From 13 to 15 October, experts from the “Developing the Institutional Capacity of Starostas” area of Polaris Programme carried out a series of working visits to second-wave partner hromadas selected through a competitive process – Sarny, Rokytne, and Ostroh hromadas of Rivne Oblast. The aim of these visits was to strengthen the managerial capacity of starostas in coordinating the provision of public services within starosta districts and to identify practical solutions for improving interaction between starostas and executive bodies of local councils.
During meetings with hromada leadership, the participants discussed areas of partnership with the Polaris Programme as well as the challenges that starostas face in their everyday work.
“Together with members of the council, heads of municipal enterprises, structural units, and starostas, we discussed how to make public services closer and more convenient for people. The format was not a ‘meeting’, but a live conversation with practical examples and honest questions. Together we are learning to build a hromada where decisions are born through dialogue – right where people live,” said Ruslan Serpeninov, Head of Sarny Hromada.
The central event of each visit was a round-table training session titled “The Role of the Starosta in the Hromada and the Provision of Public Services in Starosta Districts.” The sessions brought together starostas, executives of local authorities, and council deputies to engage in dialogue and peer learning.
Participants discussed with Polaris experts practical aspects of organising public service delivery, improving communication between starostas, executive structures and residents, involving starostas in strategic development planning, and increasing accessibility of services for citizens. Field visits to starosta districts gave experts the opportunity to observe various models of staff organisation and local practices.
According to Andrii Matsokin, the area Lead:
“The institutional capacity of starostas is not only about knowing the law – it’s about understanding their role as a vital link that connects the hromada, the authorities, and the people to address local issues. We want every starosta to feel part of a larger development team capable of making decisions that improve residents’ lives.”
Programme expert Nataliia Mamchak added: “A hromada’s development reaches a new quality when a starosta has the tools to identify residents’ needs and when executive bodies see them as a partner in decision-making. This approach turns local self-government into a living, effective mechanism that truly works in the interests of its people.”
Currently, the Polaris Programme supports 27 hromadas under the “Developing the Institutional Capacity of Starostas” area. The working visits to Rivne Oblast became another step in providing systematic support to hromadas developing their own models of governance based on partnership, transparency, and accountability.
