With the turn of the new year, seven new opportunities to increase integrity in Ukraine has occurred. In 2017, five Ukrainian cities were selected as Integrity Cities for cooperation with the Danish implemented European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in Kyiv. Since then, civil society has developed while transparency, accountability, and integrity has been strengthened in the cities. The city mayors and administrations are cooperating with the EUACI and the EUACI can, together with civil society, now present seven projects that will be implemented this summer. The EUACI's financial support of the local CSOs reaches about EUR 60,000.
Seven organisations have been identified to increase integrity awareness and practices in Integrity Cities, including Chernivtsi, Chervonohrad, Mariupol, Nikopol and Zhytomyr, by delivering measurable results within four thematic areas: Youth education, citizens' information, results' promotion, and finding "Integrity Champions".
The four thematic areas of the efforts in the integrity cities are key focus points of strengthening the integrity in Ukraine:
- By innovative and engaging ways, the focus on educating youth will help our future leaders understand the values and principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of public affairs.
- The focus on citizens' information will inform us all about contributing to more transparent and accountable cities through our behaviour, attitudes, and reactions to corruption.
- The focus on results promotion will help show us what has been done in the selected cities by the city administration, private companies, and civil society organisations to pave the way for increased integrity, transparency, and accountability.
- The focus on "Integrity Champions" will find individuals, organisations, or private companies that have demonstrated exemplary behaviour or taken dramatic actions in their pursuit of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
Take a closer look at the seven chosen organisations, which will inspire us all to a future with less tolerance for corruption.
In Chernivtsi:
Chernivtsi Youth Center's "OVERcome Corruption" creates creative, educational, and awareness-raising activities for the youth by an interactive exhibition on corruption's medical sphere, by the development of an electronic comic book, and by a stand-up comedy event about corruption in the educational system. The project will also produce three motivational videos with successful anti-corruption cases in three selected areas from "Integrity Champions". In addition, the project will reach out to and cooperate with several other CSOs, including the Stand-Up Federation, the "Patients of Bukovina", the SVAYA (art formation), and several media in Chernivtsi.
In Chervonohrad:
Healthy Nation's "Successful Country – Zero-tolerance to Corruption Educational Project" is an educational project on integrity for youth and children with a visit to the city council and various competitions among youngsters. The project will deliver a curriculum for integrity education targeted 180 students from grades 8-10. In addition, some will get the chance to travel to Chervonograd and interact with administrative staff, including the mayor.
Diyj-Ja. Ty's "Introduction of Anti-corruption Tools in Chervonograd community" is another project which produces and disseminates videos about integrity tools for the citizens of Chervonograd. At the end of the project, 10 video programs of 15 minutes' duration will present various aspects of the integrity work with the Chervonograd City Council.
In Mariupol:
The Mariupol Association of Entrepreneurs "Business Integrity Camp 2.0" will organise two events, namely an integrity business camp for young people and an integrity forum.
In Nikopol:
Open Doors' "Conducting Awareness-raising Campaigns among Youth and Population of Nikopol to Develop a Culture of Integrity" conducts informational and educational activities for the youth by trainings in integrity and photo contests and for the citizens of Nikopol by information campaigns.
In Zhytomyr:
Greenery's "Promoting the Integrity Practices in Zhytomyr City Amalgamated Community through the Development of Modern Telecommunication Infrastructure" installs an interactive kiosk on the central pedestrian street to provide residents with access to a geo-information portal, an electronic citizen account of a Zhytomyr resident, and other e-services that help raise awareness of the activities in the city.
Endspiel's "Public School – You Impact" creates educational activities in the form of trainings and city quests for forming the appropriate competencies and knowledge of e-democracy tools, e-registers, open data opportunities, and the process of requesting public information among the youth. The project aims to educate the youth on using electronic tools and open data sources to analyse and investigate several aspects of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
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Since the launch of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), funded by the EU, co-financed, and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, more than 30 NGOs have been supported to strengthen their capacity in anti-corruption activities.
For more information, watch this video to learn more about the results of the Integrity Cities cooperation with the EUACI.
