The beginning of war buried the hatchet between the state bodies and the civil society – all became too busy with resisting the Russia’s aggression. Many CSOs and activists maintained self-restraint and refrained from openly critiquing in order to amplify and catalyze support to the heroic government efforts. But how long will the oversight honeymoon last? Can the current footing be a new starting point for blossoming partnership in the future? In this issue of our newsletter, we explore the vision of the post-war cooperation between the civil society and the government, take a look at the CSO Barometer insights and present a bunch of opportunities for the activists. Get engaged in the traditional read!
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Do Ukrainian CSOs breathe easily? In the recent CSO Meter conducted by UCIPR together with the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stitching Ukraine scored 5.2 out of 7 points. This seems a fairly beneficial estimation of the operational environment. Yet Ukrainian activists are a little short for breath. Despite existing liberties, they cannot help but face discrepancies between legally provided opportunities and complex reality. Most of all, they suffer from the limitations of freedom of expression – most commonly in the domains of LGBT+ rights protection, anticorruption, and opposing illegal construction. Communication between the state and citizens is another stumbling block. Although they consult on a wide range of topics on various levels, it rarely gets past discussion and planning. On the positive side, the state provides equal treatment for all civil organizations and does not typically pose obstacles to their operations. Moreover, Ukrainian citizens can freely – and do make the best of their right – organize in both legal entities or informal organizations. Find more conclusions in the report.
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CASE Ukraine Discuss Input of Civil Society in the Post-War Recovery
Is it possible to synchronize the efforts of the government and civil society organizations in rebuilding Ukraine after the war? Are activists comfortable partners for public officials? CASE Ukraine invited Olena Shulyak, head of the Servant of People party, and Oleg Rybachuk, head of Center UA to discuss the role of civil society in the reconstruction of the country. Watch the video to find out what will be the key to effective cooperation between the government and civil society.
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Center of Policy and Legal Reform Analyzes the Drawbacks of the National Recovery Plan
Despite numerous declarations of the officials, representatives of civil society had virtually no representation in the working groups that were engaged in the development of the National Recovery Plan that Government presented in Lugano in early July. What may be the consequences of lack of coordination between the government and civic activists and why we should worry about possible curbing of civil liberties and democratic principles on the pretext of martial law for years to come? Read the conclusions of Ihor Koliushko, head of the Center of Policy and Legal Reform.
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Transparency International Ukraine Advocates for Prozorro Use During Post-War Procurement
Accountability and integrity will be the key factors for international donors to fund Ukraine’s post-war recovery. Transparency International Ukraine argues that Prozorro is unsurpassable for this goal. For many years, the platform proved to be a reliable and transparent tool to guarantee competitive public procurement and provide critical insights where the money goes, who gets the contracts, and why. Tap the link to read more
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Youth Platform Kicks off a Project to Aid Integration of Internally Displaced Youth
Youth Platform in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine is launching a new project “Good Evening, We Are from Ukraine”. Throughout August – November 2022, 10 youth centers around Ukraine will help internally displaced and local youth to bridge social and cultural gaps and find a common ground. You can apply as a center representative or as a tutor. Hurry up!
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Crimean Tatar Resource Center Invites Ukrainians to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
August 9th marks the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC) traditionally promoted the occasion with the discussion of the state of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine and reminded about the treasure of diversity within the society. Click the link below to learn how to join CTRC in spreading a word of support on your social media pages!
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СHESNO Presents Top-10 Most Searched Profiles of Alleged Traitors Database
CHESNO Movement’s “Register of TraitorZ” hit 650 records in July with 78 newly added profiles of suspects or already recognized traitors or collaborators. Tap the link to discover the list of the most wanted profiles of July.
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Join Audience Voting in a Creative Competition from Center of United Actions
Creative competition “Country Will not Make Itself” is finally over – the selection of 266 artworks is now available to the public. It is now your turn to join a celebrity jury of Irma Vitovska, Serhiy Prytula, Yaroslava Hres and Yevhen Klopotenko to decide on the people’s choice award. Click on the link below to participate!
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Humanitarian Solidarity Grant Competition
International Renaissance Foundation together with CARE Deutschland announce the second round of the Humanitarian Solidarity Grant Competition. The activity focuses on rapid response to urgent and short-term humanitarian needs of vulnerable groups of the civilians impacted by the war. Organizations from Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, and Zakarpattia oblasts are eligible to participate. Applications are accepted until August 26.
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Refind Seminars for Representatives of Youth Organizations
The Danish Youth Council in cooperation with the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House are accepting applications for participation in Refind, a six-day training for leaders of youth organizations and groups that will take place in Denmark in October. The selected activists will grow their knowledge in organizational development and supporting mental health of a team. Send your application by August 25.
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Regional Debate Camp from Klitschko Foundation
Klitschko Foundation presents a new project Regional Debate Camp for the youth aged 14-19, an activity within Democracy Hubs Ukraine project implemented together with The New Democracy Fund and Crossing Borders. 20 participants will be selected to join a six-day training, where they will be trained to assert their standpoint, analyze information and lead public debates. Deadline for applications is August 15.
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Environmental Camp in Poland from European Club
Kremenchuk CSO European Club is looking for five participants for the international exchange “Share your piece of world peace” that will take place in Kashuba region of Poland on September 24 – October 2. Young people from different countries will elaborate together on the topics of human rights and environment, try to understand how humans interact with nature and how we can improve this interaction for both. Applications are accepted until September 14. More details by the link below
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