Areas of activity

Project PROSTO "Support to Services Accessibility in Ukraine" is a Swedish-Ukrainian initiative aimed to support the decentralization reform. Its objective is to improve the capacity of local self-governments to deliver qualitative services to the residents of Ukraine.

The Project specifically focuses on supporting hromadas in the establishment and modernization of Administrative Service Centers (ASCs),  improvement of access to services for citizens, setting up a dialogue between hromada residents and self-governments.

The Project's main areas of activity are:

  • Policy and advocacy – support in advancing legislation and public policies to improve the availability and quality of administrative services in hromadas.
  • Expert support – consulting hromadas on how to establish or modernize ASCs, increase the quantity and quality of services provided, increase the capacity of starostas to provide services to the residents of starosta districts.
  • Training programs – training activities for hromada self-government, ASC management and staff, starostas so that they could provide services to hromada more effectively. In addition to professional competencies, training focuses on business ethics and gender equality.
  • Citizen engagement and information – strengthening the ability of hromadas to inform about ASC services and to involve residents in the democratic processes in hromadas.

Since the full-scale invasion the PROSTO project's activities were reassessed or adapted to meet new needs and changed circumstances, and crisis support to hromadas was added. The crisis support to liberated hromadas has been implementing in several waves depending on safety. 

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

  • Increased involvement of hromada political leaders in the improvement of access to services for residents, including cooperation with starostas, inter-municipal cooperation, and various ASC models.
  • Improved capacity of ASC staff to provide services to hromada residents in an efficient, quality, gender-sensitive and inclusive manner.
  • Increased level of citizen involvement in the democratic processes in hromadas, strengthened dialogue between the local self-government and hromadas, improved civil participation and request for the provision of services.
  • Strengthening of the voice of hromadas in issues related to the provision and improvement of administrative services at the national level, its reflection in advocacy documents and legislation.

PARTNERS

The Project cooperates with:

  • local self-governments;
  • Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine;
  • Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine;
  • relevant Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;
  • regional state administrations;
  • ASC management;
  • associations of hromadas and local self-governments;
  • reform coordination structures;
  • strategic advisory groups, experts, etc.

The Project is funded by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and is implemented by SALAR International AB
– a company, owned by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). The project team works in two offices in Stockholm and Kyiv.

Project implementation period: September 2021 - January 2024.

The Project is implemented throughout Ukraine except for the temporarily occupied territories.