NEWS AND VIEWS: USUF sponsors NGO project (07/14/96)

NEWS AND VIEWS

USUF sponsors NGO project

WASHINGTON - The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Project has to date sponsored five workshops designed to foster the development of the NGO sector in Ukraine. The NGO Project, "Advancing the Role of NGOs in a Rule of Law Society," is a one-year project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Rule of Law Consortium ARD/Checchi.

The purpose of the project is to help Ukrainian NGOs become effective public-policy advocates in Ukraine and, utilizing contacts developed by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, to increase communication between these civic organizations and policy-makers in the Supreme Council. This is being accomplished by providing training on a variety of practical topics for NGOs through workshops, roundtable discussions with policy-makers in the legislative branch, and the creation of an NGO Resource Center at the Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy in Kyiv.

Three workshops took place in March. Tatiana Demchuk, an expert on public relations in the insurance industry, conducted a workshop titled "The Role of a Lobbyist in Shaping Public Policy in the U.S." Participants focused on how issues come before policy-makers, the roles of legislative and executive branches in policy development, and how NGOs can work with policy-makers. She discussed the ethics of lobbying, campaign contributions and the long lead time between the initiation of a lobbying activity and the realization of its objectives - a process that can span several Congresses.

Mrs. Demchuk reported that subsequent discussions revealed an unexpected level of understanding and desire among the Ukrainians to learn more about how the U.S. government functions. Several participants shared their own success stories in which they used techniques similar to ones used by various NGOs in the U.S. For example, an ecological group succeeded in shutting down a polluting factory by repeatedly contacting public officials, building vocal coalitions and using the media to publicize the story of the polluters. In addition, a charitable fund to help children with cerebral palsy has been successful in obtaining funds for advanced medical treatment.

Helen M. Sramek, a senior international consultant, directed another workshop on legislative analysis - teaching participants how to track and understand legislation and make constructive comments on policy operations. Ms. Sramek based her presentation on a graphic representation of "How a Bill Becomes a Law" in the U.S. to illustrate the number of opportunities that lobbyists have to influence the legislative process. This document had coincidentally been previously translated into Ukrainian by another U.S.-Ukraine Foundation-sponsored project, the Parliamentary Development Project, and had generated more than average interest as it did again at the workshop. Another chart, prepared by a former Supreme Council member, illustrated the same legislative process in Ukraine. The contrast between the relatively straightforward American system and the highly bureaucratic and complicated Ukrainian system was highly instructive. Participants were also very interested in the legal and disclosure requirements of American lobbyists.

Iryna Kurowyckyj, president of the National Council of Women of the United States in 1992-1995, also conducted a workshop on strategies of public outreach and building coalitions among NGOs. The NCW, the oldest coalition of women's organizations in the United States, was founded in 1888 in Washington, and is now headquartered in New York City. Previously, Ms. Kurowyckyj had been with the Ukrainian National Women's League of America. Ms. Kurowyckyj described long-lasting and short-term coalitions, how they raise funds and the importance of a balance of power in building coalitions. She explained the advantages that large groups have in lobbying their governments and the importance of perseverance in pursuing policy advocacy.

From the subsequent dialogue at these workshops it became apparent that NGOs in Ukraine face a difficult situation and that much needs to be done before they can become influential in their society. Information, even for such basic things as deputies' telephone numbers, is difficult to obtain. Only persons with invitations can attend legislative hearings at the Supreme Council and most lobbying is done "under the carpet." Members of the Supreme Council are not required to live in the region they represent, reducing the leverage citizens can exercise over deputies. They also enjoy virtual immunity from prosecution, even for criminal acts.

The public perception is that all government officials take bribes as a matter of course. Participants felt that public opinion as a tool for change was somewhat irrelevant in Ukraine, since it had never been a factor in society, leaving many people apathetic and unresponsive. But, judging from the attitudes of the NGO representatives, people are beginning to realize that it is up to them to monitor their elected officials and demand results on promises made before elections.

These assessments reflected an evolutionary change from a workshop held a year earlier in May 1995 led by Dr. Gerry Gray, vice-president for policy at American Forests. His presentation centered on the legal, institutional and financial framework in which NGOs function and the voluntary or charitable spirit underlying their function. Dr. Gray reported that the Ukrainian NGO representatives had a hard time relating to his message, since the kind of framework and spirit he described was largely lacking in Ukraine. The more optimistic assessments by presenters at the March workshops indicate that some progress is indeed being made by Ukrainian NGOs in the area of policy advocacy and that USUF's NGO Project is having a positive effect.

A change in the tenor of the workshops was also evident in the most recent workshop sponsored by USUF's NGO Project, conducted by Thomas Gittins, president of Gittens & Associates Inc., a consulting firm specializing in international programs, in April. The same issues, a legal framework in which NGOs can function and volunteer management and support, were still of major concern as in the first workshop. However, Mr. Gittins reported that one Ukrainian NGO at the meeting, the Association of Small Enterprises, is actively working on legislative change to create a better environment in which NGOs can function. He recommended subsequent workshops in this area to get other NGOs motivated and involved and also recommended workshops in recruitment, training, management and retention of volunteers.

The presenters unanimously praised the professionalism of the POID and NGO Project staff in Kyiv and Washington, among whom were POID Director Markian Bilynskyj, Assistant Directors Ivan Kramarczuk and Valentyna Telychenko, NGO Project Coordinator in Kyiv Svetlana Dobrosheva, and Coordinator of the Center for Pluralism at POID Natelie Belitzer.

Workshops, such as these being sponsored by USUF's NGO Project in Ukraine, provide a great opportunity for Ukrainian NGO representatives to meet, analyze their situation in terms of comparative information, form alliances, renew their commitment to change and in the end, issue by issue, effect reforms that they want for themselves and their children.

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization whose goal is to foster democratic and free-market development in Ukraine. For more information about the activities of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, write to 1511 K Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington DC 20005 (telephone, 202-347-4264; fax, 202-347-4267; e-mail, [email protected]).

| Home Page |