A New Ukraine as Seen by George Soros

January 16. Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, founder of the Open Society Foundations and its national entity, the International Renaissance Foundation, George Soros referred to a notable progress made by Ukraine since his previous visit in 2014.

January 16. Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, founder of the Open Society Foundations and its national entity, the International Renaissance Foundation, George Soros referred to a notable progress made by Ukraine since his previous visit in 2014. 

According to IRF Executive Director Yevhen Bystrytsky, “this year the IRF will mark its 25th anniversary in Ukraine. Now, when radical reforms are urgently needed, we aim IRF’s strategic priorities at promoting active participation of Ukrainians in the practical process of implementing the reforms. We believe that reforms are more than reformist laws and the Cabinet’s regulations, but direct participation of citizens in adopting and implementing the reforms at all levels of the society.”

According to George Soros, he saw genuine commitment of many Ukrainian leaders, officials and civil society activists to democratic reforms. He noted that unity of representatives of different branches of power is critical for Ukraine’s success. He stressed the role of the National Reform Council (NRC) as a platform for the key stakeholders, including the civil society, to produce coordinated decisions on reforms that will meet people’s expectations. Mr. Soros will continue support for nongovernmental experts who will assist the government in designing and implementing the necessary reforms. He sees the reforms of the judiciary and the police, anti-corruption and the Constitutional reforms as the foundation for success in all other reforms.

According to IRF Chairman of the Board, Oleksand Sushko, “A significant expansion of IRF’s traditional activity is the new program aiming at supporting reforms that are urgent for the society. These include the administrative and territorial, e-governance, education and healthcare reforms. IRF also plans to support reforms of the judiciary and the Constitution. For that, we established and continue to develop Strategic Advisory Groups (SAGs) and activity of the National Reform Council, and other civil society experts.”

Mr. Soros also announced his support for the IRF work aiming at helping the IDPs. He stressed that the international community should support the new Ukraine with more substantial financial resources. This can be a strong signal not only for Ukrainian reformers, but also for the international business.

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