KHARKIV. July 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The heads of the Kharkiv regional administration and representatives of the Regional Mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) visited the construction site of one of the largest in Ukraine administrative and social services centre on Friday.
The project is a part of the agreements that were reached during the visit of the delegation of the Kharkiv region to Washington and the memorandum signed between the region and the U.S. embassy.
“One of the priorities set by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is to create modern and transparent conditions for receiving administrative services Ukrainian citizens, head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration Ihor Rainin told reporters. Establishment of the centre will allow us to minimize the risk of corruptive practices. If we do not create such conditions, corruption will have to be fought forever.”
The construction of the centre building is funded by the city budget, coordinated by Kharkiv Regional State Administration, whose specialists provide methodological, administrative and organizational support.
“The centre is equipped with modern office equipment, the relevant software will be provided by the USAID,” First Deputy Head of the regional administration Yulia Svitlychna, who personally oversees the project.
Having inspected the centre construction together with the Agency’s Regional Mission Director John Pennell, Svitlychna said that the works are carried out according to the schedule and the construction will be fully completed next year spring.
“This centre will provide the services that can not be obtained in any of the existing services. These are services of social and pension areas, residence and entrepreneurship registration, a driver’s license obtaining along with certificates from the State Register of property rights and the Land Register. One can solve the issues here with a minimum number of visits to the authorities and in the shortest terms,” Svitlychna said.
According to Pennell, in addition to the centre equipping, USAID will assist training its staff.
“This facility will create all conditions so that the citizens would be able to receive administrative and social services at a better level and in a more transparent format,” Pennell said.
As agreed with the USAID, this project can be extended to the surrounding regions in order that the residents of other regions were able to conveniently and comfortably receive services in the administrative centre in Kharkiv.
“We take the establishment of this centre of administrative services very seriously, as we do not want to repeat the mistakes of the existing similar institutions. I can guarantee that this will be the best centre in Ukraine,” Svitlychna said.
