The International Renaissance Foundation (IRF), taking into account:

–          Ukraine’s principled foreign policy orientation towards European integration and the desire to confirm European criteria and conditions in all areas of socio-political and socio-economic life,

–          The joint interest of society and the Government in forming the character of public policy that is open and accountable to the citizenry, in enhancing the public knowledge of the goals, content and results of reforms being implemented,

–          A belief in the need for civil society development and the active inclusion of its representatives in development and implementation of state policy,

–          An understanding of the need for radical reforms in the administrative and judicial systems, of deep changes in social and humanitarian policy, in particular in the development of mass media, education and health protection,

–          The importance of assuring broad public support for democratic reforms in Ukraine,

Herewith proposes cooperation with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and specifically with the following members and representatives of the Government of Ukraine, and leaders of the following ministries and institutions:

Vice Prime Minister for European Integration Issues, Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Health Protection, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Regional Development and Construction, Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ministry of Fuel and Energy, National Commission for Regulation of Electrical Energy (NCREE), Ministry of the Economy, State Statistics Committee, State Tax Administration, Ministry of the Coal Industry, State Department on Adaptation of Legislation, State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting, State Department on Communication and Information, and other appropriate bodies in the following fields: Rule of Law, Civil Society,  Ukraine’s European Integration, Mass Media Reform, Reforms in the Public Health Care System, Education, Culture, Integration of the Roma Population Into Ukrainian Society.

{slide=Rule of Law}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for European Integration Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Department for Penitentiary Issues, State Department on Adaptation of Legislation.

·         Implementation of Ukraine’s international legal obligations in the human rights arena: establishment of a human rights section at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as an inter-agency coordination council on Ukraine’s compliance with its international legal obligations in the human rights area. This group should include representatives both of other state bodies and non-governmental human rights defense organizations.

·         Formation of an unpaid legal aid system: planning of continued reforms in the system of cost-free public legal assistance, involving the combined experience of pilot projects being implemented by the Ministry of Justice with IRF and the Viktor Pinchuk Foundation with participation by the Union of Advocates of Ukraine in Kharkiv, Bila Tserkva and Khmelnytsky municipalities. In particular, the development, by interested parties, and introduction in the Parliament of Ukraine, a relevant draft law, and increases in funding for legal assistance in the draft budget for next year.

·         Prevention of illegal use of force by law enforcement personnel: with the participation of the IRF a Public Council on ensuring human rights was established at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine; also, there are mobile groups, which are a public control mechanism that seeks to prevent the commission of illegal acts against persons who have been detained by the MIA system. The mandate of these mobile groups within the internal affairs system needs to be broadened, and law enforcement bodies’ internal performance evaluation criteria need to be changed through cancellation of the “system of performance indicators/benchmarks.” The State Department for Penitentiary Issues must make the journey from a closed law enforcement system to a component of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, all of its institutions must become accessible to public monitoring analogous to that which takes place in other law enforcement bodies (in the internal affairs system).

·         Radically improving access to information as the key factor in combating corruption: assuring appropriate standards for access to government information to the public. Indeed, as of the end of 2007 the Cabinet of Ministers had not discontinued the practice of classifying, and had not declassified previously classified government decisions, which had been improperly classified, which leads one to believe that corruption may be a motive in the adoption of some such decisions. The Foundation proposes studying the experience of local NGOs that have been denied access in the past, with the aim of developing policy that will enhance official liability for denying information to the public, as well as better training officials in both information access management and public information practice.

{/slide} {slide=Civil Society}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Ministry of Fuel and Energy, National Commission for Regulation of Electrical Energy (NCREE), Ministry of the Economy, State Statistics Committee, State Tax Administration, Ministry of the Coal Industry, Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

·         Effective dialogue between state executive bodies and civil society through expert and financial support for effective activities of civil society representatives in Public collegia (councils) in various sectors/departments of the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries, and other central and local executive bodies.

·         Practical implementation of the Concept for Development of Civil Society, in particular: the Action Plan in the Implementation Framework for Cabinet of Ministers Order #1035-p dated November 21, 2007, “On Approval of the Concept for Support of Civil Society Development by Executive Bodies”.

·         Improving laws and regulations on important issues of state and local development: support for the development, public comment and implementation of normative and legal acts on, among others, constitutional reform, public administration, local self government, administrative – territorial reform, housing and communal services system reform etc.

·         Introducing transparency into the energy sector of Ukraine with the aim of combating corruption in the filed of energy resource production and transportation, including financial transparency of state and private companies and the Government, as well as income from transportation of domestically produced energy resources and those being transitted through Ukraine; support for implementing the provisions of the Energy Strategy of Ukraine to 2030 in the part concerning enhancement of the system for inventory of energy resources and incomes; support for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the European Union and Ukraine on Cooperation in the Energy Sector dated December 1, 2005, in the part concerning improvements in the security of energy transportation and transit of hydrocarbons.

·         Founding of a Ukrainian Center for the Development of Electronic Governance at the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and regional representative offices of the center, on the basis of experience obtained from the project underway to establish a Regional Center for Electronic Governance in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (being implemented in the bounds of a Memorandum of Cooperation Between the IRF and the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine, the Councils of Ministers of the ARC and the Sudak City Executive Committee, dated December 28, 2007.

·         Implementing the state program “Electronic Development of the regions” in support of effective cooperation between state and local self government and executive bodies, the public and business; ensuring transparency and openness of the authorities; attainment of European standards of quality in electronically delivered administrative services; support for the development of electronic democracy.

·         Developing tolerance as a principle in inter-ethnic relations in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea through continued introduction of special courses in ARC secondary and higher education institutions.

{/slide} {slide=Ukraine’s European Integration}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for European Integration Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and Science, State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting.

·         Including the public in development and monitoring of public policy implementation in the area of Ukraine’s European integration, including expert and consulting assistance in developing Ukraine’s negotiating position at talks with the European Union on a new and strengthened comprehensive agreement taking into account the interests of various groups; and assistance in developing priorities for cooperation with the EU during the period before such an agreement would come into effect between Ukraine and the EU. In case the relevant political decision is made, support will be provided for public participation in the development of Ukraine’s European integration strategy and in the formation of new institutional mechanisms for the implementation of Ukraine’s European integration policy.

·         Enhancing public awareness on European and Euro–Atlantic integration issues, in particular,  organizing public hearings with presentation of government reports on informing the public in European and Euro-Atlantic information issues and the preparation of experts during 2004 – 2007, as well as the preparation of alternative public reports and the development of qualitatively new state programs by public experts.

.        Development and introduction of new approaches to European studies in Ukraine, including the construction of courses and preparation of instructors.

{/slide} {slide=Mass Media Reforms}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting.

• Establishing a public broadcasting system, privatization of state and communally-owned mass media outlets, and supporting Ukraine’s transition to digital broadcasting: expert support in drafting or enhancing existing draft laws and introducing said drafts in Parliament; conducting public information campaigns on their content amongst professionals and the general public; enabling public hearings and analyses at all stages, with inclusion of international experts; implementation of a pilot project in transferring ownership of a variety of media outlets from the state or communal sectors, on a volunteer basis.

{/slide} {slide=Reforms in the Public Health Care System}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Health Protection, Ministry of Internal Affairs.

·         Changes in the system for elaborating public policy in the HIV/AIDs and drug dependence fields through active participation by vulnerable populations in the policymaking process.

·         Establishing a system of legal relations (more broadly, rule of law) within the health protection area: enhancing public and expert awareness on legal issues in medicine and supporting public participation in the development and approbation of legislative and regulatory devices, aimed at reforming the health protection system and assuring that patients’ and medical professionals’ rights are protected; some aspects of activity would include a review of health care financing; introduction of effective health insurance-based medical care; developed of a comprehensive concept for harmonizing health care legislation; elaboration of the legal status of the patient and medical practitioner; assuring patients’ and  physicians’ rights are protected within and outside of the courtroom.

·         Development of palliative care in Ukraine through support of an inter-agency group on palliative care, during the development of a road-path document in this area and through drafting of legislative amendments for further review by the Cabinet of Ministers and Parliament.

.         Assuring open access to information and transparency of budget expenditures, especially in the health protection area through independent public monitoring of sectoral expenditures, with a focus on the HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis area.

{/slide}{slide=Integration of the Roma Population into Ukrainian Society}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, State Committee on Nationalities and Religion

• Supporting Ukraine’s accession to the Decade of Roma Inclusion (2005-2015) ( www.romadecade.org), an initiative that has united eight European countries since 2005 (Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the former Serbia & Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), which could become an important step in their path to integration in the European Union. The Government’s effective action in improving the state of affairs of Ukraine’s most marginalized national minority will demonstrate progress in implementing the Copenhagen Criteria on Protection of Minority Rights.

• .

{/slide} {slide=Education}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Education and Science.

·         Equal access to quality education through establishment of national independent testing system

·         Implementation of a pilot project in University Autonomy

·         Introduction of inclusive education for children with special needs –

IRF has already transmitted a proposal to the new Minister of Education and Science, which, as we know, have already been included in the relevant chapter of the Government Program.

{/slide}{slide=Culture}

Concerning the authority of the following institutions: Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Ministry of Justice.

.          Reform of the current ineffective system of state administration of book publishing, distribution and library matters, and establishment of access to scientific information for its effective use in resolving burning issues in Ukrainian society; development of an intellectual property rights protection system: IRF proposes cooperation with its “Social Capital and Academic Publications” program, including Ukrainian and foreign experts in improving the state of affairs in these areas.

{/slide}