OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine supports e-governance forum

LVIV, Ukraine, 16 November 2012 – An international e-governance forum organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) together with local authorities concluded today in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The two-day event gathered experts and practitioners from Estonia, Georgia, Poland and Ukraine to discuss the experiences these countries have had in implementing e-governance models and enhancing the transparency and accountability of state authorities.

“Good governance is about openness in the decision-making process – something that the OSCE participating states are committed to,” said Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, at the event. “We support Ukraine’s efforts to introduce good-governance principles in its state institutions. This will help ensure that services are accessible and efficient and are provided to citizens on a non-discriminatory basis.”

Participants from Ukraine included experts from Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa, where the PCU has supported the introduction of e-services for citizens.

In 2012, the PCU facilitated an assessment of the information needs of Lviv residents and supported the improvement of the City Council’s information portal. A working group was set up to identify municipal digital services that will be made accessible through the portal to improve the quality of the services and information resources for citizens, businesses and public servants and to minimize red tape. A digital city map, developed with support from the PCU, was also presented at the forum.

Andriy Sadoviy, the Mayor of Lviv, said: “We want our city to become a leader in the sphere of e-governance implementation, and this international forum on e-governance, organized together with the OSCE, is a step towards that goal. We will continue our work towards better efficiency and transparency by using new technologies.”

The event took place as part of an e-governance project implemented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine at the request of the Lviv City Council.