The electronic participation platform (eIDEA) for recovery and development is aimed at ensuring the involvement of citizens in the restoration process through digital tools. The prototype of the platform was developed within the Transparent and Democratic Reconstruction project and presented during the event "UAct: The Voice of Transparent and Democratic Restoration".
The event was attended by more than 250 participants from all over Ukraine, including representatives of local governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, residents, internally displaced persons, and independent experts.
"The reconstruction process in the context of a full-scale war is an extremely difficult task that requires joint efforts of the public and the government. Only through such a dialogue can we create a tool that will allow us to influence restoration and development effectively," said Kateryna Ivanchenko, CEO of the Center for Innovation Development.
More than 1500 representatives of the public, business, government and experts took part in the development of the terms of reference for the eIDEA platform.
"We are convinced that involving citizens in the reconstruction process through digital tools is a guarantee of transparency and trust. The prototype of the e-participation platform presented today is a step towards building Ukraine's democratic future," emphasized Mykhailo Leichenko, CTO of the Center for Innovation Development, project manager of Transparent and Democratic Reconstruction.
The e-participation platform will become one of the electronic democracy (eDem) tools in DREAM. By creating a "single window" for managing recovery and development projects, the DREAM ecosystem ensures transparency and accountability of the restoration process, and the involvement of citizens and civil society organizations in the recovery process.
"E-democracy tools are an important part of the DREAM ecosystem. We strive to ensure effective interaction between the authorities, international organizations, business and the public. Recovery should be not only transparent and accountable, but also sustainable and inclusive," said Viktor Nestulia, Head of the DREAM Project Office, Open Contracting Partnership.
During the panel discussions, the speakers and participants discussed the role of civil society in the process of rebuilding Ukraine and the importance of democratic instruments to ensure transparency and efficiency of this process. They emphasized the importance of engaging citizens in the country's recovery and development. Particular attention was paid to digital solutions that can significantly enhance citizen participation, allowing them to join civic initiatives, express their opinions and monitor the processes taking place in the country.
"During the full-scale war, civil society participation was a huge surge. Currently, there are more than 100,000 active, institutionalized civil society organizations. The beginning of 2022 led to a desire to find effective forms of unity and cooperation, including volunteering and volunteers. In addition, research has shown that more than 70% of civil society institutions want to take an active part in the restoration process," said Serhiy Loboyko, key e-democracy expert, architect of e-petitions of the Kyiv Public Budget.
The panel discussions were also attended by: Victoria Podhorna, Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Valeria Ovcharova, USAID/ENGAGE Recovery and Reconstruction program Officer, Oleksandr Solontai, Head of the NGO "Agency for Recovery and Development", and other experts in the field of recovery, development and e-democracy.
Video of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YyFcbgWRU
Background: This event was organized by the Center for Innovations Development jointly with the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, with the participation of the DREAM Project Office and the RISE Ukraine coalition within the framework of the Transparent and Democratic Rebuilding project under the USAID/ENGAGE, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The contents of this event are the sole responsibility of Pact and its partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
