Earlier, representatives of 48 municipalities from all over Ukraine started work in the Experience Sharing Network “Activities of Working Groups on Creating Internal Control and Audit Systems in Municipalities” initiated by the U-LEAD with Europe Programme. For 12 municipalities of the southern region, the first meeting was held in the Regional Office of U-LEAD in Odesa oblast.
The concept of this Network was born during the training cycle “Budget Stabilisation Plan”: The participants focused 70% of the planned budget stabilisation measures on building effective internal control and audit systems. That is why U-LEAD experts have designed the Network programme to train finance teams and allow them to work on practical tasks and develop documents that will meet all up-to-date budget legislation requirements.
The Network was launched on April 21. Working groups will work for six months. During this time, participants will attend four info sessions and four training sessions, as well as have individual consultations with experts. Oleksandr Ivanina, expert from the Institute of Budget and Socio-Economic Research, will work with the municipal teams representing the southern oblasts.
“Matters of internal control and audit are always relevant,” he said. “We will develop working models of effective control of budget funds, including the oversight of their use.”
According to Olesia Holynska, Adviser on Local Finance and Management of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Odesa oblast, the competition was very tough. For example, 185 applications were received from the municipalities of six oblasts of the Southern HUB, from which 12 best and most motivated ones were selected.
At the first meeting, the participants shared their expectations.
“We have an extensive network of fund managers and taxpayers. We want to develop a package of documents that will become the framework for the creation of an internal control and audit department, to balance the revenues and expenditures, to establish financial discipline,” said representatives of the Fontanka municipality, Odesa oblast.
A similar request was made by representatives of the Vilniansk municipality, Zaporizhzhia oblast, who seek “understanding from administrators and more effective use of funds by them.”
“Our Department of Finance is very young. We want to get the advice of experts t work with finances more efficiently and stabilise the budget,” said representatives of the Pereshchepyne municipality, Dnipropetrovsk oblast.
The next info session will be held in May.