Trilateral cooperative program aims to strengthen Ukraine's market economy and civil society (06/27/99)

Trilateral cooperative program aims to strengthen Ukraine's market economy and civil society

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The United States Embassy on June 11 announced a cooperative program between Ukraine, Poland and the United States to strengthen Ukraine's market economy and civil society.

The project, named the Poland-America-Ukraine Cooperation Initiative (PAUCI), envisions a mutual exchange of information and expertise between Poland and Ukraine, with a focus on the transfer to Ukraine of Poland's experience in successful market and democratic transformations.

"Poland has successfully faced many of the democratic and economic reform problems that Ukraine now faces," said U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer at the June 11 kick-off forum. "We want to take advantage of that in the PAUCI initiative."

The program, supported by a $2 million grant from the United States through its Agency for International Development, which will be managed by the Eurasia Foundation, calls for financing projects to be proposed by higher educational institutions, local governments and state institutions. Three areas of reform are being emphasized: macroeconomic policy; small business development; and local government reform.

Mr. Pifer explained that an important objective will be to strengthen the institutional capabilities of organizations involved in the three areas through the transfer of know-how and its practical applications.

The effort will award money to non-government organizations, higher educational institutions as well as local and state institutions for projects they develop in the three designated areas for training programs, seminars, consultations, expert analyses, publications and other types of information exchanges.

Tadeusz Pawlak, Polish chargé d'affaires in Kyiv, who also was present at the forum along with Ukraine's First Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yevhen Bersheda and PAUCI Secretariat Manager Nick Deychakiwsky, said he believes Poland's participation in the project will help strengthen Ukrainian-Polish relations, as well as give Poland new insights into its own ongoing democratic reform initiatives.

The program was presented in Warsaw, Poland, on May 26 with 33 non-governmental organizations in attendance.

No limits have been set on the size of the grants PAUCI will be awarding, although the PAUCI oversight council has established an upper limit of $100,000 as a guideline. Furthermore, requests for grants above $50,000 will be awarded only after approval of the full PAUCI council, which includes Messrs. Pifer, Pawlak, Bersheda and Deychakiwsky.

Mr. Pifer said the U.S. expects to continue funding the program for five years.

For more information on the PAUCI program contact Secretariat Manager Deychakiwsky at the Eurasia Foundation Western NIS Regional Office, phone/fax: (044) 295-1065, -7402, -8292, or by email at: [email protected].

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