Ukraine Local Environmental Action Program 2000-2004 Final Report - - for International DmbDmmt Reniml ~iaionfor ~b;ine.&na and Moldova Repa=dbYthc Institute for Sustainable Cornmunitis and IW'Mnannia' 535 YOne Cutten Way. Montpelier. VT 05602 USA PhoneB02-229-2900 1 Fa802-229-2919 [email protected] I wmv.iscvt.org NaemberM(W Contents I. Executive Summary 4 II. Context 6 It. Summary of Results 8 IV. Description of Activities 9 V. Ingredients for Success. Lessons Learned, and Recommendations 11 VI. Next Steps and Conclusion 20 Attachments A Canparlux, d Expected 0u1mand Rewlts B hmaryd NU) . SmallGrants C. hoJeclAdvisory Canminee Memben I. Executive Summary with seven Through the four-year Ukraine Lwl communly -1 n i~ pxxes am Envrronmentai htonProyam (Ukratne tmplement concrete act.om lo rnuove demonnration LEAP), the lmlcture for Sustatnable emtronmemal qda i!y To h, -1~.trlere communities of various Communllbes (6C)and its Ukratntan wner cornmu.lmty effw IM I= lea- ;xeCdr& a IY\R "Ednann~a'demomVatm ctttzen wide range 31 mfTP~rogral& ?~.fmd(m sizes and derographics, panlcipatian approaches lo 501vlng maerrah amelope2 a cade cd camand the projea resulted in envtionmental problems at the local level. At errab.eheD a ?ehv=rk d cxraw the same :?me. the prOjeCl wrengthened local co~.rnuncleS national models on government. nongovernmemal organtzatron. The team rn cr exceeCe2 al poqam and business long-term capacity to wndun environmental goals and erpecfmm #&a fyqFNW LEAPS and Mher communfty-based pag!ams long-term mlcomes civlraerr wiiLWID management and throughout Ukra~neIn the years to come Inrmmedtale r-5. Achewmea5 -nc ube public involvement for Through this effon. the ISC team raid environmental awareness. prmedwbllc Communarxs rrgrtfamly rmpmvsd(h.lr other Ukrainian paniclpation in environmental env~ronnnnrals8ruarran Pow communities. decis~onmak~ng.and silmulaled c!tmr! commiinrlve5 Oevebjxd arc t~lemmled knvoberrent In aseclly solving local local w~romexalporrcls mdma env!ronmen:al rssues, uitltzlng Ukrainian plam farrsed w a trdraqe E\r act%*res expertise to the greatest degree poss:ble and 1ha1 rewlieO in rmy3ved sofa uave engaging expens from CEEiNiS to provtdc col!ecron ard man- ~QBqua11q reehnical auistance lo Ukralnfiam and lheu dr nk~ngwater iwovea maw veamm mmmunities uearlo- a71erparswr 31 g@ rpaces removal d asa%xYwa pes~6esilj tne Ukraine LEAP created opportunnles for developmer* 31 i~~~~ltngmlleacn c~llzensto engage in plorny-sentrqa!ongs#de sy+rems Crtzens were ab.e to beraqe munlcrpal oR~taIrand buslners leaders and their ISC gram ing 191 iXC, to racue take constructive mronusrng crearlve. low an addnrmal2 376 aY) b.wu w 5tj0 CXIO cost and cost-eKec18ve approaches to solve En flmdtrq from locat &"*:ar pnorlty communiry wronmenlal probkm and oCOR SOU- 15 U-7 ram Wtlh seven aemoraUatton cofnw~t~esd tdenisf ed in Vp,- ad1e-Mw-em.3, mmn various snzes and demographics the poJen rmlted in national mOdels on env#ronm! managemen1 and plbltc involvemfw Mher Ukrainlan communities in partnership wtth local governments. pntot ~011c~i7tties formed proestakeholder groups (PSGs! cornposed of a broad cross-sealon of commun#y rnembm who worked CollabOratively to eYabltrh mv!roornenal pfiortties, develop loc~lenvtronmenta action plans, raise public awareness. engage - INSilTUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES I NOMMBFR 2W4 and citizens had an important role to play Ukraine LEAP increased long-term "Public participation in initiating community improvements institutional capacity to develop and doubled as well. Pilot communities showed implement community-basedprograms has helped us to defend a two- to seven-fold increase in the level of throughout Ukralne In the years to come. the interests of the city public involvement in community actions. Ukraine now has a cadre of 14 lead and demonstrating the extent to which the five back~uptrainers ava~lableto train Now our actions are project served to increase public trust in communities across the country to based notjust on the the value of collective action. PSGs held 22 implement LEAPs and other community public presentations-including seven problem-solving approaches These opinions of city public hearings-to share draft findings of trainers conducted 74 tra~nngsfor PSG officials-but are envlronmental priorities and proposed members, and provided dlrect technical actions with over 1.1W citizens assistance and coachlng to assst the PSGs drawn from the people participating. With assistance from the work through each step of the LEAP of the city." project panner Child and Environment, process. These trainers are now providing youth implemented eleven projects to training and coaching assistan!:e to 15 new Andrei Danilenko, Mayor build new parks, improve the landscape LEAP comni~lnities. City of Evpatoria around their schwls, organize ISC and Ednannia estabiished a network of envlronmental summer camps, establish an 106 Ukrainian communities lntcrested in ecotourism whool, and conduct seminars on implement~ngLEAPn. including 64 NGOs environmental topics, among other and 42 iocal seif-governments and projects. governments. In addition, the iSC team Collectively, local authorities in the seven supported the existing Volyn Resource pi lot communities adopted and Center, and the newly formed Institute for incorporated into their official community Community Development to continue planning processes one-third of the working with communities to implement recommendations made by the PSGs. Five LEAPs and other community mobilization communities changed their development activities throughout Ukraine. The ISC programs according to recommendations in team developed proven models and their community's environmental action methodologies in community-based plan. With assistance from project partner participatory approaches to envlronmental. EcoPravo-Kyiv, five pilot communities social, and economic Issues which have adopted new regulations into their existing been shared wtth 6.000 Ukraiqian community charters establishing new legal commun~ties.NGOs, and institutions mechanisms for public involvement in local through a website, conferences. and the government decisions consistent with the publication of a regular newsletter. Aarhus Convention. More than twenty new NGOs were established as a result of the Ukraine LEAP that played a leading roie in mobilizing citizens in local environmental actions throughout the project, The success of rhts project in laylng ine these program and at~~~~~e :be\ foundation fw lurure s~ccessfulcommullly reea low?i wet%tr effou actlm propcrs can be measured in Iwo ways. Thro~ghthe UI-a ne LEAP bUiD % tjd ihe 1) how many Ukralniancommunrtics fou~2I.min llkra ne fa. wrcessh. :EWs implement LEAPS and ctkr smtlar and dher cmmuntry klivn zxqecu .? the community-basedprojects: and 2) the degree future Gwtrs srow ~?a:Uk-a*-.a? to which plot commun8ties conlinw in lhelr cornmunilie, are reday to crmrsi%cr mn effofIs to address environmenral and ow resou'ce~10 tackle erw~rrrmcnalam aha communlly issues. As a follow.up actrvity. communiry 6- an; the lSC :ea--. 'mrd ISC recornmenos that lhe lnw8tuIe for Iha Ukra~ntarr;mrui-I~r .we pmxuw) Commun~tyDevelopmen1 (ICD1.condm a well suned lo the of corrmuney basec. survey of pilot comrnunitles in the fall of WKsPaiaYV- sohl%J aPpobch 2005 to evaluate the full extent of Inherem In an pojm Beck* u;n environmental improvements that have been a~oachonlher*trokrs~~:~ realir&. the degree to which env,ronmental Ukratnzaa corrnunitrer mll00g: :willSd governance has been deeply rooled in the IeChnKai wppn md dvea srv~arehcm communities. and whether ptkM commun#tles van- amNGOs to i~piemerc have applled a collaborattve process to dher pat~tpaoryCan?umly bWXl community iswes. ISC also recommends tm Due to 4,mded ofkxaS a#ru*ler. ICD conduct a wrvey of uba communntes contihRo ex!-, fu-d~qE~F DV~ d age to determine now many have bmplemented role in leverag~rqlocal m~buas'rx Slrnrlar community action proJecls. wMt rcChr8cal aSSNaNe arc poPQ Impam have been ach~evedas rewll of IrnIemendll(n INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES I NOVEMeER 2W4 II. Context O~wrtunities. , to involve PROGRAM HISTORY Envtronmental pmblems In Ukrame are Ednanma tc ram~LAL a.%xm w Ukrainian residents in I€& and somlate locally widerpead and severe Air and water - local government putlullon tox~and hazardous waste emrsmmenal Kt~f-6Eclmwu paw grants to NGOs ir orer a mrm environmental decisions conlamtnatlon. and sol1 Oegadatlon threaten publlc Mlthand damage natural aosywems commdntlrer Ira Cea y berorsnaed ;tin help ensure that these Unlll reoenrly, local governments and :he local go- anca~ zern tau \rxrk general plblic lacked experlence wtth a CoopwM~veIyto dddren local decisions are n democratic procesz for assessing w relalve envkronmenral rarems S&sqpnly sustainable and have slgn~ficanceof env#ronmmmlrlsks and ZOOO US41C rolrned ram tw implementing coa-erfmtve suategm Uk*a8e LEAP !M nm mwoe!c ISC ard the full support of the E&amaa public. k IS agaim Inn backdrop that 1% and Ednannia teamed up to Implement me Ukraine LEAP represffa acutmmam ~4 s Ukraine LEAP This four-year project was ISC and Ednwn~anmq of panang 3M designed to demomtrale panlclpatory c111zen rnvol- rwdl wlrwvnerral polmor, in Uk-ame M approaches to solving envtronmental problems at the local level wh~lecreattngthe ttumMas am EmEuooe traintng and onhasmcture to condun Stnce 1991 ISC har ompimw~edLtftPrm LEAPS thrarghout ULra~nein me years to psmershlD wnh ms~~~r~ cm.Increased public pan~clpal~nin I1 Palad KPgay k*gara -a Aibane, arr Rm1% s p or tlware ra* env#ronrnentaidecnbonmaklng is key to Ukralnei w~cevfulvarnnton lo a oenocrattc Included maMg8ng an ecolglcar te e.lwn soclety Opp~unitlesto involve Ukcain8an amW~IK awaw~ss pqea zna a COWtm7y oned emir-. d tM residents in local government environmental declsiom help emure !hat these deostom are susla~nabieand have the lull wppon 01 the WbliC The Ukrabne LEAP projezt was based on lhe plnciple that l!m!ted US governmen: assistance n be% targeed on anjva$esthat help decrsson makm In local and reglonal governmem.