You're reading: USAID starts $50 million program to support decentralization in Ukraine

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the program ‘Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency’ (DOBRE), with a budget of $50 million, in Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador in Kyiv Marie Yovanovitch said.

The program, due to be launched today, will help 75 united communities in seven Ukrainian regions, she said at the opening ceremony for the DOBRE program in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, for his part, thanked the United States for its support of the decentralization reform in Ukraine.

The initial stage of the program involves 25 communities: six from Ternopil region, six from Dnipropetrovsk region, four from Ivano-Frankivsk region, three from Mykolayiv region, three from Kherson region, two from Kharkiv region and one from Kirovohrad region.

“With us today are first 25 newly consolidated communities selected – through a competitive process – to participate in the program. I congratulate each of you. You were among the first communities that voluntarily consolidated. Despite uncertainty and concerns about the outlook for reforms, you took a bold step forward,” Yovanovitch said during the presentation of the project on Tuesday.

Another 50 united communities will be selected for this project in 2017.

The program will help the communities to improve the quality of state services, reinvigorate the local economy, crack down on corruption, as well as give people better opportunities to contribute to the development of the communities themselves.

DOBRE is USAID’s five-year program with a budget of $50 million. Its goal is to support the united communities’ efficient governance, help citizens and civil society to constructively interact with the authorities, as well as ensure transparency and the high quality of services.

It was reported that on October 19, USAID launched a project to issue loans to Ukraine’s small-sized and medium-sized farms and agricultural enterprises in rural areas via credit unions. The project is expected to continue from 2016 to 2020.