The first stage of the training took place at the end of June in Kharkiv. Activists and researchers from the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Poltava districts took part in it. The workshop in Kharkiv was the third activity within the project "Evaluation of public policies in action".

The first action of the project was a contest for local authorities of the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Poltava districts. Organizers received 17 applications and the contest comission selected 4 public policies to be evaluated by trained evaluators under the supervision of Polish experts. Two public policies from the Poltava district (Velika Krucha and Khorol) and two from the Kharkiv district (Lozova and Solonicivka) were choosen.

Participants of the projects were emerged during the next contest. There were 72 applications received. Chosen participants will conduct an evaluation of public policies with the support of Polish experts.

The training in Kharkiv at the end of June was conducted by a team of trainers lead by Joanna Konieczna-Salamatin, PhD. The team also had 3 trainers: Aleksandra Kujawska, Elzbieta Swidrowska and Maciej Szalaj.

Trainings in the sphere of evaluation of public policies are extraordinarily important – said Olga Szczetinina, Chairwoman of the Ukrainian Evaluators Association, who was present during the opening of the seminar in Kharkiv.

Democratic Society East is leader of the project. A Polish partner is the Foundation of Social and Economical Expertise. A Ukrainian partner is the Eastern Ukrainian Center of Civil Initiatives.

This project is implemented with the support of the Poland-Canada Democracy Support Program.

Project coordinator is Artur Kasprzak: akacprzak@tdw.org.pl