Ukraine Action Plan Review 2023-2025

Ukraine’s sixth action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... includes commitments addressing the transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More of and participation in restoration processes, harmonization with European Union (EU) legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r..., and restoring access to information. Most commitments will be embedded in legislation to ensure their sustainability beyond donor support. Successful implementation will benefit from the consistent support of local and international partners.

Ukraine’s sixth action plan contains 10 commitments. Several of these commitments address challenges caused by Russia’s full-scale military invasion in February 2022, mainly on transparency and public participation in recovery projects and restoring open data access to open data that was closed due to the full-scale invasion. Ukraine’s EU integration process also influenced the action plan, following the granting of EU candidate status in June 2022.[1]

CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... 5 aims to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with EU laws, while other commitments aim for integration with EU legislation and directives, particularly in open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... and open science. Commitments on open science, youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More policy, and transparency in the extractives sector are carried over from the last action plan. Most commitments are linked with existing legislation and/or include the adoption of relevant regulations, which will provide a solid legislative framework for sustainable implementation.

Ukraine’s multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple..., the Coordination Council, was more actively involved in action plan development compared to the previous co-creation cycle. Non-governmental members of the revised council covered a more diverse range of expertise. The co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... was organized through online channels and engaged many stakeholders. There were ample opportunities to participate, including through online consultations, thematic meetings, written proposals, and feedback on the draft action plan.

Civil society representatives praised the Cabinet of Ministers’ efforts to maintain Ukraine’s OGP process despite the ongoing military invasion.[2] They highlighted Commitments 1 on digital tool for managing reconstruction and 9 on open data as the most valuable, both of which the IRM has assessed as promising in this Action Plan Review because of their high potential in reducing corruption in reconstruction projects and restoring public access to data that is important for anti-corruption work. Commitments 2 on a geo-information system for monitoring and evaluating regional and community development and 6 on a single-source platform for youth-related information and participation are also assessed as promising.

As with previous action plans, international donor organizations and Ukrainian civil society will provide considerable support to the government for the implementation of commitments in this action plan.[3] Continuous support from these stakeholders, as well as continued capacity buildingEnhancing the skills, abilities, and processes of public servants, civil society, and citizens is essential to achieving long-lasting results in opening government. Technical specifications: Set of ac... for governmental and other partners, will be critical for ensuring successful implementation and long-term sustainability of commitment results beyond the action plan cycle.

[1] “Ukraine,” Council of the European Union, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/enlargement/ukraine.

[2] Oleksiy Orlovsky (International Renaissance Foundation), interview by IRM researcher, 21 March 2024; Olesya Arkhypska (Transparency International Ukraine & Co-Chair of Coordination Council), interview by IRM researcher, March 2024; Viktor Nestulia (DREAM Project Office), interview by IRM researcher, 26 March 2024; Andrii Gnap (Waste Ukraine Analytics), interview by IRM researcher, March 2024; Oksana Kosenko (United Nations Development Programme), interview by IRM researcher, 2 April 2024.

[3] These organizations include the “Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services” (TAPAS) project, succeeded by Digital TransformationGovernments are working to increase access to and quality of government services, improve transparency, and create opportunities for participation by using information and communications technologies.... More Activity (DTA) project funded by USAID and UK AidMore and better information about aid helps partner countries and donor institutions plan and manage aid resources more effectively, parliaments and civil society to hold governments accountable for t.../UK Dev and implemented by Eurasia Foundation; the “Dream and Act” project, funded by USAID and implemented by IREX, Eastern Europe Foundation, EU4Digital project, and Open ContractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C... More Partnership (OCP); the “Decentralization Offers Better Results and Efficiency” (DOBRE) project, funded by USAID; as well as EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine, International Renaissance Foundation, and German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).