Between 8 and 10th December 2014 a conference âFuture of the Civil Society in Ukraine: search for ways to consolidateâ was organized by GURT Resource Centre and the Ukrainian Catholic University using the future search format. More than 60 representatives of local self-government and state government, community leaders and active citizens, national, regional and local civil society organizations.
During the conference the participants united in similar and mixed groups have identified the milestones of three key prospects â personal, global and a prospect for the civil society in Ukraine from 2004 to the present; interpreted the meaning of these key milestones for the future of our country; outlined in a lively discussion the current tendencies that would shape the future of the civil society in Ukraine till 2016; highlighted the aspects of life they were proud of and the things they are sorry for; presented the common ground in the vision of the future and finally identified the action plan for the defined goal in the short-term and long-term perspective.
After almost a year since the event has been conducted GURT found out what change the participants have managed to implement. Here is an overview of their first results.
Project âCivil society is the driving force of the social dialogue between government, business and communityâ
Short-term perspective: situation analysis, forming of the project initiative group, conducting âGovernment-business- communityâ round table discussion on the government level, creating the project working group, work plan development.
Long-term perspective: project plan development, carrying out a pilot study, pilot study monitoring and analysis, correcting the strategy and development of educational materials, forming a team to implement the strategy, implementing the strategy all over Ukraine.
Lidiia Seniuta, Health Department of Ivano-Frankivsk regional state administration, chief specialist:
â Together with the participants of the event we hold an interim work group meeting. We managed to analyze the problem and determine the institutions and organizations that might be interested in setting up a dialogue between the government, business and community. The meeting resulted in a draft document covering the outlined issues. We also specified a possible format of âThe government-community-businessâ round table and the needs we can meet through developing contacts among all the interested parties. That is all for now though. Now within my competence I keep on contacting with many NGOs dealing with people affected by the armed conflict in the eastern Ukraine, and cooperate with the World Health Organization.
Project âEstablishment of Active Social Responsibility Schoolâ
Short- term perspective: creating âHromadsky Visnykâ internet page on the city web-site, establishing civic activism centers, organizing âResponsible passengerâ action.
Long-term perspective: establishing Active social responsibility schools all over Ukraine
Olena Bikla, trainer and consultant, evaluation expert:
â The ideas expressed at the event inspired me to develop my own project. I elaborated a concept of socially responsible business â Coaching center for the sports development among children of 8-14 years in the Kiev region. I produced a video, and soon plan to publish my own book on teambuilding called âMy football teamâ. The book aimed at developing team building skills among children and demonstrating the value of teamwork on the example of football team principles. In the long term perspective I want to extend the activity of these coaching centers in Kyiv and later all over Ukraine.
Project âFighting against corruption through enhancing the role of the community in the formation of the state attractive for investmentsâ
Short- term perspective: adopting amendments to the lustration law, adopting projects of reforms concerning courts, public prosecutorâs office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, tax and adopting a new election law, monitoring the budget adoption, developing a program eliminating shadow economy, discussing widely the ways to consolidate in the fight against corruption and control over the reformsâ implementation with the participation of civil society organizations.
Long-term perspective: Lustration law implementation, reforming the government institutions, holding unscheduled local elections under the new election law, the control over budgetary funds usage, enacting the program of eliminating shadow economy.
Vitaly Umanets, NGO âAll-Ukrainian Union âAutomaidanâ, activist:
â As a participant of âAutomaidanâ NGO I was involved into the new election law adoption process. However together with the team I will demand amendments to prevent uncontrolled financing of political parties, while creating equal conditions for all participants of the election process. Now activists of âAutomaidanâ take an active part in forming the steering committee which will deal with the selection of the candidates for the police. They are also involved in the meetings of competition committees which conduct interviews with the candidates for local prosecutorsâ positions and detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. In addition, members of Automaidan facilitate the investigation of the crimes committed during Maidan, and are working closely with Ukraine High Qualification Commission of Judges in order to dismiss those judges who handed down unlawful decisions.
Project âAdministrative and territorial reform with the participation of the civil society is the first and the most important step in building the stateâ
Stages: organization of public hearings in Verkhovna Rada, conducting round table discussions between NGOs, Verhovna Rada, administration of the President, Cabinet of Ministers and business representatives, formating working groups, setting up the legislative initiatives.
Valentyna Rudkovska, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Office for Relations with the Local Authorities and Self-Government, Deputy Head:
â 159 local communities have already implemented the provisions of the Law of Ukraine âOn
Project âNGOs promote the consolidation of the society and the formation of a national idea based on the common valuesâ
Strategy development: working group formation, broad social research of the national idea, values and consolidation at all levels of Ukraine, round table discussion, conferences and research presentation, organization of a discussion platform for public debate; conclusion and summing up, signing a social agreement between stakeholders.
Implementation: information campaign development, adaptation of the program to the regional features, projects development and implementation at the local level (youth, children, all categories), monitoring changes within a society, correction of the project based on monitoring, additional training of the local communities, development of educational materials (photos, video, etc.), analysis and reporting.
Yury Yuzych, social activist, co-chairman of All â Ukrainian organization âPlastâ:
â Within a year after the event I participated in the working groups to adopt such documents as the Decree of President of Ukraine âOn measures to improve national and patriotic education of children and youthâ and the Order of Ministry of Education and Science âOn approval of the Concept of national and patriotic education of children and youth, Measures to implement the concept of national and patriotic education of children and youth and guidelines on national and patriotic upbringing at secondary schoolâ. I am still a member of the working group dealing with further implementation of national-patriotic education concept. Among my tasks I see any lobbing of national-patriotic education issues and joining up the efforts around this issue at all levels.
Translated by Iryna Hamaiun
