“Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency (DOBRE)”

At West Ukrainian National University, in cooperation with the Department of Management, Public Administration, and Human Resources, training is being conducted for community leaders, local council deputies, and specialists in the provision of public services within local government authorities through two professional (certificate) advanced training programs: "Management in Local Government for Community Leaders and Local Council Deputies" and "Professional Activities of Specialists in the Provision of Public Services in Local Government Authorities."

These programs are implemented under the cooperation agreements No. 15/SP/DOBRE/2020 and No. 16/SP/DOBRE/2020 dated January 28, 2020, between Cracow University of Economics, the Małopolska School of Public Administration, and West Ukrainian National University. The training is conducted thanks to the USAID program "Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency" (DOBRE).

Following a competitive selection process, two groups of participants were formed, including community heads, their deputies, executive functionaries, council secretaries, deputies, elders, heads of structural units, and employees working in structural units of communities or subordinate/related institutions responsible for the implementation of public service tasks. Participants represent territorial communities from the Kremenets, Ternopil, and Chortkiv districts of the Ternopil region.

Training is conducted across nine core modules provided by certified trainers from the Department of Management, Public Administration, and Human Resources of the Faculty of Economics and Management at West Ukrainian National University, and two elective modules implemented by specialists from Cracow University of Economics. The program includes courses such as:


  • Management of Local Self-Government – Concepts, Models, and Practices in Ukraine

  • Human Resource Management

  • Local Economic Development Management

  • Public Services

  • Territorial Governance

  • Budgeting and Financial Resource Management

  • Social Communications and External Partnerships

  • Project Management

  • Leadership

Participants can choose two courses from the elective block:


  • Governance Models and Civic Participation in Decentralized Systems

  • European Union: Institutions and Political Process

  • Culture and Globalization

  • Evidence-Based Policy Making

The certificate programs are conducted over two semesters: the first semester – April to July 2021, and the second semester – September to November 2021, in the form of five two- to three-day sessions, including a defense of a diploma project.

Currently, training in the core module courses has been completed, and in November, training in the elective modules provided by specialists from Cracow University of Economics will begin.

Upon completion, participants receive certificates of advanced training issued jointly by Cracow University of Economics and West Ukrainian National University.

The USAID program "Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency" (DOBRE) is a five-year initiative implemented by the international organization Global Communities and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program aims to strengthen local self-governance, create better conditions for community development, increase citizen participation in decision-making, and ensure accountability and transparency in public administration.

The DOBRE program consortium, led by Global Communities, includes the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center, Social Boost, the Foundation for Local Democracy Development (FSLD/FRDL), the Małopolska School of Public Administration at Cracow University of Economics (MSAP/UEK), Poland, and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). The USAID DOBRE program operates in seven target regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Ternopil. Since June 2020, the program has also started operations in three additional regions: Zaporizhzhia, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv.