The idea of ​​public participation arises from the conviction that the participation of citizens in governing a democratic state or their community cannot be limited to mere participation in elections.

The efficiency of the authorities increases if they are supported by the proactivity of citizens, their initiatives and independence. Therefore, the matter of utmost importance is to increase the social activity of citizens in solving local problems, let them take responsibility for the life of their city or town.

There are many forms of citizens’ involvement, around the world, and in Ukraine as well: formal and informal. There are complex ones regulated by specific laws, and there are the ones that are simple and easy-to-use. One of such tools for citizens’ participation in the social and political life of the country is an electronic petition.

An electronic petition is a special form of the collective appeal of citizens to the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, or a local self-government body.

A website of a local self-government body makes provision for e-petitions (the ‘e-petitions’ section on a website) as a tool of participation and specifies the number of votes necessary for an e-petition to be considered. Additionally, this number may be stipulated in that body’s Charter, but usually, local governments do not provide such information in the Charter. This specific number of citizens is usually enshrined in a respective “Regulation on Electronic Petitions”. Such regulations, as well as other documents providing details on the instruments of public participation, are adopted and approved by the local self-government body and, as a rule, become effective from that moment.

Let’s have a look at how it works on the example of a city in Ukraine.

Oleksandr Ivanov, the regional coordinator of the All-Ukrainian Initiative “Active Community” in Kramatorsk, recalls how a petition effected the installation of a traffic light at an intersection in his city.

“I live near a quite busy road in the city. Nearby the is an intersection on Mashynobudivnykiv Boulevard and Parkova Street, where accidents used to happen quite often. The bus station and several educational institutions are also situated in the vicinity. Visitors to the rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities also often use this intersection to cross the road,” Oleksandr recounts.

According to the “Roadmap for the Development of Public Transport and Road Transport Infrastructure in Kramatorsk for 2018-2019”, a traffic light should have been installed at this intersection a long time ago, but there never had been enough funds.

“After yet another traffic accident, I decided to file a petition regarding the installation of a traffic light at this intersection. It did not take much time for the petition to collect the required number of votes. The voting started on July 26th, 2019, and on August 28th – I received the response that the executive committee of the City Council would consider this issue. So, that’s how it happened: the funds for this infrastructure object were assigned in the budget for 2020,” Oleksandr continued.

The way it used to be:

The way it is now:

The source of the photo: http://vp.donetsk.ua/gorod-region/gorod/86083-v-kramatorske-ustanovili-novyj-svetofor

Moreover, as Oleksandr noted, one should thank the city authorities for a comprehensive approach to the reconstruction of the site – this part of Mashynobudivnykiv Boulevard was completely renovated.

“This can also be considered as a success story. I filed such request back in 2017. I submitted a public budget project providing for the site improvement near the bus station. The project was rejected in the competition for the public budget, but the renovation of the boulevard was included in the plan,” Oleksandr added.

“Thus, 2020 turned fruitful in terms of implementing the submitted proposals from the public. Despite having taken up a rather long time, the authorities have fully implemented my ideas,” the coordinator of the All-Ukrainian Initiative “Active Community” rejoices.

Additionally, Oleksandr Ivanov shared a success story of Mykolaivka ATC.

According to him, the mechanism of petitions has not yet gained much popularity there: since the beginning of the service, only 10 petitions have been submitted.

“I want to share the most successful achievement. It is worth noting that members of the “Active Community” took an active part in its promotion. The residents demanded for the street lighting to be installed on Mykhailo Petrenko Street. Having received the required number of votes, this project was submitted for consideration and, most likely, would be implemented within the framework of the Draft Program of Economic and Social Development of the Mykolaivka City Amalgamated Territorial Community for 2021. The document stipulates the technical re-equipment of the street lighting network of the city of Mykolaivka on Mykhailo Petrenko Street for the total amount of UAH 3343,7810 thousand at the expense of the local budget,” Oleksandr Ivanov noted.

Oleksandr also spoke about the outcome of a petition in the city of Sloviansk to recognize stray cats as part of the city’s ecosystem.

“Unfortunately, despite the support of the residents, the authorities did not satisfy the petition’s demand. In Kramatorsk, a similar proposal was made thereafter, and the authorities responded positively by including cats in the city’s ecosystem.

That is how simple citizens’ actions and proactivity can significantly increase the quality of life in a city or a community.

Note. The mission of the “Active Community” is to achieve prosperity through the democratic development of Ukrainian communities. The goal for 2025 is to activate and involve at least 1% of citizens in decision-making and promotion of reforms in Ukraine on a systemic basis for the well-being of Ukrainian communities. The initiative was created through the activities of the Institute “Respublica”. We are working to increase the civil activity of citizens.

Authored by Tetiana Kavunenko, the head of the press service of the Institute “Respublica” and the All-Ukrainian Initiative “Active Community”