OSCE, Council of Europe hold regional seminar on local government reform, economic governance and financial management

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform held a two-day regional seminar on promoting local government reform, good economic governance and sound financial management at the local level on 7 and 8 December 2011.

Co-organized with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Kyiv and the Government of Ukraine, the event gathered more than 30 participants, including senior local government and municipal officials dealing with financial management, fiscal decentralization, public procurement, budget and integrity issues as well as representatives from ministries responsible for local and regional government from a number of EU, Eastern European and South Caucasus countries. International experts, including from OSCE field operations in South Eastern Europe, also took part.

The meeting is expected to lead to an improved institutional capacity in promoting an open, responsive and responsible government at all levels. Participants discussed ways to further improve already existing regulatory frameworks at the local and municipal level, which are particularly crucial in light of the ongoing financial and economic crisis.

Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, said: “Transparency and accountability are essential to promoting good governance at the local level. The public needs to be well informed so that fiscal and financial policies and spending priorities can be properly understood, monitored and evaluated. It is here that the OSCE tries to assist local government authorities in establishing a better link with their citizens.”

Alina Tatarenko, representative of the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, pointed out that the Centre is currently assisting some 30 of its member states to implement decentralization reforms, strengthen local democracy and build the capacities of local governments.