On 19 November 2019, the Crystal of the Year Budget Transparency Award ceremony took place to mark successes of the best Ukrainian amalgamated hromadas evaluated on a common methodology implemented by USAID DOBRE and U-LEAD with Europe Programmes in 106 hromadas in 18 oblasts of Ukraine. The ceremony brought together more than 400 participants: hromada representatives, central executive authorities, experts on international technical assistance projects, heads of diplomatic missions.

The Crystal of the Year showcased exemplary approaches to effective hromada resource management. The participants learned about the participatory budget, engagement of the public in the transparency of budgetary decision-making, anti-corruption tools, importance of open budget information and active use of innovative practices in hromadas’ budget sector.

 

 

“We all know how difficult it is to cope with new rules, new procedures, and a new environment. Therefore, hromadas have done a tremendous amount of work to meet the challenges given by decentralisation aiming to get closer to the citizens and build trust by being transparent about their local budgets,” said Alexandra Fehlinger, Deputy GIZ Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe.

 

“When we talk about budget transparency, we say that we need to make the data more accessible to citizens, better inform them in different ways so that they know where their money is going. I am very impressed with the results of our hromadas this year. Many of them have improved their transparency by thirty percent, and it is a tremendous job,” said Susan Fritz, Regional Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to Ukraine and Belarus.

 

“I believe that local self-government is the key to democracy in Ukraine, and a transparent budget is one of the main tools for local development. And it is the local self-government that by effective resource management will make Ukraine great,” said William Taylor, acting United States ambassador to Ukraine.

 

 

“It is a very pleasant to stand on this stage and receive awards for a second year in a row. First of all, I thank my professional team! But there are no limits to perfection, so we will continue to do everything to fill our budgets, use them effectively and be transparent,” said Ivan Rubskyi, head of the Bashtanska AH, that won the highest award of the Crystal of the Year 2019.

 

 

Winners of the Crystal of the Year 2019 Award:

“The best budget for citizens” - Voznesenska AH of the Mykolayiv Oblast.

“The most creative information campaign for collecting proposals for the budget” - Hrechanopodivska AH of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

“The most active hromada in the adoption of anti-corruption tools” – Nizhynska AH of the Chernihiv Oblast.

“The best newcomer to budget transparency” - Lanovetska AH of Ternopil Oblast.

"The best hromada in gender responsive budgeting” - Chmyrivska AH of the Luhansk Oblast.

“Breakthrough in budget transparency” - Vyshnevetska AH of the Ternopil Oblast.

“For the openness of budget information in the hromada” – Nemyrivska AH of the Vinnytsia Oblast.

“The best engagement of citizens in the hromada budget process” – Shumska AH of the Ternopil Oblast.

“The most innovative practices of budget transparency in the hromada” - Chmyrivska AH of the Luhansk Oblast.

“Crystal of the Year – 2019” - Bashtanska AH of the Mykolayiv Oblast.

 

 

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The Crystal of the Year Award and budget transparency assessment 2019 is a joint effort of the USAID DOBRE Programme, U-LEAD with Europe a multi-donor action of the European Union and its five member states Germany, Sweden, Poland, Denmark and Estonia as well as the public coalition “For Transparent Local Budgets!”. The Local Budget Transparency Index and its assessment methodology have been developed by the Eastern Europe Foundation in partnership with the public coalition “For Transparent Local Budgets!” in cooperation with the Association of Ukrainian Cities and financial support of the European Union.