Project PROSTO Final Conference "Service Accessibility in Ukraine: Key developments and challenges"

On March 21, more than 100 heads of Administrative Service Centers (ASCs), representatives of ministries, local self-government associations, and the expert community met in Kyiv at the final conference of the PROSTO project, financed by Sida and implemented by SALAR International in 2021-2024. The aim was to discuss the key developments and challenges in Service Accessibility.

Since 2021, SALAR International has been supporting the capacity of Ukrainian municipalities to provide administrative services to residents through the PROSTO project. Since the full-scale invasion, the activities have been adapted and the focus is now also on the provision of services in war. Since its start, the project has e.g:

• Provided emergency support to 162 municipalities to restore administrative service centers and provide services to residents. These municipalities together have almost 3 million inhabitants. The support includes IT equipment and vehicles.
• Provided psychological support during the war, to more than 250 municipal employees working with refugees and veterans.
• Around 2500 municipal employees involved in provision of services have participated in trainings to maintain and improve administrative services at the local level, which is around 25% of overall employees in service offices in Ukraine.
• Good partnerships have been established. This is together with hundreds of municipalities and key national stakeholders including relevant ministries, parliament and local municipal associations.

These achievements as well as challenges were the main focus of the conference "Service Accessibility in Ukraine: Key developments and challenges" in Kyiv on March 21.

"During the period of cooperation with the PROSTO project, we managed to support hromadas - to restore and establish the provision of public services. I thank the Swedish government for supporting this area that we coordinate and improve even in such a difficult time for Ukraine. Your willingness to work with us in this time is a great precious contribution to our efforts. Our cooperation has become the basis of successful work, providing us with resources and support to ensure uninterrupted operations during the provision of public service. The ASC network in each region, overcoming challenges and difficulties, appreciates your help, which has become an integral part of our common mission in providing the necessary services to citizens" said Maryna Bobranitska, Head of the Department of Administrative Service Centers development at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Key developments and challenges were discussed

The participants of the conference discussed key aspects of the development of access points to services, exchanged good practices in hromadas, as well as the ways to overcome current challenges with various tools to improve the availability of services for residents.

Panel discussions focused on identifying opportunities for professional development of ASC personnel, organizing service provision to veterans and their families through ASCs, and providing legislative support for the sustainable development of the administrative services system.

"We are very grateful to the Swedish government for helping us overcome the difficulties in restoring residents' access to services. I would also like to emphasize that our current tasks, caused by the full-scale Russian invasion, would not be as effective without such a professional ASC network in Ukraine, the professionals who truly understand how to serve and work with residents in their hromadas," said Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

PROSTO Support to Services Accessibility in Ukraine

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