СПІВПРАЦЯ МІЖНАРОДНИХ ТА ВІТЧИЗНЯНИХ НЕУРЯДОВИХ ОРГАНІЗАЦІЙ ПРИ ПІДГОТОВЦІ УПРАВЛІНЦІВ ТА ДЕПУТАТІВ МІСЦЕВИХ РАД

Abstract

The article notes that today a key place in civil society belongs to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as they serve as a link between citizens (business) and government. During their activities in Ukraine, international NGOs have offered and implemented a wide range of services, as well as developed and implemented various projects aimed at developing various sectors of the economy and activating civil society. One of the points of the NGO's efforts is the education of local government officials and deputies of local councils, which is especially relevant in the framework of the implementation of decentralization reform, which has been taking place in Ukraine since 2014. At the same time, deputies must have knowledge and skills in very broad areas of government, and their political literacy directly affects the success of democratic change in Ukraine, especially changes at the local level, and the dynamic socio-economic development of local communities. In this case, non-governmental organizations and non-governmental foundations come to the fore, which in close cooperation can give deputies of local councils the opportunity to learn throughout their lives and update their knowledge in the areas of governance that they need today. One such organization is the All- Ukrainian NGO Institute of Political Education (IPE), which has been conducting non-formal education activities for local government officials and local council members for more than 10 years with the support of international NGOs. Thus, in the period 2011-2018, more than 1,000 deputies of local councils and public activists from different regions of Ukraine took part in the training within the project "Strengthening Local Democracy" (supported by NED). In 2020, IPO began cooperating with another international non-governmental organization - the DOBRE Program. In 2020-2021, more than 500 people (392 deputies and 141 local government officials) took part in the training with the support of this Program. Participants in training projects can now not only better manage their own status, rights and responsibilities as people's deputies, but also know the specifics of the budget process, land and communal spheres. In addition, the training included soft-skills units aimed at training deputies to better communicate their views, defend their position, communicate effectively with opponents, voters, and more. The study concludes that international NGOs form an educational platform for local government representatives, deputies of local councils, and Ukrainian NGOs on the basis of this platform create an educational environment aimed at activating Ukrainian society, strengthening the influence of civil society on relations with the authorities, promoting Ukraine's European integration and improving the lives of Ukrainian citizens.