“People need to feel part of a community. The Charter is the foundation of the sense of belonging. It provides answers to simple but important questions: who we are, where we are, and how we would like to coexist,” said Vitalii Yakovenko, the Secretary of Sakhnovshchyna Municipality Council.
From merger to common ground
The municipality of Sakhnovshchyna was established in 2020, and adopted its first Charter in 2021. At that time, the priority was to launch the local self-government body quickly, so the document was adopted based on a standard template.
“It made sense at the time. We were just getting the municipality together, so we needed some basic rules to live by,” stated Vitalii Yakovenko.
Eventually, it became clear that the document needed to be updated, as new initiatives had emerged in the municipality, noted the secretary of the municipal council. Volunteer movements really took off, young people got more involved, and veteran communities popped up. People increasingly approached the authorities with ideas and proposals.
“We saw that people didn’t just want to be spectators, but actually wanted to be part of what was going on in the municipality. However, this requires clear and understandable mechanisms. That is when the need arose to revise the Charter and make it a more dynamic document.”
A legal requirement and a tool for public participation
An important step in the process of updating the Charter of the Municipality for Sakhnovshchyna was the training organised by U-LEAD with Europe: “Steps for Specialists. Development of the Charter of a Municipality”. It took place in early summer 2025 and spurred further changes. Following the training, the municipality established a working group that set about updating the document, and in December 2025, the updated Charter was adopted by a decision of the settlement council, said Vitalii Yakovenko, the Secretary of the Council.
By updating its Charter, Sakhnovshchyna municipality has incorporated clear and effective rules into the document that give residents more opportunities to influence local life while complying with applicable legislation. As stated by Maryna Honcharenko, the Head of the U-LEAD Regional Office in Kharkiv Oblast, by 1 January 2027, every Ukrainian municipality must adopt a charter or bring it in line with new regulatory provisions that strengthen public participation in local self-government.
Tetiana Filatova, a Policy Advisor for Decentralisation and Local Self-Government of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Kharkiv Oblast, also spoke about the document’s significance for municipalities. According to her, the Charter is a practical tool rather than a mere formality. It sets out rules for municipal development, mechanisms for residents to participate in resolving local issues, and principles of openness and transparency in the work of local self-government bodies. Essentially, it is a sort of “local constitution” that factors in the specifics of a particular municipality.
“Passing the Charter should not be a formality or a decision made merely for the sake of appearances. This should be a joint decision by the authorities and local residents, based on an understanding of the rules that will help to establish cooperation and make communication between the public and local authorities more active and effective,” the adviser concluded.
