 50 Ukrainian cities allows to assess the degree to which the declared commitments of the city authorities are commensurate with practice: whether citizens have a real opportunity to be engaged and influence the processes of policymaking, control, and verify the activities of local self-government bodies.
For more details, see the study.
Reference:
Transparency International Ukraine is an accredited chapter of the global movement Transparency International, with a comprehensive approach to development and implementation of changes for reduction of corruption levels. TI Ukraine launched the Transparent Cities program in 2017. It aims at overcoming corruption at the local level and promoting the best practices of transparency and accountability.
The program annually compiles the Transparency Ranking of 100 Largest Ukrainian Cities. Over the past five years, the average transparency indicator of cities has increased by 62.2%. Within the framework of the program, the Accountability Ranking of 50 Ukrainian cities is also formed, which shows the actual state of accountability of local authorities. According to the results of 2021, the average accountability indicator of cities amounts to 16.5 points. Based on the ranking results, program experts provide recommendations and advise city councils on the implementation of best practices of transparency and accountability of local authorities. The studies of transparency and accountability are complementary and demonstrate a comprehensive level of openness of local self-government bodies.
In 2020, the Transparent Cities online platform was created, the main purpose of which is to promote an effective dialogue between the authorities and the community.
https://ti-ukraine.org/en
https://transparentcities.in.ua/en
For more information, contact Maryna Pavlenok, [email protected]
