On 15 October, the Community Integrity Forum 2026 brought together more than 80 representatives of the government, communities and international partners. The Forum was organised by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), supported by the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, and UNDP in Ukraine.
Opening the Forum, Dmytro Yakymchuk, the EUACI Team Leader of the Integrity Cities component, explained why preventing corruption matters for communities, especially now:
“Transparency, accountability and integrity are not just about following the rules. They are about trust, using every available resource responsibly and keeping the support that is so important for Ukraine. Preventing corruption is not an extra burden that can wait for better times. It is one of the safeguards of communities’ economic resilience”, noted Dmytro Yakymchuk.
Participants discussed:
- challenges and prospects for strengthening integrity in the work of local communities;
- the work and professional development of anti-corruption officers under martial law;
- the professional skills that anti-corruption officers need;
- practical experience and best cases of implementing integrity tools at the local level.
During the panel “Implementing Integrity Tools at the Local Level”, Olha Obersht, Advisor to the Mayor of Chernivtsi on Integrity, Transparency and Accountability, presented the city’s internal audit function, introduced with the EUACI’s support.
The unit has been operating since February 2025, and the city’s approach to control has changed: partnership instead of looking for someone to blame, and risk-based planning instead of inspections. Since its launch, the unit has conducted three audits covering 10 municipal enterprises and executive bodies and issued 81 recommendations.
Yuliia Mincheva, Head of the EUACI Integrity Support Office at Mykolaiv presented how procurement procedures updated with the EUACI’s support help city enterprises save money. The procedures have been adopted by Mykolaivvodokanal, the Capital Construction Department and the Department of Municipal Economy. Mykolaivvodokanal alone has already saved over UAH 45 million since introducing them.
The cases of Chernivtsi and Mykolaiv show that integrity tools deliver tangible results, and the EUACI will continue supporting Integrity Cities in sharing this experience.
