On 19 August, the Polaris Programme team visited the Bar hromada in Vinnytsia oblast as part of the “Citizen Engagement at the Local Level” initiative. The aim of the visit was to help the hromada create a modern and effective Charter that will serve as the foundation for transparent interaction between local authorities and residents and establish clear procedures for implementing local democracy.
Why a Hromada Charter is Needed
Experts from the programme, Pavlo Pushchenko and Nataliia Chuiko, emphasized during the meeting with active residents that the main role of the Charter is to enshrine citizen participation tools and make them understandable and accessible.
“The Bar hromada is actively working on updating its territorial hromada Charter and aligning it with the new provisions of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Local Self-Government’ regarding local democracy. The local working group has already held several meetings and defined the main approaches to the document, taking into account the specific features of the hromada,” noted Pavlo Pushchenko, expert on citizen engagement for the Polaris Programme.
Irina Melnyk, Secretary of the Bar City Council, added:
“The hromada Charter is a kind of ‘constitution’ at the local level. It defines the mechanisms for residents’ participation in hromada life, forms the basis for dialogue between authorities and citizens, and fosters transparency and trust.”
Programme of the Working Visit
The Polaris experts’ visit included several key activities:
- Meeting with hromada leadership and presenting the Programme’s areas of work;
- Discussion with the working group preparing the draft Charter, analyzing the materials already developed, and providing expert recommendations;
- Identifying priority topics for an information campaign to help residents better understand their rights and opportunities for participation;
- An informational session for deputies, village heads, and active residents, focused on practical examples of democratic tools in action, including general assemblies, local initiatives, and public hearings.
Participants also discussed specific challenges: how to make assemblies effective, how to organize the submission process for local initiatives so that it is accessible to all residents, and how to ensure transparency in public hearings.
Such meetings bring together hromada leadership, civil society organizations, and active residents, strengthening partnerships and collaboration and making hromada governance more open and effective.
Next Steps
Like the other nine partner hromadas of the Polaris Programme, the Bar hromada plans to hold public consultations and approve its updated Charter by the end of the year. In autumn, broad information campaigns will begin to explain to residents how the new document will enable them to influence hromada life.
The Polaris Programme will continue to support hromadas throughout this process, providing consultative, expert, and methodological assistance — from drafting documents to organizing discussions and training local teams.
