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86-619: The preparation for the charter was undertaken by the predecessor to the current Congress of Local and Regional Authorities , the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe because involvement of local and regional government was essential. The actual charter was written in the Parliamentary Assembly based on the Congress' Recommendations. It only applies to languages traditionally used by

172-468: A Monitoring Committee, a Governance Committee and a Current Affairs Committee. Moreover, a Statutory Forum was set up, the mandate of Congress members extended from two to four years, and the 30-per cent requirement for women's representation in national delegations applied also to substitute members. The role of the Bureau as the executive body of the Congress was strengthened, and the adopted texts subject to

258-539: A Ukrainian majority. (a) Information is given for Ukraine's territory within its old boundaries up to 17 September 1939 (b) Information is given for Ukraine's territory within its present-day boundaries, after the Soviet annexation of Eastern Galicia and Volhynia in September 1939 Source: State Statistics Service of Ukraine Note: Data excludes Crimea starting in 2014. Note: Russia occupied and later annexed

344-805: A clearer and more concrete follow-up procedure. In the light of this reform, the Committee of Ministers adopted a revised version of the Statutory Resolution and the Charter of the Congress in January 2011. The Congress adopted its new Rules of Procedure in March 2012. In October 2012 it adopted its priorities 2013–2016. These priorities are focused on 5 areas: monitoring of local and regional democracy, observation of local and regional elections, targeted post-monitoring and post-observation assistance,

430-474: A directly elected assembly. The membership of each member state's delegation ensures a balanced geographical distribution of territories, equitable representation of the various types of local and regional authorities and political forces, and equitable representation of women and men. Each member state has the right to the same number of seats in the Congress as in the Parliamentary Assembly of

516-622: A high emigration rate, coupled with high death rates and low birth rates. The population has been shrinking by an average of over 300,000 annually since 1993. In 2007, the country's rate of population decline was the fourth highest in the world. But between 2008 and 2010, over 1.5 million children were born in Ukraine, compared with fewer than 1.2 million in 1999–2001. In 2008, Ukraine posted record-breaking birth rates not seen since its 1991 independence. Infant mortality rates also dropped from 10.4 deaths to 8.3 per 1,000 children under one year of age,

602-636: A low birth rate and high mortality of a large urban population and rapid aging of the rural population. -5.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015). None of the oblasts in 2013 recorded a higher fertility rate than 2.10 children per woman, though rural areas saw higher rates in the Rivne Oblast (2.50) and Volyn Oblast (2.20). While close-to-generational renewal rates were achieved in the Odesa (2.04), Zakarpattia (2.00), Mykolaiv (1.95), Chernivtsi (1.93) and Zhytomyr (1.91) oblasts, they were weaker in

688-466: A low natural decline, such as Chernivtsi , Ivano-Frankivsk , Sevastopol , Lviv , Ternopil , Crimea , Kherson and Odesa (−55, −642, −863, −2,124, −2,875, −2,974, −3,748 and −4,448 people, respectively). The largest declines were recorded in Donetsk , Luhansk , Dnipro , Kharkiv , Poltava and Chernihiv (−28,311, −15,291, −15,007, −12,765, −10,062 and −10,057, respectively), regions which share

774-523: A lower rate than in 153 other countries. In 2019, the Ukrainian government conducted an electronic census using multiple sources, including mobile phone and pension data, and estimated that Ukraine's population, excluding Crimea and parts of the Donbas , to be 37.3 million. About 20 million were of active working age. The Russian invasion considerably deepened the country's demographic crisis due to

860-499: A microcosm of Swedes of Gammalsvenskby ). It is also estimated that there are about 49,817 ethnic Koreans (0.12%) in Ukraine that belong to the Koryo-saram group. Their number may be as high as 100,000 as many ethnic Koreans were assimilated into the majority population. Rusyns are also not recognised by the Ukrainian government as a distinct ethnic group and are instead treated as a sub-group of Ukrainians. According to

946-419: A monitoring or election observation visit, in order to ensure the effectiveness and impact of its monitoring and election observation activities. As follow up to its recommendations the Congress discusses with the authorities of the member State a roadmap to improve local and regional democracy in line with these recommendations. The first roadmap prepared in the framework of this post-monitoring dialogue concerned

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1032-486: A population of 37.9 million as of 2024. In July 2023, Reuters reported that due to refugee outflows, the population of Ukrainian-controlled areas may have decreased to 28 million, a steep decline from Ukraine's 2020 population of almost 42 million. This drop is in large part due to the ongoing Ukrainian refugee crisis and loss of territory caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine . The most recent (and only) census of post-Soviet Ukraine occurred in 2001 , and much of

1118-416: A renewable term of four years. The Group of Independent Experts is mandated to assist the Congress in : 1. Preparing reports on the condition of local and regional democracy within the member states (monitoring reports) 2. Preparing reports about specific aspects of the Charter within a member state, or a group of members states (specific monitoring reports) 3. Preparing reports on a specific point in

1204-412: A report and a recommendation which are also submitted to the sessions for adoption. Furthermore, it prepares thematic reports which, together with a recommendation and/or a resolution, are debated during its sessions. To fulfill its objectives the Congress cooperates with various partners: national associations, international associations, observers, civil society and other institutional partners such as

1290-455: A substantial share of matters of public concern, in the interest of its community, and it has to take into account the principle of subsidiarity. The Chamber of Regions meets twice a year during the plenary sessions of the Congress, holds debates on issues such as the regionalisation in Europe, and adopts resolutions and recommendations. It deals with the role of regions within the member states of

1376-463: A year for the plenary sessions, which are held in Strasbourg. The sessions for each Chamber are held during the plenary sessions. Every two years, the Congress appoints a President from among the representatives, or full members. See the Congress site for recent information on the political groups. The core mission of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is the effective monitoring of

1462-523: Is also active in the neighbourhood policy of the Council of Europe. This policy is aimed at helping neighbouring regions to improve democracy, the rule of law and human rights protection. As an example, priorities for co-operation in Morocco and Tunisia include local governance. In the past the Congress has been active in strengthening local democracy and trans-border co-operation in Europe. It has encouraged

1548-729: Is defined as the first official language of the state. The United Kingdom has ratified the Charter in respect to (among other languages) Welsh in Wales , Scots and Gaelic in Scotland, and Irish in Northern Ireland . France , although a signatory, has been constitutionally blocked from ratifying the Charter in respect to the languages of France . The charter provides many actions state parties can take to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages. There are two levels of protection—all signatories must apply

1634-552: Is more than one pathway to lowest-low fertility. Although Ukraine underwent immense political and economic transformations from 1991 to 2004, it maintained a young age at first birth and nearly universal childbearing. Analysis of official national statistics and the Ukrainian Reproductive Health Survey show that fertility declined to very low levels without a transition to a later pattern of childbearing. Findings from focus group interviews suggest that

1720-768: Is overwhelmingly Christian; the vast majority – up to two-thirds – identify themselves as Orthodox, but many do not specify a particular branch; the UOC-KP and the UOC-MP each represent less than a quarter of the country's population, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church accounts for 8–10%, and the UAOC accounts for 1–2%; Muslim and Jewish adherents each compose less than 1% of the total population (2013 est.). definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) regional centers regional centers In 2001,

1806-663: Is responsible for affairs relating to the Congress's statutory mandate. These include public finance, cross border and inter-regional co-operation and e-democracy as well as co-operation with intergovernmental bodies. The site of the Congress contains a list with the members of this Committee. The Current Affairs Committee deals with the role of regional and local governments in light of the challenges of modern society. It works on thematic issues, such as inclusive societies and citizen participation, education, inter religious and intercultural dialogue, protection of children from sexual abuse, youth participation, integration of migrants , from

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1892-544: The European Union , particularly Poland. Eurostat reported that 662,000 Ukrainians received EU residence permits in 2017, 585,439 of them in Poland. In 2019, World Bank statistics showed that money remittances back to Ukraine roughly doubled from 2015 to 2018, and amounted to approximately 4% of Ukraine's GDP. Ukraine only keeps records of its citizens who apply for foreign citizenship, not foreign residency With

1978-667: The Luhansk (1.41), Sumy (1.47) and Cherkasy (1.53) oblasts. The highest urban fertility rates were recorded in the Zakarpattia Oblast (1.80), city of Sevastopol (1.57), Volyn Oblast (1.56), Kyiv Oblast (1.56) and Rivne Oblast (1.54). The lowest were in the Sumy (1.23), Kharkiv (1.26), Cherkasy (1.28), Chernihiv (1.28), Chernivtsi (1.28), Luhansk (1.28), Poltava (1.29), Donetsk (1.29) and Zaporizhzhia (1.32) oblasts. Demographic statistics according to

2064-531: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , eight million people fled during the ensuing Ukrainian refugee crisis , Europe's biggest since World War II . Most have gone to Central Europe . According to estimates by the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the population of Ukraine (excluding Crimea) on 1 May 2021 was 41,442,615. The country's population has been declining since the 1990s because of

2150-544: The illegal annexation of multiple oblasts , numerous civilians fleeing the country , and high casualties . A July 2023 study by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies stated the following: "Regardless of how long the war lasts and whether or not there is further military escalation, Ukraine is unlikely to recover demographically from the consequences of the war. Even in 2040 it will have only about 35 million inhabitants, around 20% fewer than before

2236-642: The war in Donbas , and may only include births within the government-held parts of the oblasts. Compared to 2012, the amount of attrition increased in 2013 by 16,278 persons, or 3.1 to 3.5 persons per 1,000 inhabitants (real). Natural decreases were observed in 23 oblasts of the country, while natural increases were recorded only in Kyiv and in the Zakarpattya , Rivne and Volyn oblasts (5,302, 3,689, 2,889 and 1,034 people, respectively). Some regions registered

2322-462: The 2010's. In 2014, the strong drop in births returned, and 2018 saw fewer than half the number of births of 1989 (see demographic tables ). In 2020, the number of births decreased to 293,000, reaching rates not seen in a quarter century. Mass emigration and property destruction caused by the Russian invasion led Ukraine's birth to drop still further: it was 28% lower in the first half of 2023 than

2408-555: The Charter's notion of linguistic minority. Languages that are official within regions, provinces or federal units within a State (for example Catalan in Spain ) are not classified as official languages of the State and may therefore benefit from the Charter. On the other hand, Ireland has been unable to sign the Charter on behalf of the Irish language (although a minority language) as it

2494-476: The Charter, which poses problems regarding compliance with the Charter (research reports) 4. Preparing reports on issues of concern for local and regional authorities 5. Preparing reports on the promotion of local and regional democracy The Congress Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General, who is elected for five years by the plenary meeting of Congress. The Secretary General is supported by

2580-623: The Committee of Regions of the European Union. The Congress will focus on the contribution of local and regional authorities to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by promoting: As part of its monitoring of regional democracy in Europe, the Congress maintains a regular dialogue with member states of the Council of Europe. The Committee of Ministers, which includes the 46 Foreign Ministers of these states,

2666-461: The Committee of the Regions (some 10–15 people). At the close of the observation mission a preliminary statement by the Congress delegation is made. Then a report that includes an analysis of the election campaign, voting day, and recommendations/improvements to be made is prepared and submitted to the session of the Congress. The Congress collaborates with institutions of the Council of Europe such as

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2752-648: The Conference of Ministers responsible for local and regional authorities, as well as its Steering Committees – are the main partners in this regard. Several times a year the President and the Secretary General of the Congress provide the Representatives of the member states in the Committee of Ministers with a record of its activities and hold an exchange of views. The Congress also has direct contacts and exchanges with national governments, in particular, on

2838-493: The Congress Director. The Secretariat of the two chambers of Congress will be occupied by two executive secretaries, who are appointed by the Secretary General after consultation with the Congress. The Congress is formed of national delegations made up of representatives of local and regional authorities of the 46 member States of the Council of Europe, who are either directly elected or are politically accountable to

2924-826: The Congress between sessions and may be convened at any time by the President of the Congress, as he deems necessary. In October 2010, the Congress set up three committees: the Monitoring Committee, the Governance Committee and the Current Affairs Committee. These Committees prepare most of the reports which are submitted to the Chambers or to the Plenary Sessions. The Monitoring Committee was established to follow

3010-422: The Congress in its mission, again supporting its mandate. In October 2010, the Congress adopted a comprehensive reform of its structures and activities meant to increase the impact of its action and make it more effective and more relevant to European citizens and their elected representatives. In particular, the structural changes included the creation of three new committees, to replace the existing previous four:

3096-497: The Congress, regional democracy, inter-regional cooperation and regional economy, among others. The members of this Chamber can be found here . With the adoption of the revised Charter of the Congress on 19 January 2011, the former Standing Committee was replaced by the Statutory Forum. This Forum is composed of heads of all national delegations together with the members of the Bureau of Congress. The Forum acts on behalf of

3182-707: The Constitutional Court ruled that 2012 language legislation entitling a language spoken by at least 10% of an oblast's population to be given the status of "regional language" – allowing for its use in courts, schools, and other government institutions – was unconstitutional, thus making the law invalid; Ukrainian remains the country's only official nationwide language. Orthodox (includes Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox (UAOC), Ukrainian Orthodox – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Ukrainian Orthodox – Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)), Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish Note: Ukraine's population

3268-493: The Council of Europe. Apart from full members, the delegations are also made of substitutes (who work in the same capacity). A list of the national delegations and their members can be found on the Congress site . According to its statute, the Congress consists of 306 representatives (and 306 substitutes) from each member state, as follows: Two representatives of local government in [REDACTED]   Kosovo participate in

3354-792: The Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The annexation is internationally recognized only by a small number of nations . Following the occupation, the Ukrainian statistics service could no longer provide accurate data on Crimea. Thus, as of 2014, the territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are not included in the Demographics of Ukraine but in the Demographics of Russia . All data from State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Note: Recent data for Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts have been affected by

3440-474: The European Charter of Local Self-Government. The Chamber also handles social issues and supports the cooperation of European cities, such as intercultural dialogues, e-democracy, or multiculturalism. It promotes the principles of local democracy outside Europe, inter alia through Euro-Arab dialogue between cities and Euro-Mediterranean co-operation. At its meetings, which take place twice a year during

3526-477: The Parliamentary Assembly and the Venice Commission. The details of the procedure are set out in Congress resolution More information on the observation of elections can be found on Congress site , In March 2013 the Congress adopted Resolution 353(2013) on post-monitoring and post-observation of elections. The aim is to develop the political dialogue with Member States and relevant stakeholders after

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3612-583: The Plenary Sessions, the Chamber of Local Authorities holds thematic debates on issues such as the fight against radicalisation, cities against terrorism, migrations, the protection of cultural heritage and adopts recommendations and resolutions. If necessary, the Chamber of Local Authorities can also require a member to write a report to a relevant question of his or her expertise. The Chamber of Local Authorities must examine issues that are relevant to its jurisdiction, namely substantive and current issues relating to

3698-525: The Standing Conference asked the Committee of Ministers to further enhance its statute, and the Standing Conference was transformed into the present Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. In 2005, during the Warsaw Summit, the Heads of State and Government of the member states of the Council of Europe reasserted the importance of local and regional democracy for Europe and underlined the major role of

3784-503: The Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. Six years later, in 1985, the Standing Conference adopted the European Charter of Local Self-Government, recognizing the increasing role of the development of local democracy, which has become one of the most important achievements of the organization. The Charter was opened for signature in October 1985 and has since been signed by all Council of Europe member states. In 1994

3870-453: The State) or are used by linguistic minorities within the State as a whole (thereby including such languages as Yiddish , Romani and Lemko , which are used over a wide geographic area). Some states, such as Ukraine and Sweden, have tied the status of minority language to the recognized national minorities, which are defined by ethnic, cultural and/or religious criteria, thereby circumventing

3956-477: The Ukrainian SSR. The 1897 census is drawn from the statistics of nine governorates located in present-day Ukraine. The 1906 records are taken from Statoids.com , which provides a broad degree of historical context on imperial Russia . The 1931 census statistics were estimated by Professor Zenon Kuzelia , whose calculations are as of 1 January 1931. The Encyclopedia of Ukraine mentions Kuzelia as one of

4042-714: The World Population Review in 2019 Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook , unless otherwise indicated Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 est.) Ukrainian (official) 67.5%, Russian (regional language) 29.6%, other (includes small Crimean Tatar-, Moldovan/Romanian-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities) 2.9% (2001 est.) Note: in February 2018,

4128-583: The charter, for example, in the United Kingdom , the Welsh language is ratified under the general Part II principles as well as the more specific Part III commitments, while the Cornish language is ratified only under Part II. Part II of the Charter details eight main principles and objectives upon which States must base their policies and legislation. They are seen as a framework for the preservation of

4214-425: The conditions for reconstruction. As of 2020, the birth rate in Ukraine was 8.1 live births/1,000 population, and the death rate 14.7 deaths/1,000 population. Lowest-low fertility, defined as total fertility below 1.3, is being encountered across Europe, attributed by many to postponement of the initiation of childbearing. Ukraine, where total fertility (1.1 in 2001), was one of the world's lowest, shows that there

4300-657: The creation of associations of local authorities and created several networks which have now evolved independently and which are privileged partners of the Congress. Examples of these Associations are the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA), the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS) and the European Network of Local and Regional Training Establishments (ENTO). The European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion

4386-490: The decentralisation reform undertaken by the Ukrainian authorities and was signed in May 2015. In its Priorities 2013–2016, the Congress decided to further develop co-operation and partnerships with the overall objective to consolidate and advance territorial democracy in the Council of Europe member states and in its immediate neighbourhood and achieve concrete results in the field. These cooperation activities help to further ensure

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4472-515: The devolution and regionalization processes, as well as the trans-frontier co-operation between cities and regions The Congress conducts regular monitoring visits to all member states to appraise their implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, observes the functioning of local and regional elections in its member states and creates international treaties that lay down common European standards to protect local authorities' rights. The present Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

4558-483: The different levels of governance in the State concerned. The Congress undertakes: regular general country-by-country monitoring missions; the examination of a particular aspect of the Charter; fact-finding missions to look into specific cases of concern; Following monitoring visits, the Monitoring Committee draws up reports and recommendations to member states on how to improve the management of municipalities and regions. These recommendations are debated and adopted during

4644-401: The early fertility pattern was explained by the persistence of traditional norms for childbearing and the roles of men and women, concerns about medical complications and infertility at a later age, and the link between early fertility and early marriage. Ukraine subsequently has one of the oldest populations in the world, with an average age of 40.8 years. To help mitigate population decline,

4730-428: The ethnic composition of Ukraine was: Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Romanian 1.1% (including Moldovan 0.8%), Belarusian 0.6%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 1.0%, Pontic Greek 0.2% and other 1.6% (including Armenians , Germans , Romas , Georgians , Slovaks , Albanians , Crimean Karaites , as well as Muslim Bulgarians , otherwise known as Torbesh , and

4816-632: The exchange of know-how and good practices. One of the key priorities of the Alliance is the promotion of the Roma culture and raising awareness and knowledge about the Roma Genocide during World War II and the international commemoration day on the 2nd of August. Another important initiative of the Council of Europe, aimed at fighting antigypsyism, is the Dosta! Campaign, run on a national level in

4902-557: The first half of 2021. However, a small but meaningful increase in births may have occurred, with a potential fertility rate increase to 1.60 children per woman, higher than the 2012 peak of 1.53. Average life expectancy at birth of the total population. Notable events in Ukrainian demographics: The figures below refer to the nine governorates of the Russian Empire ( Volhynia , Katerynoslav , Kyiv , Podilia , Poltava , Tauryda , Kharkiv , Kherson and Chernihiv ) with

4988-551: The first nine months of 2007, and nationwide population decline showed signs of stabilization. In 2007, the highest birth rates were in the western oblasts. In 2008, Ukraine emerged from lowest-low fertility, and the upward trend continued to 2012, with population decline slowing year after year. If early 2010s trends had persisted, the population could have returned to positive growth later that decade. Similar trends occurred in Russia and Belarus , which experienced population growth in

5074-560: The following ethnic minorities of Ukraine ratification : 27 March 2001. Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is the pan-European political assembly representing local and regional authorities from the forty-six member states of the Council of Europe . Its role is to promote local and regional democracy, improve local and regional governance and strengthen authorities' self-government, according to

5160-423: The government increased child support payments, providing one-time payments of 12,250 hryvnias for the first child, 25,000 hryvnias for the second and 50,000 hryvnias for the third and fourth, along with monthly payments of 154 hryvnias per child. The demographic trend showed signs of improvement as the birth rate grew steadily from 2001 to 2013. Five of the country's 24 provinces showed net population growth over

5246-535: The implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the Congress recommendations. The Congress offers its expertise, in the field of local and regional democracy, based on needs, its members being a pool of practical and political experience. Its activities include: The Congress develops its projects within the chapter on Democracy in the Council of Europe Action Plans for member States. These projects are co-financed through voluntary contributions of member states and international partners. The Congress

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5332-533: The implementation of the commitment and obligations of the member states to the European Charter of Local Self-Government. It organises monitoring visits and drafts reports and recommendations on the situation of the local and regional democracy in the member states concerned. It encourages member states to evaluate the situation of local democracy, in relation to the Charter, and identifies the obstacles that prevent them from implementing it fully. The members of this Committee can be found here . The Governance Committee

5418-683: The information presented is potentially inaccurate and/or outdated. The majority of the historical information is sourced from Demoscope.ru . The territory of Ukraine has shifted greatly throughout history. Until 1939, Western Ukraine , west of the Zbruch River , had mostly been part of the Kingdom of Galicia and later the Polish Republic . Detailed information for those territories is missing (for more information, see Demographics of Poland ). Crimea changed hands as well; in 1897 it

5504-436: The languages concerned. Part III details comprehensive rules, across a number of sectors, by which states agree to abide. Each language to which Part III of the Charter is applied must be named specifically by the government. States must select at least thirty-five of the undertakings in respect to each language. Many provisions contain several options, of varying degrees of stringency, one of which has to be chosen "according to

5590-456: The local and regional dimension of human rights and streamlined thematic activities. As political Assembly of local and regional elected representatives, the Congress is the voice of Europe's 130,000 regions and municipalities. It promotes the strengthening of local and regional democracy in all Council of Europe member States. The Congress carries out monitoring missions of the local and regional authorities in member states and prepares reports on

5676-411: The local dimension in Europe, and if necessary may raise a debate during a Congress session. A list of the members of this Chamber can be found here . The Chamber of Regions consists of representatives of authorities that act between the local and central levels of government. The authority must have either self-governing or state-like powers. It must effectively be able to take full responsibility for

5762-461: The lower level of protection to qualifying languages. Signatories may further declare that a qualifying language or languages will benefit from the higher level of protection, which lists a range of actions from which states must agree to undertake at least 35. Countries can ratify the charter in respect of its minority languages based on Part II or Part III of the charter, which contain varying principles. Countries can treat languages differently under

5848-489: The member states. As of 2013, the Alliance is in charge of administrating the Dosta! Congress Prize, awarded biannually to three municipalities for their successful and innovative projects in the field of Roma inclusion. Demographics of Ukraine Excluding Russian occupied territory: 36,744,636 [REDACTED] (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) According to the United Nations , Ukraine has

5934-506: The nationals of the State Parties (thus excluding languages used by recent immigrants from other states, see immigrant languages ), which significantly differ from the majority or official language (thus excluding what the state party wishes to consider as mere local dialects of the official or majority language) and that either have a territorial basis (and are therefore traditionally spoken by populations of regions or areas within

6020-489: The occasion of official visits in the member states, during the plenary sessions, or during follow-up or post-monitoring visits in the country itself. More information on dialogue with governments can be found here . The Bureau of the Congress, which consists of the members of the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions under the leadership of the Congress President , is responsible for organising

6106-522: The only ethnographic sources available, due to the lack of an official census. The Ukrainian famines of the 1930s , followed by the devastation of World War II , created a demographic disaster for the country. In 1933, life expectancy at birth fell to levels as low as ten years of age for females and seven for males, and plateaued around 25 for females and 15 for males between 1941 and 1944. According to The Oxford companion to World War II , "Over 7 million inhabitants of Ukraine, more than one-sixth of

6192-484: The plenary sessions, the coordination of the work of the two chambers and the committees, as well as organising the monitoring and election observation missions, the budget and all questions that need to be treated in between two plenary sessions. Complete list of Congress Bureau members The main task of the Chamber of Local Authorities is to assess the situation of local democracy and observe local elections based on

6278-541: The point of view of the core values of the Council of Europe . In 2024, the Committee was renamed Social Inclusion and Human Dignity Committee. The members of this Committee can be found on the site of the Congress. The Group of Independent Experts helps the three statutory committees to carry out their responsibilities in local and regional democracy, in regards to the European Charter. The experts are recruited from universities and other research centers based on their expertise in law, economics, or political science and have

6364-641: The pre-war population, were killed during the Second World War." Significant migration took place in the first years of Ukrainian independence. More than one million people moved into Ukraine in 1991–92, mostly from other former Soviet republics. Between 1991 and 2004, a total of 2.2 million immigrated to Ukraine (2 million of these from other former Soviet Union states), and 2.5 million emigrated from Ukraine (1.9 million of these to other former Soviet Union republics). As of 2015, immigrants in Ukraine constituted an estimated 11.4% of

6450-717: The principles laid down in the European Charter of Local Self-Government . It is made up of two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions and holds its plenary sessions twice a year at the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg , where its permanent Secretariat is located. The Congress is constituted by 612 members which hold elective office (they may be regional or municipal councillors, mayors or presidents of regional authorities) representing over 130,000 authorities in different states. It encourages

6536-410: The prominent French statesman Jacques Chaban-Delmas , who was President of the Conference from January 1957 to January 1960. In 1975 the Committee of Ministers established the Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe that brought together also representatives of European regions, not only local authorities, thus replacing and enhancing the Conference of Local Authorities. In 1979 it became

6622-447: The sessions of the Congress. More information and examples of recently adopted texts in this area can be found here . The observation of the local and regional elections is an important aspect of the tasks of the Congress, which complements the monitoring activities. The observation missions are conducted at the official request of the national authorities concerned; the Congress sets up a delegation made of Congress members and members of

6708-487: The situation in the State concerned. These reports and the draft resolutions and recommendations they contain are submitted to the plenary sessions which debate them in the presence of high representatives of the governments before adopting them. The recommendations are then forwarded to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which gives them the appropriate follow up whenever needed. It also observes local and regional elections. After an observation mission it drafts

6794-973: The situation of each language". The areas from which these specific undertakings must be chosen are as follows: ratification: 25 January 2002 ratification: 28 June 2001 ratification: 21 September 2010 ratification: 5 November 1997 ratification: 26 August 2002 ratification: 15 November 2006 ratification: 8 September 2000 ratification: 9 November 1994 ratification: 16 September 1998 ratification: 26 April 1995 ratification: 18 November 1997 ratification: 22 June 2005 ratification: 15 February 2006 ratification: 2 May 1996 ratification: 10 November 1993 ratification: 12 February 2009 ratification 29 January 2008 ratification: 15 February 2006 ratification: 5 September 2001 ratification: 4 October 2000 ratification: 9 April 2001 ratification: 9 February 2000 ratification: 23 December 1997 ratification: 19 September 2005 Ukraine does not specify languages by name, but rather ratifies on behalf of "the languages of

6880-402: The situation of local and regional democracy in member states by assessing the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Through this process of monitoring, the Congress contributes, at territorial level, to the main objectives of the Council of Europe, which are to advance democracy and human rights on the continent. Monitoring is also part of an ongoing political dialogue with

6966-547: The total population, or 4.8 million people. In 2006, there were an estimated 1.2 million Canadians of Ukrainian ancestry, giving Canada the world's third-largest Ukrainian population, behind Ukraine and Russia. Outside of these, there are also large Ukrainian diaspora communities in Poland , the United States , Brazil , Kazakhstan , and Argentina . Since about 2015, a growing number of Ukrainians have worked in

7052-633: The war (2021: 42.8 million) and the decline in the working-age population is likely to be the most severe and far-reaching." The study examined different scenarios, from a "best case", in which the war ended in 2023 without significant further escalation, to a "worst case", ending in 2025 after further escalation. Flight from war particularly affects the southern and eastern regions and especially educated women of child-bearing age and their children. With an estimate of more than 20% of refugees not returning, study author Maryna Tverdostup concludes that this will lead to long-term shrinking and will significantly impair

7138-667: The work of the Congress as observers. The political groups within the Congress ensure an equitable representation, in terms of political, geographical and gender balance in each delegation. The Congress Charter sets a minimum of representation of 30% for the under-represented sex for each delegation. There are four political groups within the Congress, as well as Congress members not affiliated with any political group: • SOC/G/PD – Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats • EPP/CCE – European People's Party Group • ILDG – Independent and Liberal Democratic Group • ECR – European Conservatives and Reformists The Congress meets twice

7224-727: Was a part of the Taurida Governorate , but after the October Revolution became part of the Russian SFSR , and in 1954 was brought under the administration of the Ukrainian SSR . The territory of Budjak (southern Bessarabia ) became a part of the Ukrainian SSR in June 1940. There were roughly four million Ukrainians at the end of the 17th century. The censuses of 1926 through 1989 were conducted in

7310-541: Was established on 14 January 1994 with the Statutory Resolution 94(3) of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. However, the history of the Congress reflects the already fifty-year history of the development of local and regional democracy in Europe. The Congress's predecessor, the Conference of Local Authorities of Europe was first established at the Council of Europe in 1957. It held its first session on 12 January 1957 in Strasbourg presided by

7396-426: Was set up by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities with the support of Special Representative of the Council of Europe Secretary General for Roma Issues. More than 120 cities and regions from over 27 countries are participating in the Alliance. The Alliance aims to achieve these objectives: The Alliance organises national and international seminars for its participating cities and regions in order to facilitate

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