On October 31, the Institute for Budgetary and Socio-Economic Research (IBSER), in cooperation with the Odesa Regional Office of the Local Government Development Center (LGDC), presented the results of a financial management assessment conducted in the Yasky hromada. The assessment was carried out within the framework of the “Financial Management Assessment in Amalgamated Hromadas” project, implemented under the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Vyacheslav Zubenko, General Director of IBSER, emphasized:
“The primary objective of the project team was to assess the level of administrative capacity in financial management. This was achieved by analyzing the structure and procedures of the financial management system in the Yasky hromada and by preparing a set of recommendations for improvement. These recommendations are formulated at two levels: for national government agencies — to improve the regulatory and procedural framework, and for local authorities — to enhance operational financial management.”
The purpose of such assessments is to support hromadas in enhancing the effectiveness of managing their financial resources. This allows local authorities to better understand the requirements of the national budget system, increase their institutional capacity, achieve strategic development goals, and become more attractive for both residents and business development.
IBSER experts also explained that the assessment methodology includes a combination of desk research, community surveys, and in-depth interviews with key officials. The final report is structured into 10 chapters, each corresponding to a core thematic area of the hromada’s financial operations.
As part of the advisory support, Olesia Holynska briefed local leadership, representatives of the financial department, and key spending units on recent updates to budget discipline requirements. These included improving the efficiency of budget programs, strengthening accounting policies, and clarifying the mandatory list of documents to be made publicly available.