Current projects

Strengthening democratic resilience of key public institutions in Ukraine

Objectives:

The project aims to improve the efficiency of state institutions, administration, self-government and civil society in the area of creation and oversight of regional policies, administration of state-owned enterprises, and monitoring of budgets and information openness of local authorities in Ukraine.

The project “Strengthening democratic resilience of key public institutions in Ukraine” is being implemented by the International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) in partnership with the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms in Slovakia (INEKO) and is financially supported by the Embassy of the United States in Ukraine.

Previous project: Promoting transparency and implementation of anti-corruption measures in state-owned enterprises and local governments in Ukraine

Partner: INEKO

Duration: July 2020 – September 2021

Outputs:

Internet Portals:

Transparency of regions and 50 largest cities in Ukraine

Financial health of regions and cities in Ukraine

Financial sustainability of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine

Transparency of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine

Legal and formal independence of public institutions in Ukraine

Project documents:

 

Regular assessment of regional measures:

Monitoring of Local and Development Policies in Ukraine (July 2020 - October 2020)

Monitoring of Local and Development Policies in Ukraine (November 2020 - January 2021)

Monitoring of Local and Development Policies in Ukraine (February 2021 - April 2021)

Monitoring of Local and Development Policies in Ukraine (May 2021 - July 2021)

Monitoring of Local and Development Policies in Ukraine (August 2021 - September 2021)

 

Resume on the ratings (in Ukrainian):

The financial health rating of the 50 largest state-owned enterprises of Ukraine in 2019

The financial health ratings of the largest cities and regions of Ukraine in 2019

The transparency ratings of cities and regions of Ukraine for 2020

Legal and formal independence of public institutions in Ukraine in 2021

Transparency and financial sustainability of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine (2020-2021)

 

Online seminar FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN UKRAINE

Date:  26th of November 2020 at 10:00

Presentations:

 

Online seminar TRANSPARENCY RATING OF CITIES AND REGIONS OF UKRAINE

Date:  10th of March 2021 at 10:00

Presentations:

 

Online-conference PRESENTATION OF THE RANKING “LEGAL AND FORMAL INDEPENDENCE OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN UKRAINE”

Date:  29th of June 2021 at 10:00

Presentations:

 

Online seminar TRANSPARENCY AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES IN UKRAINE

Date:  23rd of September 2021 at 10:00

Presentations:

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Prevention of information challenges to the values of an open society in the period of political turbulence

Given the forthcoming of active election period, information attacks on the values of an open society, democracy and a market economy are increasing in Ukraine. The center of information attacks come both from the values of an open society and civil society as a whole, as well as the institutions and individuals that support them most actively.

Therefore, ICPS launches a communication campaign “Prevention of Information Challenges to the Values of an Open Society in the Period of Political Turbulence” with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.

Activities within the project include the following activities:

1) Preparation of an analytical study on “Information challenges to the values ​​of open society in the pre-election period in Ukraine: international experience, the situation in Ukraine, effective means of counteraction and communication”;

2) Communication support: regular publication of materials for informing the public about the importance of open society values ​​for the future development of Ukraine, demonstration of positive examples of projects implemented by the IRF;

4) Organizing off-the-record meetings and briefings with journalists and public opinion leaders to provide expert advice on information challenges facing open society during the pre-election period in Ukraine;

3) Presentation of the final results of the project

                                                                

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Coalition of Regional Civil Society Organizations for Public Finance Control

The project “Coalition of Regional Civil Society Organizations for Public Finance Control” is being carried out by the International Center for Policy Studies (ICPS) with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine.

The project`s goal is to foster citizen participation in public finance control (PFC) at the local level through developing investigative capabilities of local activists in Ukraine. It intends to develop further investigative capabilities of local activists via support in conducting individual and group anti-corruption investigations. The project participants will act as “watchdog leaders” network, while sharing their experience and training investigative skills of the newcomers. They will obtain experience of conducting complex investigations, and will master teamwork and coordination skills. This will enhance the investigator`s capacities to further work independently at the regional level and to share their experience on lower levels.

Thus, the project will strengthen good governance policies in Ukraine through the project contribution into the fight against corruption, increasing transparency of local governments through civil society control and social pressure.

Project stages:

- Elaboration of Guidelines on public finance control

- Conduction of trainings on anti-corruption investigations

- Formation of the Coalition of Regional CSOs

- Conducting the anti-corruption investigations

- Dissemination of the project results

The investigation will be conducted in the following regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Transcarpathian, Kyiv, Kirovograd, Lviv, Odessa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi.

                                                                   

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Civil society for combating corruption and promotion open governance in the Eastern Partnership countries

The International Center for Policy Studies, in cooperation with the Public Initiatives Center (Azerbaijan), Article 42 of the Constitution (Georgia) and Transparency International (Moldova), are launching the project “Civil society for combating corruption and promotion open governance in the Eastern Partnership countries”.

The project aims to strengthen the capacity and promote the role of civil society in the field of open Governance and the fight against corruption in the EaP countries, mainly through the continuous involvement of civic organizations in the policy development process at the national, regional and local levels.

The project envisages creating the main institutional and technical capabilities of partner organizations for active participation in policy development and the ability to implement response mechanisms to address issues in a rapidly changing environment. Within the framework of the project, a platform for joint training in the EaP countries will be created by strengthening existing networks and partnerships between organizations.

The implementation of this project will facilitate the exchange of best practices, as well as the development of information and advocacy, communication strategy within the framework of advancement of project ideas.

Duration of the project is 8 months: June-December 2018

Project materials:

POLICY PAPER on the evaluation of civil society involvement in the Action Plan implementation of the Open Government Partnership
Initiative in Ukraine

MAPPING OF EASTERN PARTNERSHIP CSOs MEMBERS

                                                                        

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Ukraine and V4 countries: promoting better understanding

The International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) with the support of the International Visegrad Fund initiates the project “Ukraine and V4 countries: promoting better understanding”.

Project partners

Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Hungary);

Institute for Economic and Social Reforms INEKO (Slovakia);

Foundation Prof. Bronislaw Geremek Centre (Poland)

The crisis in relations between Ukraine and its Western neighboring states became one of the main developments in 2017 and testified the crisis of both Ukrainian foreign policy identity in general and Ukrainian neighborhood policy in particular. The Ukrainian-Hungarian, Ukrainian-Polish contradictions are only a reflection of the deep-seated crisis of good-neighborliness, while problems in bilateral relations have wider and deeper dimensions. One of the key challenges faced by the region is the urgent analysis of relations between Ukraine and its V4 neighbors and elaboration of policy recommendations to prevent their further deterioration. Ukraine should rethink its foreign policy goals and priorities, considering current internal and external challenges and dynamic processes. Establishment of an expert dialogue between Ukraine and its V4 neighbors can become an impetus for such a process.

The overall project goal is to improve understanding between Ukraine and its V4 neighbors through 

  • the establishment of an expert dialogue and tackling existing contradictions by efforts of civil society and expert community;
  • facilitating transformation of the current lose-lose situation to a win-win partnership.

Current situation poses a regional challenge needed to be addressed by a new approach on good neighborliness. Establishment of continuous communication and dialogue among experts from Ukraine on one side, and experts from Hungary, Slovak Republic and Poland from the other, would contribute to increasing awareness on the logic of internal process in abovementioned countries, researching the contradictions in the countries’ relations, and elaborating new approaches towards advantageous and pragmatic bilateral relations.

Ensuring good and sustainable neighborhood relations between Ukraine and its Western neighboring countries is crucial for regional stability with a view of the existing security threats and challenges in the region. Elaboration of a new updated approach towards the relations between Ukraine and its V4 neighbors is necessary to improve and strengthen regional partnership and prevent the occurrence of new contradictions in the future. Escalation of contradictions between the neighboring countries has a direct impact on the security and cooperation in the region, while strengthening of regional cooperation at the expert level will facilitate the process of regional cohesion as well as promoting V4 values in the region contributing to the Ukrainian democratic transformation. 

                                                                                      

 

Expert Dialogue: Ukrainian-Hungarian Relations. Webinar 1  

Project materials:

Ukraine and its neighbors: analysis of regional trends

Presentation  

Publications:

Kyiv vs Budapest: What's going on in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations?

Expert discussion on Ukraine-Slovakia relations. Webinar 2

Project materials:

ICPS presentation 

UKRAINE-SLOVAKIA RELATIONS: DEVELOPING A TRUE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP?

Expert discussion on Ukraine-Poland relations. Webinar 3   

Project materials:

Ukraine-Poland relations

Presentation

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Briefing for diplomatic missions in Ukraine

International conference “Ukraine's relations with its Western neighbors. A chance for rebooting”

Project materials - Policy Research:

UKRAINE’S NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY TOWARDS V4 COUNTRIES: PROMOTING BETTER UNDERSTANDING

 

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Communication Campaign on Promotion of Tolerance and Mutual Understanding in the Society #RespectUA

The International Center for Policy Studies (ICPS) together with the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine initiates a communication campaign #RespectUA on promotion of tolerance and mutual understanding in the society.

                                                                          

The aim of the project is to reduce the polarization and strengthen dialogue among various social groups.

Within the framework of the project it is planned to establish the UNDP Tolerance Envoys concept in Ukraine to promote the values of tolerance and mutual understanding. Multi-level communication in the society regarding this issue should belong to moral leaders, opinion-makers and those Ukrainians, who have gained recognition in various fields.

The project activities cover the conduction of a series of events: public lectures for socially active groups in different regions of Ukraine on promotion and establishment of principles of mutual respect, practices of tolerance and acceptance of different opinions in the Ukrainian society.

The following known Ukrainians have joined the initiative:

 

 

 

Since 2017, 12 well-known Ukrainians have become UNDP Tolerance Envoys, raising awareness of the issue of equality in Ukraine, not only within conventions, not only in human rights protection, but also in other areas of life, such as music, the environment, the media, theatre, sports, art and literature.

Because the language of culture is the language of equality, these languages are in turn the languages of peacebuilding.

UNDP Tolerance Envoys had to become investigators: to identify the causes of intolerance and find traumatic stereotypes and phobias.

They have also worked as mediators and peacekeepers: influencing the development of a culture and tradition of mutual understanding and respect, reducing the polarization of public sentiments and advocating for the strengthening of dialogue in Ukrainian society.

The communication campaign on tolerance promotion in Ukrainian society, which was initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine confirmed the need to establish dialogue between various social groups on urgent and sometimes challenging issues.

Numerous meetings led by Envoys in Kyiv and the regions of Ukraine have confirmed that discussions about the future, without forgetting the past, and discussions about a common vision for the country's progress can be an effective mechanism to reduce aggression and intolerance.

Ukrainian society critically needs effective communication on important issues such as intolerance and the threat it poses to the country's development, the interconnection between tolerance and security, and the importance for the future of a comprehensive and large-scale national dialogue.

Can a team of energetic, well rounded and hardworking people do it? Perhaps.

Can anything be changed in a year? Probably.

But more good things should be done over time. That’s why there are newcomers in the envoys’ team.

During the next campaign phase in 2018-2020, the replenished team will focus on developing a regional network of leaders who will become promoters of the values of tolerance, respect and mutual understanding, as well as human rights, at regional level in Ukraine.

Interaction between the national-level envoys and the leaders of the regional network is intended to provide effective communication for such issues as respect for human rights and freedoms, social cohesion and dialogue in the regions of Ukraine.

In addition to the establishment of the regional network of leaders for tolerance promotion, a series of art, literature and sporting events are planned to be held as part of the campaign to attract as many people from different social groups as possible.

Every voice counts. Every thought and every opinion. Learning to hear each other is the first step towards find respect. To learn to speak in a way that all voices sound harmonious is the next step. To learn to talk about painful topics so that they are a conversation and not a scream or a denial is yet another step forward.

Come together! We will listen, speak, move and create.

This way it will be easier to feel the value, necessity and uniqueness of every person.

Real respect for the value of diversity and the indisputable equality of each and every person.

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Pechenihy: a stolen coast

The Pechenihy reservoir is a well-known recreation area in the Kharkiv region, located almost on the border with Russia. The nearness to Russia, affects the attitudes of the local population. Most residents work in the recreational infrastructure, which has been actively and illegally privatized for the last ten years by senior officials of Kharkiv. The land plots located on the coastline were sold underpriced, pine forest were cut and access to the beaches - blocked. Residents of Kharkiv and region, who used to spend vacations and weekends on the reservoir coast for decades, currently have no access to these areas. Thus, seeing constant examples of corruption, fueled by Russian propaganda, residents feel skeptical about the democratic values and reforms that Ukraine is trying to implement after the Revolution of Dignity. It is necessary to show the residents that positive changes are already taking place on a regional level.
 
The project goal is to draw attention to corruption in privatization of recreational objects and allocation of land plots on the coastline of the Pechenihy reservoir (Kharkiv region).
Objectives:
  • Identify the beneficiaries and investigate the legality of purchase of recreation objects and luxury houses, located on the shoreline of the Pechenihy reservoir;
  • Visualize the results of the investigations in the form of interactive long-read page;
  • In the minimum of three cases, the lawsuits will be initiated to seek the restitution of land plots/recreation objects to the ownership of the state/local communities. 

                                                                  

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Inside Ukraine

The aim of the publication is to provide objective information on current political events in Ukraine and thorough analysis of major tendencies in domestic politics. Such analysis will assist in setting priorities in the process of implementing reforms in Ukraine and in evaluating quality of state decisions from the viewpoint of their impact and sustainability. Special attention is paid to evaluation of political competition in Ukraine and ability of key political players to address challenges.

  Periodicals: http://icps.com.ua/en/our-projects/periodicals/

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Modelling of the Minsk agreements implementation and support of strategic advisors to the Ministry of Temporary Occupied Territories and IDPs

Relevance of the Project:

Implementation of political component of the Minsk Agreements and activity of the subject Ministry of temporarily occupied territories and IDPs Ukraine (MinTOT) require an understanding of applied aspects of the implementation of the set of measures signed in Minsk. At present, the Ukrainian government and expert community lack experience in modelling political processes, also there is no discussions and no model of implementation of the Minsk Agreements. In case if such a model is successfully elaborated and implemented it may become an instrument of Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics replacement and also become a road map for international organizations, government, media, NGOs, political parties, the Central Election Commission to have effect on the uncontrolled territories. For this purpose the ICPS is implementing the project on model elaboration of the Minsk agreements implementation on which basis will be offered the analysis and proposals for improving the existing regulatory framework, strategic decisions in order to reintegrate territories not controlled by the Ukrainian government. To perform this task a group of strategic advisors will be established at the MinTOT to provide expert analytical and advisory assistance in the ongoing work of the subject Ministry.

The purpose of the Project:

On the basis of public consultations with stakeholders to conduct modeling of the Minsk Agreements implementation as a tool of Donbass reintegration and to draft relevant legal documents for the worked model implementation with the help of strategic advisers to the MinTOT.

Activities in the Project:

  1. The analytical documents preparation:

1.1. Preparation of analytical document on possible models of conflict resolution in the Donbas, their drawbacks and advantages, economic, political, security, humanitarian and other dimensions.

1.2. Preparation of an analytical study on modelling of the Minsk Agreements implementation as a tool for reintegration and replacement of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics.

1.3. Collection and generalization of proposals concerning modelling of the Minsk Agreements implementation at 4 public consultations in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kramatorsk.

1.4. Sending of policy papers and studies with recommendations for consideration in the MinTOT, parliamentary committees, the National Security Council and the Presidential Administration.

1.5. Discussion of the documents contents and proposals with representatives of the MinTOT and state authorities to determine their needs on the part of experts in the implementation of the reintegration strategy of temporarily uncontrolled territories.

1.6. Conducting of the final presentation of models of the Minsk Agreements implementation.

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Interaction in the communication: how the media and the government can jointly promote the development of a pluralistic society in Ukraine (September-December 2016)

International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) together with the Cultural Vistas (Germany) and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany and the US Department of State implements the project “Interaction in the communication: how the media and the government can jointly promote the development of a pluralistic society in Ukraine”.

The purpose of the project:

  • providing participants the opportunity to understand the processes of interaction between the media and the government in Germany in order they can continue to support similar processes in Ukraine;
  • creating a network of Ukrainian journalists and civil servants who will jointly promote reforms in the field of communication in Ukraine;
  • assistance in the establishing networks of German and Ukrainian journalists to support and exchange the information between countries.

In the late 2016, 15 journalists of the national and regional levels were on internship week in Berlin and had a chance to learn about the communication process between media, society and the federal government in Germany.

The unique experience exchange was made possible by numerous meetings of Ukrainian media representatives with German officials, journalists from such world-renowned editions as “Der Spiegel”, “Der Tagesspiegel”, “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, “Deutsche Welle” “Reporters without Borders”, the public broadcasters “ARD”, “ZDF” and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb).

The basis of the success of this communication is only the perception “the communication as a service” of all German authorities. Due to the construction of the effective communication system, the public and the media in Germany always receive information about the policy of the federal government from the “first hand”, explain the purpose and content of the authorities, providing the policy understanding that is being implemented by the government.

Mutual respect and the adherence to the “rules of the game” between the officials and media have helped Germany to get the proper positive experience in the “government-media society”.

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Mapping of the Needs of Political Education in Ukraine (July – October 2016)

Political/Democracy education serves the needs of democratic reforms and development. It provides for the steady stream of democracy leaders who are both committed to democratic values and are also capable of being politically effective in holding the governments and elected officials accountable by participating in policy making processes via employing effective strategies of democratic civic mobilization, participation and advocacy.

While many civic education programs have been and are currently being implemented in Ukraine, there are relatively few that address the issues of political action and participation. Nevertheless, it is important that a careful mapping is carried out to chart what are the needs to best compliment the already existing efforts in Ukraine and provide a unique and valuable input in shaping a new generation of democracy leaders who will have the necessary skills and knowledge to positively influence democratic reforms and development of Ukraine.

Scope of the project

The study shall provide the survey and the analysis of existing political education programs in Ukraine on the one hand, and on the other hand, it shall furnish the analysis of the needs that are being relatively unaddressed by these efforts.

The research shall provide the macro level analysis of how best the needs of Ukraine’s political system and political parties can be addressed by targeted political education programs and where are the gaps in this regards, both in terms of the contents/curricula of such trainings, as well as regional or professional target groups of such programs.

Project’s aims

The study is aimed to answer the following question:

  • What major political education programs are currently being implemented in Ukraine?
  • In which regions and with what intensity?
  • What are the issue areas/subjects which are covered by these programs?
  • What are the target audiences of such programs?
  • Are there regions/regional centres where there are no such programs carried out?
  • What are the implementation modalities of these programs? I.e. duration per cycle of training etc.
  • Are there any linkages of these programs with local governments or political parties present?

Project partner

Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) is a democracy assistance organization of political parties in the Netherlands for political parties in young democracies. NIMD provides safe environments for political parties in a country to meet, overcome distrust and work together on political issues. In addition, NIMD also works directly with parties to strengthen their capacities, and provides education programmes for potential politicians. NIMD works in more than 20 countries in Africa, Latin America, The Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe.

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Women’s Participation in Ukrainian Politics (July – October 2016)

In light of an ongoing debate about gender equality, it is important to look at how Ukrainian political parties respond to increased demand for women’s representation in politics notwithstanding whether such demands are placed on them by the law or, as a result, of increased public awareness and demand.

Scope of the project

The project will assess the two dimensions that are relevant to women’s political participation: intra-organizational context and socio-cultural/political environment.

From the intra-organizational perspective, the research will identify the steps that Ukrainian political parties have taken to better address the issue of equal representation in politics and the strategies and methods they have employed to recruit, train and nominate more women.

From the political/socio-cultural perspective, the research shall explore the political dynamics through gender lenses and look for example at public perceptions, and access to resources for women in addressing the question as to why there are relatively few women politicians playing the key roles in political parties.

Project’s aims

The objective of this research are:

  • to provide a comprehensive analysis of measures used by Ukrainian political parties to increase involvement of women in policy making;
  • to identify the main challenges on the intra and interparty level;
  • to highlight innovative approaches implemented by the Ukrainian parties in the recent past to engage more women;
  • to discuss what discourages political parties from becoming more equally representative of women.

Project partner

Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) is a democracy assistance organization of political parties in the Netherlands for political parties in young democracies. NIMD provides safe environments for political parties in a country to meet, overcome distrust and work together on political issues. In addition, NIMD also works directly with parties to strengthen their capacities, and provides education programmes for potential politicians.

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Beyond the Protocol – Women and International Politics in Germany and Ukraine (June – December 2016)

Foreign policy and diplomacy, and issues of peace and security in general, have traditionally been understood as male domains, and are even nowadays often conceptualised in masculinised terms.

Yet, research has shown that taking into account women’s views and experiences in conflict resolution, that is, engaging them “beyond the protocol”, often leads to less militarized and more sustainable and peaceful outcomes. With our project, we want to reflect on and further develop visions of a “feminist foreign policy” for Germany and Ukraine.Yet, research has shown that taking into account women’s views and experiences in conflict resolution, that is, engaging them “beyond the protocol”, often leads to less militarized and more sustainable and peaceful outcomes.

Lack of women in the domestic and international realm, and in the practice of international peace and security, is striking. Sixteen years after the UN Security Council landmark resolution 1325 pushed for greater gender equality in the area of peace and security and the acceptance of women as equal conflict management actors, implementation proceeds slowly. The presence of women in formal peace negotiations remains especially lamentable: UN Women revealed that within 31 major peace processes between 1992 and 2011, only 4 percent of signatories, 2.4 percent of chief mediators, 3.7 percent of witnesses and 9 percent of negotiators were women. These issues are particularly relevant for the conflict resolution Ukraine.

Project aim

The main goal of the project is to create a common German-Ukrainian understanding of the role of women in foreign policy.

The project will empower the participants, i.e. to help them raising awareness for the importance of women in politics of peace and security as a whole. In the long run, the project would contribute to making them “gender-aware” domestic and foreign policy decision-makers and-shapers.

The project output should be two public exhibitions (in Berlin and Kyiv) of the photo series of Ukrainian and German women in the international politics which stories inspire the project participants. With this project, we want to develop visions of a “feminine component of the foreign policy” for Germany and Ukraine.

Project activities:

October 9 – 13, 2016
First encounter and project work with partner groups in Kyiv

The German participants will visit Kyiv to meet Ukrainian counterparts and jointly participate in a number of workshops:

  • Women in Politics and Administration – Before, During, and After the EuroMaidan;
  • Women in the Foreign Service and Think Tanks, Gender Components of the Association Agreement and International Cooperation;
  • Women and War in Ukraine, Special Challenges and Roles, Women in Negotiation Processes.

The participants will jointly work on preparation of the exhibition with photos of inspiring German and Ukrainian women in international politics, their stories and interesting facts on the project topic.

 

November 20 – 24, 2016
Second encounter and project work with partner groups in Berlin

The Ukrainian participants will visit Berlin to meet German counterparts and jointly participate in a number of workshops:

  • Women in German and European Foreign Policy and Diplomacy - in Think Tanks, the Bundestag, the Foreign Office;
  • Women in International Security – German Women as Conflict Mediators, Women in the Bundeswehr.

The participants will jointly participate in exhibition launch that will be opened with a public and interactive discussion on the topic. It will enable participants to increase awareness of the problem in the society.

December 2016
Presentation in Kyiv

The project’s results will be presented for a second time at the small exhibition in Kyiv featuring photographic portraits of the women met and interviewed. The exhibition launch will be open with a public and interactive discussion on the topic.

Project partner
Polis180 is German grassroots think tank created by young policy enthusiasts, dealing with European and foreign affairs. It aims to overcome party divides and instead focuses on the substance of the questions that bother young generation most. Polis180 strives for meaningful dialogue and develops innovative political concepts.

Project support
The project is funded by the German Foreign Office and the Robert Bosch Foundation, under the umbrella program “Meet Up! – German-Ukrainian youth encounters” of the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” (Stiftung “Erinnerung, Verantwortung, Zukunft”), and is generously supported by the Alfred-Herrhausen-Gesellschaft and the German-Ukrainian Forum.

The project is implemented under the support of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Project's Publications:
Women in Politics: "There are more common than different in Ukraine and Germany" (in Ukrainian), Deutsche Welle, December 6, 2016

Project's Video:
Beyond the Protocol: Women and International Politics in Germany and Ukraine

 

 

 

                                                                

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Modernizing Ukraine via Gender Equality Implementation (July - December 2016)

The changes and reforms currently undergoing in Ukraine open essential opportunities for the implementation of the best European and world practices on gender equality approaches:

  • the ongoing constitutional process gives an opportunity to incorporate gender equality principles into a new draft version of the Constitution;
  • the launch of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement implementation foresees implementation of a number of the EU directives on antidiscrimination and gender equality into Ukrainian legislation;
  • the administrative reform and adoption of the framework law “On Public Service” give an opportunity for gender mainstreaming in the public administration and overcoming of horizontal and vertical gender inequality in the government sector;
  • the changes in regulation of political competition and electoral legislation can help foster gender equality within the political parties;
  • the ongoing decentralization process gives an opportunity to further promote the gender equality values in the Ukrainian regions, districts, settlements and amalgamated united communities.

The political elites and the government decision-making system in Ukraine need to be essentially modernised. The increase of women's participation in politics opens a window of opportunity for the renewal of political elites in the country, and increase of women’s participation in the government decision-making improves the quality, as in that case the policy analysis takes into consideration multilateral vision and experience. Thus, empowering women we promote changes in Ukraine, foremost, in the process of reforms implementation and modernisation of the country.

Projects’ aim and its components

The aim of the project is to mainstream the gender equality issues in politics and government decisions at the national and regional levels; it comprises three components:

Component 1: gender monitoring of the legislative initiatives, mainly in constitutional and electoral dimensions, as well as in public service and European integration (implementation of the gender provisions of the Association Agreement).

Component 2: survey on the ways to overcome the horizontal and vertical segregation in the traditionally male dominated spheres: security, diplomacy, justice, law enforcement etc.

Component 3: elaboration and implementation of three Indexes of gender equality in key directions: Index of Gender Equality for the Central Government Institutions, Index of Gender Equality for the Political Parties and Index of Gender Equality for the Ukrainian Regions.

Project activities:

Gender Provisions of the Association Agreement: Implementation or Imitation? (in Ukrainian)
October 17, 2016

Women in the Reformed and Not Reformed Law Enforcement Agencies: Is There a Problem or Solution? (in Ukrainian)
October 28, 2016

Cherchez la Femme: Gender Strategies of the political Parties of Ukraine (in Ukrainian)
November 25, 2016

Public Service Reform: is there a Spot for Gender Equality? (in Ukrainian)
December 8, 2016

Beyond the Protocol: Women and International Politics (in Ukrainian)
December 12, 2016

Presentations:

Implementation of the Gender Provisions of the Association Agreement: Is There Any Progress? (in Ukrainian)

Gender Integration in the Law Enforcement Bodies: World Experience (in Ukrainian)

Public Service Reform: is there a Spot for Gender Equality? (in Ukrainian)

Apostroph, project's partner, and other media publications:

Experts told about the importance of the EU – Ukraine AA gender provisions implementation, October 18, 2016 (in Russian)

Gender Equality Issues Within Law Enforcement Bpdies were Discussed in Kyiv, October 28, 2016 (in Russian)

Equal Opportunities Caucus about Cherchez la Femme event, November 25, 2016 (in Ukrainian)

The current female parliamentarians are not ready to change the system, expert's interview to Hromadske Radio, December 14, 2016 (in Ukrainian)

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International experience for consultations and public discussion of changes to Constitution

The use of world expert experience and public consultations in the process of amending the Constitution of Ukraine
 

The Ukrainian state has gone through several constitutional processes, but each time it resulted in a bargain of political elites on the division of powers and authorities.The struggle for power carried out by political forces over the recent years has led to even greater distortion of the Constitution and irregular interpretation of the whole law institutions. For example, a lack of understanding of the doctrine for human rights has led to the situation when the socio-economic rights were enshrined in the same legal way as the fundamental human rights and freedoms. The mechanism of power and power distribution does not comply with the world practices. The second best foundations were laid for the development of local government while regional government is not provided for by the Constitution at all.

It is no doubt that defects of constitutional provisions were used by subjects of political relations in order to usurp as much authority as possible and to avoid responsibility. A number of provisions was broken and ignored by governmental entities. Opacity and politicization of constitutional processes causes increasing social disillusionment with the Constitution as the social pact between a state and citizens.
 

Within a framework of the project its implementation includes the following items:

• Formation of expert advice centre at the Constitutional Commission, which will include both leading Ukrainian and international experts in constitutional law to provide professional expertise and assistance in the development of future provisions of the Constitution in the initial stages.

• roundtables and podium discussions with the public and political parties and other stakeholders to discuss the positions of the parties regarding the problems that lead to the need for constitutional reform involving moderators Interpeace;

• public consultations with all the stakeholders;

• training on the provisions of the new Constitution of Ukraine involving coaches from Interpeace;

• carrying out activities aimed at informing the society on the implementation of constitutional reforms, explanations on feasibility of certain changes;

• providing wide media information coverage on the issues related to the changes of the Constitution of Ukraine;

• creating a web - platform devoted to discussion of the new text of the Constitution of Ukraine;

• 24 regional events were held in the framework of the project.

The project's activities:

13.10.2015 - Chernivtsi

19.10.2015 - Kyiv

9.11.2015 - Kyiv

17.11.2015 - Rivne

18.11.2015 - Lutsk

19.11.2015 - Khmelnitsky

23.11.2015 - Lviv

24.11.2015 - Uzhgorod

25.11.2015 - Ivano-Frankivsk

01.12.2015 - Kharkiv

02.12.2015 - Dnipro

03.12.2015 - Zaporizhya

04.12.2015 - Kramatorsk

8.12.2015 – Zhytomir

09.12.2015 – Kramatorsk

10.12.2015 – Poltava

11.12.2015 – Sumy

15.12.2015 – Kyrovohrad

16.12.2015 – Mariupol

17.12.2015 – Odessa

18.12.2015 - Kherson

14.12.2015 - Kyiv

26.01.2016 - Kyiv

12.02.2016 - Kyiv

Summary publications

Renewal of Constitution as the final of Revolution

Brochure "Design and reform of the Constitution: choice of the methodology (in Ukrainian)
Brochure "Design and reform of the Constitution: choice of the methodology (in Russian)

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Analysis of the reforms quality and their cross-sectoral impact

The urgency of the project

During the last year a major reform process in all public areas of Ukraine continues. There are considerable numbers of developments both by the Government and by the expert community concerning the development of reform strategy. However, not all initiatives are effective that`s why the question of impact assessment of the announced initiatives in terms of general public interests arises.

Also, construction of the interaction mechanism of the state, experts and businesses in the context of the effective implementation of the reforms is the important task at this stage of Ukraine's development. There is a practice when the public authorities make decisions which are not based on previous consultations with the stakeholders. The general public interest suffers from the lack of efficient and effective mechanism for consultations with business and expert community in policy making. The problem adversely affects the ability of the authorities to conduct a public dialogue on the reforms, to involve all stakeholders to determine the necessary political decisions, to clarify their positions, to mobilize supporting reformers to neutralize their opponents and it affects the business opportunity to constructively defend their interests and to influence the policy making.

Activities within the project

Throughout the duration of the project it is planned:

  • to generate the database of reforms and legislative initiatives that have been proposed by the reformist experts and authorities since the beginning of 2014 and to implement their internal expertise in terms of the quality and availability negative "side effects" in related sectors and conformity of the Association Agreement with the EU;
  • to conduct public opinion polls of the stakeholders in terms of assessing the quality of the proposed reforms including those which were developed by the reformist environment, the Government, the President, and the parliamentary groups;
  • to prepare 5 analytical reports on quality assessment of developed and implemented reforms in the following areas: budget and tax policy, deregulation, administrative reform and decentralization, reform of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, reform of the energy sector;
  • to hold 10 public consultation in such areas as budget and tax policy, deregulation, administrative reform and decentralization, reform of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, reform of the energy sector;
  • to prepare 5 recommendations to the public policy (recommendations concerning the decisions correction) on the basis of public consultations and regulations examination; to ensure the dissemination of these documents among authorities and the media;
  • to conduct final conference with the stakeholders in order to discuss previously prepared recommendations for state policy and conducted public consultations;
  • to address the elaborated recommendations to the National Council of Reforms and the specialized authorities to improve the quality of the government decisions;
  • to develop information and communication strategy of the project, to ensure active media and communication support of each stage of the project by using various information tools.

Expected results

The following results are expected from the project:

  • the assessment of the public decisions quality approved by the reforms framework in following areas: budget and tax policy, deregulation, administrative reform and decentralization, reform of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, reform of the energy sector;
  • improving communications between public authorities, business and expert community;
  • activation of the public consultations in the format of “public authorities - business structure and expert reformist environment" to improve the quality of government decisions;
  • development of recommendations on necessary policy and regulatory decisions in the budget and tax policy, deregulation, administrative reform and decentralization, reform of the judiciary and law enforcement, reform of the energy sector and feedback monitoring from interested institutions: the National Council of Reforms, ministries, parliamentary committees and other state bodies.

Project description

  1. The problem which must be solved by the project:

The problem in the society which must be solved by the project

Cross-cutting theme of reforms in Ukraine is their quality, compliance with the objectives stated by developers and general public interests. However, often a problem on the emergence of negative "side effects" in related sectors arises which isn`t considered in the concrete measures development envisaged by this or that reform. Poor government decisions don`t satisfy the society and put the government under protest strike, on the other hand - the speed of reforms at the middle level of the state apparatus remains low.

As a result, the government doesn`t get the support of the society and business in the reforms implementing if the public authorities or governments make decisions without taking into account public opinion. Therefore, chronic low implementation of the announced reforms is related to the operation of the government system in Ukraine so the issue of the development and implementation of the effective communication mechanism between the state, reformist experts and business is extremely important.

The information from official sources on attempts to resolve existing problems

There is a variety of scientific and methodological publications on providing practical advice to civil servants regarding forging partnerships between the government and other stakeholders and series of journalistic materials relative to state decisions isolation, including some reform programs of general public interests.

It is determined that the main reasons for the low level of the stakeholders` involvement and the meaningful public consultations in the state decisions development are the following:

  • the low level of the institutional capacity of the consultations organizers;
  • the government ignoring of the procedural requirements for consultation;
  • the lack of reliable means of the quality control consultation;
  • the lack of completeness regulation on mandatory consultations in the normative documents

The substantiation of the possibility of problem solving according to the results of the project

Project realization will allow the practical implementation of the consultations mechanism of the government authorities with the expert groups through examination of state decisions adopted at the legislative level. Using of the following public policy technologies will provide opportunities for problem solving according to the results of the project: development of the analytical documents for discussion on each of the reforms investigated areas that have defined the problem and have formed review options and recommendations; conducting of series public consultations with the estimated range of outside experts, civil servants and business representatives; comprehensive analysis of public discussions and processing and delivering recommendations to the relevant government agencies.

Currently, there is an urgent need to introduce new mechanisms and procedures for decision-making that meet modern challenges and are able to respond to the needs of the society.

Otherwise, if the problem of the cooperation between authorities and expert reformist environment through public consultations isn`t resolved, the following negative consequences will be observed:

  • low quality of state decisions;
  • decision making in the interests of a narrow circle of people;
  • poor execution and implementation of the decisions at the mid-level state machine;
  • public resistance to the reforms, low credibility of the government actions
  • Such areas for the analysis are selected: budget and tax policy, deregulation, administrative reform and decentralization, reform of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, reform of the energy sector.

The purpose of the project 

To assess and comment with the public and stakeholders the quality of political decisions approved in the reforms framework of following areas: budget and tax policy, deregulation, administrative reform and decentralization, reform of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, reform of the energy sector. To identify the impact of these reforms on the investment climate and business environment, efficiency of public administration and to develop recommendations for correcting acceptable solutions in case of defects.

Target audience of the project

Target audience is the public authorities, private companies, business associations, NGOs, experts and media. According to the results of the project the communication platform for dialogue between the government, experts` reformist environment and business will be established. Such bodies will be involved to the project implementation: the National Council of Reforms, profile ministries - the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the General Prosecutor Office, the Security Service, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Ministry of infrastructure of Ukraine, the National bank of Ukraine, profile committees of Verkhovna Rada etc.

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Visegrad Academy for Political Leadership

The International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) is a partner of Visegrad Academy for Political Leadership.

The project is carried out by the International Centre for Democratic Transition (ICDT) with the support of the International Visegrad Fund.

The program is elaborated by the ICDT in cooperation with Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia from Bratislava, Diplomatic Academy Prague, European Academy of Diplomacy from Warsaw and the International Centre for Policy Studies from Kyiv. 

It is designed to provide a unique opportunity for Ukrainian aspiring politicians to acquire and improve all the skills needed to become successful democratic political leaders. Its uniqueness comes from the fact that it is designed in a tailor-made way, addressing the needs of the participants, while providing a complete skills development toolkit. Its main aim is to support the democratic transition of Ukraine by sharing the experience of the Visegrad Group countries. The Visegrad Academy for Political Leadership seeks to educate, connect and inspire Ukraine’s future leaders to pursue and promote civic engagement and to use the thus acquired skills to bring about positive change in Ukraine.

The studies modules will be held in Kyiv, Budapest and Warsaw, all of them having English as working language

Each of the modules are focusing on key distinct training activities, complementing each-other for establishing a complete skills development program. 

All costs (travel, board, accommodation) incurring during the activities will be covered by the organizers. There is no participation fee incurred.  

Who can apply?

Interested applicants of 22-35 years old must be B.A or M.A graduate students in relevant academic disciplines, such as political science, social science, communication and P.R, media, journalism, human rights, international relations, and political economy. The program is particularly targeting participants from the following groups: young leaders of CSOs, activists, media representatives, students. Eligibility is given only to Ukrainian citizens with valid passports for more than 6 months from start of the study trips. Applicants must have already been engaged in activities related to civic activism or any form of civic engagement (volunteering activities, internships, advocacy activities, etc), and must have a good knowledge of Ukraine’s internal political situation, and its history. 

In order to apply, please send us the following documents:

Curriculum Vitae (CV) including previous civic activism or civic engagement experience and contact details of two referees;

Short Essay about what you consider to be the most appropriate political platform for Ukraine to pursue by 2020 (tackling both internal and external policy). The essay should answer the questions about: What results should be achieved? What should be the priorities? The essays should not be longer than 2 pages (Times New Roman font 12, 1,5 spacing);

Letter of Recommendation from a Ukrainian organization or institution (NGO, media, higher level education, etc) where you have been involved in civic activism or civic engagement related activities. The application package should be sent to [email protected], no later than the 1st of April, 2015.

For more information about the project, please visit our website at:

http://www.icdt.hu/projects/all-projects/v4-academy-for-political-leadership

ACTIVITIES:

12 - 15.05.2015 - Kyiv

Every training day will consist of both lectures and training activities which will be designed in a tailor-made way, and will combine thus theoretical and practical activities elaborated according to the needs of the participants. The selected applicants will be engaged in simulations, and round-table discussions, in order to develop and strengthen their skills such as public speaking, negotiation, persuasion, and critical thinking, only to name a few. In addition, the participants will be engaged in site visits, to governmental and international institutions, landmarks of democracy. Participants will benefit from diplomatic training including problem solving and conflict avoiding procedures, valuable in negotiations, regional cooperation and prevention of international dispute. 

 

14 - 16.09.2015 - Budapest

The first study trip will share experiences of CSO leaders who became successful politicians. The study will involve meetings with renowned politicians who have come up the ladder from the civil society sector promoting core democratic principles. In addition, site visits will be organized to governmental and international institutions, landmarks of democracy.

 

12 - 14.10.2015 - Warsaw

The second study trip will be composed of training activities focused on helping participants clarify their political messages, teaching them how to successfully advocate for their aims and getting political and citizenry support and to combat corruption. 

 

 

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Dialogue in Ukraine: Capacities, Options and Challenges (pilot project: May - November 2014)

 

From May to October 2014, the International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) in partnership with the European Forum for International Mediation and Dialogue MediatEUr and an international peacebuilding organization Interpeace carried out a pilot project on “Dialogue in Ukraine: capacities, options and challenges” aimed at identifying the need for dialogue at different levels and possible points of entry into the dialogue process. Within the framework of the project, representatives of MediatEUr and Interpeace visited Ukraine two times. During their first visit on 30 June - 4 July 2014, members of the fact-finding mission held a number of meetings with Ukrainian senior officials, representatives of different political parties and civil society, during which they addressed the need for dialogue between the conflict parties at both political and civic levels. Their second visit to Ukraine took place on 14-17 October 2014, during which representatives of ICPS and international organizations held practical seminars in Kyiv and Kharkiv for Ukrainian facilitators who could be potentially engaged in a regulation of social and political conflicts in Ukraine. Over the course of these activities, international experts shared the experience of other countries (including that of Great Britain regarding its conflict with Northern Ireland and Israel concerning its conflict with Palestine) in conflict de-escalation and promotion of peace through dialogue.

In addition, a pilot dialogue was held between local non-governmental organizations and IDPs from eastern Ukraine and Crimea with the participation of Ukrainian and foreign experts. With the support of Karazin Kharkiv National University, a pilot dialogue was held between students that represented different viewpoints on Ukraine’s development and its foreign policy priorities.

Based on the results of the assessment missions, a final report was prepared.

ICPS continues to work on the National dialogue project within the framework of cooperation with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ukraine and Dutch Matra social transformation programme.

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Initiating the Participatory National Dialogue in Ukraine

National Dialogue

 

 

What divides Ukrainian people? What can unite them? How can we prevent further fragmentation of Ukrainian society? How to reconcile different societal groups that have opposing views on historical events and the political development of the country?

The ICPS project on "Intiating the participatory dialogue in Ukraine" is aimed at providing answers to these questions. The project is supported by МАТRА programme, which is administered by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is aimed at supporting social transformations in Central and Eastern Europe.

The authors of the project believe that though the past divides Ukrainians, the common vision of the future may reconcile them. The common vision of the future may be ensured through the elaboration of state policy on national unity, which should engage representatives of all Ukrainian regions in national dialogue. 

National dialogue will lay the foundation for unity of all Ukrainian regions based on common values. It will also start the process of national reconciliation.

This project is unique: it has been initiated by civil society and is oriented towards all Ukrainian regions as a whole. Also, the project provides for the engagement of all stakeholders in the project at the regional, national and international levels. 

Project activities include: 

  1. Conducting an all-Ukrainian public opinion poll;
  2. Preparing an analytical paper on factors that unite and divide Ukrainian society in different regions;
  3. Holding round tables with the objective of elaborating the common strategy for Ukrainian regions;
  4. Drawing regional maps of the common vision of the past and future of Ukrainian state;
  5. Holding a national meeting with the objective of elaborating proposals for the policy of national unity;
  6. Presenting the results of the activity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers, Presidential Administration. 

ICPS project partners are European Forum for International Mediation and Dialogue "MediatEUr" (a non-governmental organization on mediation and assistance in armed conflicts, Brussels, Belgium) and an international peacebuilding organization  "Interpeace" (an independent peacebuilding organization based in Geneva, Switzerland).

ACTIVITIES:

January 22, 201: Round table on "What can divide and what can unite Ukrainians?"

January 29, 2015: Round table on "National dialogue. Is it necessary? Is it possible? Will it be effective?"

February 19, 2015: Discussion on "Ukrainian journalism in war times: impartiality vs patriotism"

April 13, 2015: Round table on "Crimea  - a year after the annexation. What comes next?"

April 9, 2015. Round table on "The Church in Ukraine: an element of disintegration, integration, or peacemaking?"

Regional Public Discussions Schedule*:

  • June 30, 2015: Kirovohrad 
    Institute of Socio-Cultural Management

July 05, 2015: - Sloviansk, Donetsk region
Round table on national reconciliation within the framework of the Forum on "Donbas Ukraine. Agenda" 


July 13, 2015: - Closing round table, Kyiv 
"National Dialogue in Ukraine: What Are the Chances of Success?"

 

 

EXPERT DOCUMENTS:

The analysis of dialogue initiatives on conflict resolution in Ukraine 

Recommendations based on the results of the project  

 

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National dialogue for constitutional reform

Social tensions and the new challenges Ukraine has been faced up with demand radical changes in the system of state institutions. The most important change should be the adoption of a new constitution, which is the fundamental law of the country. 

The procedure for the eleboration of the new constitution as well as later attempts to change it is replete with faults and problems. In 1996, when the constitution was being written, Ukrainian lawmakers lacked sufficient knowledge and experience to properly enshrine principles of the functioning and development of specific state institutions in the constitution. This led to a number of faults in the constitution and the incorrect regulation of many legal institutions. For example, a poor understanding of the human rights doctrine resulted in socio-economic rights being fixed in the same legal form as fundamental human rights and freedoms. The mechanism of state governance and separation of powers does not correspond to international practices. In addition, the development of local self-governance has not been properly provided for in the constitution, while regional self-governance is not mentioned in the Constitution altogether.

The existing shortcomings of the constitution have been used by many Ukrainian politicians to usurp as many powers as possible, while avoiding responsibility for that. A number of constitutional provisions has been violated and disregarded by government officials with no legal punishment for that. 

The above listed problems cannot be solved otherwise than through constitutional reform. During the elaboration of a new constitution, it is possible to identify all problems that may arise from the implementation of the constitution and provide additional guarantees that will prevent abuse of power by government officials in the future. 

The Geneva agreement as of 17 April 2014 provides for the creation of a road map to the deescalation of tensions in Ukraine and a platform for national dialogue on constitutional reform. In April, the Ukrainian government announced the beginning of the constitutional process with the aim of introducing amendments to the constitution. As a result, political parties presented a set of amendments to the Constitution without consulting the public. 

Unfortunately, the process of elaboration of the main law of the country often takes place behind closed doors. The public is presented with a final document and has neither possibility nor right to influence this process.  

Project activities:

The implementation of the project will allow for:

  • initiating a national dialogue on the new text of the Constitution of Ukraine, which will allow every citizen to express his/her opinion and take part in the creation of a new Constitution of Ukraine;
  • incorporating socially important provisions into a new Constitution of Ukraine instead of those serving the interests of political parties.

The project is supported by International peacebuilding organization "Interpeace".

Activities:

28.05.2015. Round table on "Will Ukrainian citizens impact on constitutional reform? The role of civil society in the implementation of constitutional reform". 

25.06.2015. Conference on "Constitutional Reform in Ukraine: International Experiences of Inclusive and Legitimate Constitutional Processes".

As of 25.06.2015, the ICPS has successfully carried out all activities within the first stage of project implementation. The handbook on "Constituion-making and Reform: Options for the Process" has been translated into Ukrainian and Russian, printed and presented at the final conference. The ICPS is currently looking for partners to continue with the implementation of the project.  

Handbook "Constitution-making and Reform: Options for the Process" (in Ukrainian)
Handbook "Constitution-making and Reform: Options for the Process" (in Russian)

 

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Enhancing economic capacity of rural areas in the context of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

 

Rural areas in Ukraine have a strong natural, demographic, economic, and cultural potential, which can ensure a sustainable multisectoral development and high living standards among rural population. 

The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU opens up news opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, this agreement changes come aspects of business activity in Ukraine. However, the general level of public awareness about benefits and opportunities offered by the Association Agreement is quite low. This is most evident at the local level, especially as regards rural areas. During the project implementation the focus was placed on possibilities for the the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas in accordance with the Association Agreement regarding the environmental protection, sanitary and photosanitary norms, use of natural resources and subsoil, as well as facilitation of ecological production and improvement of professional qualifications of workers, in particular as regards new enviromental protection standards.

Project goal is to facilitate economic growth in rural areas in the context of implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine.

The project implementation provides for a series of activities and eleboration of analytical papers:

  • Elaboration of methodological recommendations on «The impact of the Association Agreement on the development of rural areas in Chernivtsi region»;
  • Elaboration of recommendations for local bodies and NGOs as to conducting public consultations on the benefits of the Association Agreement;
  • 6 seminars on «The impact of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU on the development of rural areas in Chernivtsi region». It is planned that seminars will cover the following topics: the analysis of the requirements of the Association Agreement regarding the development of rural areas in Ukraine; ways to implement the policy of quality in conformity with European standards; prospects offered by the Association Agreement for the development of rural areas; training for local residents to teach them how to benefit from the Association Agreement, in particular as regards winning grants and loans for small and medium-sizes enterprises from the EU and preparation of necessary documents; other issues related to the development of new sectors and improvement of the existing ones;
  • A final round table on «Prospects of a practical implementation of knowledge about opportunities offered by the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU by residents of local areas in Chernivtsi region» with involvement of representatives of local state bodies, civil society, business and other interested parties. 

PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

11.02.2015. Seminar on  «Association Agreement: Challenges and Opportunities»
03.03.2015. Round table on  «How can residents of rural areas of Bukovyna benefit from the Association Agreement with the EU»

Project partner
Canada Fund for Local Initiatives 

Project media partner
online newspaper «Apostrophe»

Timeframe for the project implementation: until 15 March 2015.

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European universities: lectures which tell the world about Ukraine

Today, one of the main challenges of Ukraine's foreign policy is the prevention of both distorted media coverage of events in Ukraine in European information space and manipulation of public opinion in EU countries.

One of the reasons behind limited knowledge of Ukraine’s past and present among Europeans is the absence of public debate on Ukraine at international academic level. In the West, such debates are initiated within academic circle. However, unlike American and Canadian universities, European universities offer a limited number of courses on Ukraine. There is also a small number of external Ukrainian centres that deal with Ukraine-related issues. Thus for decades, Ukraine has been out of the European academic community’s focus.

In order to support public institutions in this regard and help reinforce Ukraine’s position in relations with its European partners, the International Centre for Policy Studies has launched a project entitled “European universities: lectures which tell the world about Ukraine”.

The goal of the project is to popularize the topic of Ukraine in European academic environment. The project provides for a number of lectures and round-table debates in leading German, Spanish, Italian and Hungarian universities, during which prominent Ukrainian political scientists and historians will deliver lectures on Ukrainian history, economy and government policy. These lectures will present a Ukrainian perspective of the reasons behind Russian aggression against Ukraine as well as they will attempt to dispel the myths of Russian propaganda about Ukraine.

Such approach will allow for attracting European public attention to unknown facts about Ukraine, help establish contacts between Ukrainian political scientists and European universities, and, in the long term, have Ukrainian studies singled out in the array of Eastern European studies.

The project will be implemented with the financial support of International Renaissance Foundation.  

ACTIVITIES 

22.10.2014
Lecture on «Ukrainian Crisis 2014: the Revolution of Dignity, Annexation of Crimea and Russian Aggression in Eastern Ukraine»
Oleksiy Haran– Professor of Comparative Politics and Director and Founder of the School of Political Analysis under Kyiv National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Lecture on «Historical Mythology of Maidan»
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov  - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics
Forum on «Political strategies for the future and political history of today’s Ukraine»
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich (Germany)
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03.11.2014
Lecture on «Ukrainian Crisis 2013 - 2014: Geopolitical and Security Dimensions» 
Dr. Oleksiy Semeniy– Associate Professor, Director of the Institute for Global Transformations
Central European University, Budapest (Hungary)
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05.11.2014
Round-table debate on «Reform Policy in Ukraine between Security Crisis and EU Rapprochement»
Dr. Vasyl Filipchuk– Associate Professor, Chairman of the ICPS Board 
The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
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05.11.2014
Round-table debate on «Ukraine after Parliamentary Elections: Chances for Political Stability»
Dr. Oleksiy Semeniy–– Associate Professor, Director of the Institute for Global Transformations
The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
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05.11.2014
Lecture on «Ukrainian Crisis 2013 - 2014: Geopolitical and Security Dimensions»
Dr. Oleksiy Semeniy– Associate Professor, Director of the Institute for Global Transformations
Free University of Berlin (Germany)
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12.11.2014
Lecture on «Maidan and Anti-Maidan as Conflict of Identities in Ukraine»
Dr. Vladyslav Grynevych – Senior Research Fellow of Department of Jewish History and Culture, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,  Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies
Free University of Berlin (Germany)
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25.11.2014
Lecture on  «Multi-vector  Policy as the Basis of Ukrainian Foreign Policy during Ukraine’s Independence (1991 – 2013)»
Dr. Viktor Mashtabei – Professor of the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Ukraine, Member of the ICPS Supervisory Board
University of Trento, Italy
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25.11.2014
Lecture on «Historical Mythology of Maidan»
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov  - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics
University of Trento, Italy
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26.11.2014
Lecture on  «The Ukrainian Far Right: from Electoral Success to Revolutionary Failure»
Dr. Anton Shekhovstov – Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences (Austria) 
Free University of Berlin (Germany)
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27.11.2014
Lecture on «Multi-vector Policy as the Basis of Ukrainian Foreign Policy during Ukraine’s Independence (1991 – 2013)»
Dr. Viktor Mashtabei – Professor of the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Ukraine, Member of the ICPS Supervisory Board
Lecture on «Historical Mythology of Maidan»
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov  - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics
The conference of experts in Ukrainian studies in Italy
University of Milan, Italy
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27.11.2014
Lecture on  «The Wild Field of Western Ukraine: New Beginning of a Frozen Conflict?»
Oleksandr Zabirko – researcher at the Slavic Baltic Seminar, Westphalian Wilhelms University of Munster, Germany
University of Regensburg (Germany)
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05.12.2014
Lecture on «Multi-vector Policy as the Basis of Ukrainian Foreign Policy during Ukraine’s Independence (1991 – 2013)»
Dr. Vasyl Filipchuk– Associate Professor, Chairman of the ICPS Board 
University of Regensburg (Germany)

14.01.2015
Lecture on «Ukrainian Cultural Landscape. The Role of Contenporary Writers in Social Processes»
Iryna  Vikyrchak 
Free University of Berlin (Germany)

28.01.2015
Lecture on «Why History Still Matters: Euromaidan in a Broader Historical Perspective»
Yaroslav Hrytsak - Professor in History, Ukrainian Catholic University
Sapienza, University of Rome (Italy)
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28.01.2015
Lecture «Ukrainian Crisis 2013 - 2014: Geopolitical and Security Dimensions» 
Dr. Oleksiy Semeniy– Associate Professor, Director of the Institute for Global Transformations 
Sapienza, University of Rome (Італія)
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Lecture on«Why Russia wants Ukraine?» 
Yaroslav Kovalchuk - Head of  ICPS Internal Policy Department 
Sapienza, University of Rome (Italy) 
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03.02.2015
Lecture «Use and Abuse of History: How History Is Used For Political Purposes»
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov  - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics 
University of Cologne (Germany)

04.02.2015
Lecture on «Euromaidan Historical Mythology»
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov  - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics 
Ruhr University Bochum (Germany)

05.02.2015
Lecture «Use and Abuse of History: How History Is Used For Political Purposes» 
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics  
Westphalian Wilhelms University of Munster, (Germany)

17.02.2015
Lecture on «Is Peace Possible in Ukraine?» 
Dr. Vasyl Filipchuk– Associate Professor, Chairman of the ICPS Board 
Barcelona centre for Internationl Affairs 
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Lecture on «Identity Conflicts in Ukraine: Possible Solutions?» 
Iryna Brunova-Kalisetska - Research Fellow, Institute of Social and Political Psychology 
Barcelona Centre for International Affairs
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05.03.2015
Conference on «Hybrid War and Peace in Ukraine» 
Dr. Georgiy Kasianov - Professor of History, the head of the Academy of Science's department of contemporary Ukrainian history and politics  
Oleksandr Zabirko – researcher at the Slavic Baltic Seminar, Westphalian Wilhelms University of Munster, Germany 
Sergey Sukhankin - ICPS associate expert 
Alla Hurska - ICPS associate expert 
Elcano Institute (Spain)
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Hidden triggers of economic growth in V4 plus Ukraine

The triggers of growth of the transition period are close to exhausting their potential. No clear alternative sets of policies leading to higher sustainable economic and social progress have been prepared. This project will formulate such policies in four areas: consolidation of public finances; education, measurement quality and (labor market) results; high unemployment; and enhancing integration chances of Ukraine. Workshops; best practices analyses and policy papers are to reach these goals.

Partners:
International Centre for Policy Studies (UA)
Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (SK)
The Polish Institute of International Affairs (PL)
Centre for Economic and Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HU)
Centre for Economic and Market Analysis (CZ)

EVENTS:

Workshop in Kyiv, 24.10.2014
Project kick-off. 
Topic: Enhancing Ukraine`s integration chances

Webinar 1, 22.05.2015
Topic: Public Finance Consolidation
Publishing draft of Policy Paper on Public Finance Consolidation, 29.05.2015

Webinar 2, 02.10.2015
Topic: Education, measurement of quality and (labour market) results
Publishing draft of Policy Paper on Education, measurement of quality and (labour market) results, 30.10.2015

Webinar 3, 29.01.2016
Topic: Solutions to high unemployment rate

Publishing draft of Policy Paper on Solutions to high unemployment rate, 29.04.2016

Publishing draft of Policy Paper on Enhancing Ukraine`s integration chances, 27.05.2016

Final Workshop/Conference in Bratislava, 03.06.2016
Topic: Final Policy Papers and Final Report discussion and presentation. 
Project Wrap-up.

For details see: http://www.ineko.sk/projekty/visegrad-fund

 

Outputs:
 

Country-Specific Analyses on Public Finance Consolidation

Budget consolidation in Ukraine (Presentation, Vasyl Povoroznyk, ICPS)
Budget consolidation in Ukraine (Analysis, Vasyl Povoroznyk, ICPS)

Public finance consolidation in Slovakia (Presentation, Peter Golias, INEKO)
Public finance consolidation in Slovakia (Analysis, Peter Golias, INEKO)

Public finance consolidation in Poland (Presentation, Patryk Toporowski, PISM)
Public finance consolidation in Poland (Analysis, Patryk Toporowski, PISM)

Public finance consolidation in Hungary (Presentation, Zsuzsanna Biedermann and Agnes Orosz, CERS)
Public finance consolidation in Hungary (Analysis, Zsuzsanna Biedermann and Agnes Orosz, CERS)

Public finance consolidation in the Czech Republic (Presentation, Ales Rod, CETA)
Public finance consolidation in the Czech Republic (Analysis, Ales Rod, CETA)

Structural reforms adopted in Slovakia – best practices (Presentation, Peter Goliaš, INEKO)
Structural reforms adopted in Slovakia (Analysis, Peter Goliaš, INEKO)

The shadow economy in Ukraine: сauses and solutions (Presentation, Angela Bochi, ICPS)
The shadow economy in Ukraine: сauses and solutions (Analysis, Angela Bochi, ICPS)

Banking sector consolidation in a post-communist economy – the case of the Czech Republic (Presentation, Aleš Rod, CETA)
Banking sector consolidation in a post-communist economy – the case of the Czech Republic (Analysis, Aleš Rod, CETA)

Trade and trade policy adjustment to the European Union Hungary’s experience and lessons (Presentation, Sándor Meisel, IWE CERSHAS)
Trade and trade policy adjustment to the European Union Hungary’s experience and lessons (Analysis, Sándor Meisel, IWE CERSHAS)

Poland’s trade and export promotion experience (Presentation, Patryk Toporowski, PISM)
Poland’s experience in trade and solutions of export promotion (Analysis, Patryk Toporowski, PISM)

 

Media and other releases:

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Implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU

 

Today European integration is the single vector of Ukraine's foreign policy. At the same time, one of the main tasks for the state is to ensure an effective and successful implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine.

The experience of the Orange Revolution, which became the biggest disappointment for Ukrainian people, makes us pay special attention to the ability of Ukrainian government and society to fulfil their political obligations, that is to implement reforms to facilitate the economic growth, secure political stability, foretell and prevent inevitable social risks.   

As of today the unreformed state mechanism is facing major challenges: the war, the economic recession, the need to implement reforms in compliance with the signed Association Agreement with the EU. Civil society in Ukraine demonstrates an ability to take up tasks which earlier had been carried out only by state institutions. In many cases, civil society creates parallel institutions that perform functions of the state apparatus. Efforts of Ukrainian state and that of civil society should be joined to ensure the effective implementation of much-needed reforms in the country.  

ICPS is currently working on the project aimed at facilitating European integration of Ukraine and implementation of the Association Agreement in all spheres.

Project activities include:

  • International conference on «Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the EU: Challenges and Opportunities», 26 September 2013.

  • International conference «EU-Ukraine Free Trade AreaStill Existing Chance for Modernization», 12 December 2013.

  • Expert round table on «A year after Vilniuswhat has been achieved and what comes next?», 27 November 2014.

  • International conference on «Implementation of the Association Agreement: Where to Start?» (The elaboration of state policies in specific spheres in the context of the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement), 12 June 2014.

  • International conference «The Association Agreement: economic triggers», 12 March 2015.

 

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