The International Renaissance Foundation, in the traditional of open society, publishes an annual report on activities. In 2007, IRF allocated nearly 7 million US dollars to projects promoting honest and free elections, strengthening civil society’s influence and control over authorities on all levels, supporting a public system of human rights, establishing the rule of law, promoting Ukraine’s European integration, introducing legal and penal reforms, strengthening freedom of speech and information through the media, reforming the education sector, including care for children with special needs, introducing changes to the public health care system, integrating national minorities into Ukrainian society while preserving and developing their cultural individuality, promoting tolerance in interethnic relations, publishing translations of works on contemporary public thought and developing the Ukrainian publishing business. This report contains the basic description of how funds were spent that were received by the Foundation from one of its founders George Soros and other IRF donors and partners. We are happy to note that individual Foundation initiatives and projects are finally gaining state importance and are promoting democratic reforms in practice.
The International Renaissance Foundation, in the traditional of open society, publishes an annual report on activities. In 2007, IRF allocated nearly 7 million US dollars to projects promoting honest and free elections, strengthening civil society’s influence and control over authorities on all levels, supporting a public system of human rights, establishing the rule of law, promoting Ukraine’s European integration, introducing legal and penal reforms, strengthening freedom of speech and information through the media, reforming the education sector, including care for children with special needs, introducing changes to the public health care system, integrating national minorities into Ukrainian society while preserving and developing their cultural individuality, promoting tolerance in interethnic relations, publishing translations of works on contemporary public thought and developing the Ukrainian publishing business. This report contains the basic description of how funds were spent that were received by the Foundation from one of its founders George Soros and other IRF donors and partners.
We are happy to note that individual Foundation initiatives and projects are finally gaining state importance and are promoting democratic reforms in practice.
The Renaissance Foundation was the initiator and founder of the system of external testing in Ukraine, and we have shared the experience gained during our pilot projects in 2002-2006 with the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment.
Starting with the pilot project “Public Radio,” IRF has supported the social movement of experts in media and journalism aimed at creating public broadcasting in Ukraine. Today, the President of Ukraine has put this issue on the government’s agenda.
The day is quickly approaching when we will be able to celebrate the 500 th book translated into Ukrainian (published by Ukrainian publishers with IRF support). This constitutes an entire library that introduces the Ukrainian professor, student, citizen, politician and civil servant to the classical and leading opinions of world-class sociologists, philosophers, historians, scholars, experts, true statesmen and public figures.
We can expect that the practical experience gained from the IRF free legal aid project, which is also supported by the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation, will in the nearest future help appropriate state institutions form the legal and budgetary foundation needed to guarantee each citizen the right to high-quality legal aid.
IRF signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine, the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sudak City Council Executive Committee on implementing a pilot project on electronic government. We expect that, starting with this pilot project in the Crimea, in time we will have open access (via the Internet) to socially important information, and, therefore, at least on the local government level, the opportunity to take part in the formation and approval of state decisions.
The Foundation is working with the new leadership of the State Committee on Nationalities and Religion on joining Ukraine to the initiatives of the European Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015, the goal of which is to significantly improve national policy on Roma in each European country participating in this project.
The list of such initiatives can go on. Many of them are noted below. However, we can’t ignore the Foundation’s main activity – to steadfastly promote the development of civil society in Ukraine. A society in which:
– People establish various societies, associations and groups for the honest protection and well-substantiated defense of their interests before government institutions;
– The activities of elected and appointed officials are open and accountable to the people;
– The rights of every individual, and not just collective rights and interests, can be protected; and
– That must integrate into the European Union.
IRF Executive Director
Yevhen Bystrytsky
Abridged report on results of 2007 IRF activities
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Khrystyna Basiliya, Public Relations Manager tel: +380 (44) 461 97 09 | fax: +380 (44) 486 76 29 email: basiliya@irf.kiev.ua office: Kyiv, Artema Street, 46, Head Office |
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