Public activists to combat corruption in land relations

At a fateful and dramatic time for the state, a training “Mechanisms of public participation in combating corruption in the field of land relations” was held in Chernihiv, organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights.

The event was attended by public activists interested in strengthening the community’s capacity to counteract and prevent corruption in land relations in the Chernihiv region.

The training was conducted by

Ivan Sikora

– Director of the Open Society Foundation, former consultant to the Council of Europe, ex-advisor to the Minister of Economy of Ukraine, author of the methodology of the “Anti-Corruption Policy Index” and

Igor Puzan

– Head of the Department of Land Management and Land Protection of the Main Department of the State Land Agency in Chernihiv region.

During the training, the participants were introduced to the main aspects of legal regulation of land relations, typical corruption risks associated with agricultural and non-agricultural lands, technologies of public expertise and monitoring of the use of land resources by government bodies and measures of public influence on decisions of government bodies in this area, modern standards of effective anti-corruption policy, including on the example of specific practices.

“It is important for public activists to effectively use existing tools, prevent and counteract corruption risks in the field of land relations and pay special attention to the actual beneficiaries. Using the methodology of social networks of close people of the declarant (public servant) will allow for more effective monitoring and investigation of corruption risks, signs of conflict of interest, and increase the efficiency of land resource spending,” believes

Ivan Sikora

.

In turn,

Igor Puzan

noted that against the background of permanent land reform, the problem remains the lack of regulation, and sometimes the contradictions of the legislation regulating land relations. In particular, this concerns the procedure for privatization of land plots, the creation of a farm, the use of unclaimed land shares (shares), etc.

“Another problematic point is the frequent dishonesty of representatives of private land management organizations, since they can “delay” the process of privatization and registration of land plots. Citizens need to carefully study the contract and estimate documentation when signing the contract. Problems often arise with the prepared technical documentation, because it may not meet the requirements of current legislation. That is why it is recommended to conduct a preliminary examination in the territorial divisions of the State Land Agency to avoid problems with the approval of design and technical documentation in the future,” emphasized the representative of the State Land Agency.

Overall, the training allowed public activists to better understand the opportunities and tools that exist in the public to prevent and counteract corruption in land and property relations at the local level.

The participants of the event concluded that the main task facing the authorities and the public is to increase legal awareness and responsibility of both ordinary citizens and representatives of executive authorities and local self-government.

The event was held within the framework of the implementation of




the project “Local communities against corruption in the sphere of land circulation in Chernihiv region” with the support of the Canadian Foundation for Local Initiatives.