IRF Annual Report for 2009
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International Renaissance Foundation Black 2009 Annual Report P349, ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL RENAISSANCE FOUNDATION he International Renaissance Foundation (IRF) is an integral part of the Open Society Institute network (established by American philanthropist George Soros) that incorporates national and regional foundations in more than thirty countries around the world, including Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and the former TSoviet Union. IRF was founded in 1990. The mission of the International Renaissance Foundation – is to promote open democratic society in Ukraine Black by providing financial and organizational support for important civil society initiatives. IRF remains one of the largest donor foundations in Ukraine, supporting civil society organizations working in areas that are part of the Foundation’s priorities. Every year, IRF provides up to $7 million in support to NGOs P349, in different regions of Ukraine. In addition to offering grants to other organizations, IRF also pursues its own (operational) activities, implementing projects in its target sectors that are also selected by public representatives. The Foundation is also well-known as an expert organization, initiator of effective projects, open discussions and catalyst of social change. Openness and transparency of donor activities, and conformity with the needs of society are the main principles that guide the work of the International Renaissance Foundation. The public is involved in the distribution of Foundation funds for the needs of building a democratic open society through participation in the Executive Board and IRF Program Boards. IRF distributes the majority of its grants to non-governmental organizations after open competitions are held for projects pursuing the program priorities set by leading representatives of local civil society The IRF Board is the main public body that forms the strategy for the entire organization. The Foundation’s priorities are determined by the Executive Board and Program Boards, whose members include prominent Ukrainian public figures and experts in IRF target sectors. The funds operated by IRF come mostly from its main founder George Soros. IRF also receives support from international donors, as well as Ukrainian and foreign organizations and individuals. Since its founding, the International Renaissance Foundation has provided more than $12 million in grants to various Ukrainian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientific-research organizations, academic institutions and publishing houses. You can learn more about the International Renaissance Foundation on our website www.irf.ua. 2 International Renaissance Foundation • 2009 Annual Report INTRODUCTION n 2009, public participation in decision-making and advancing key reforms in Ukraine took on even greater importance. NGOs, like most public institutions, were working in the midst of a deep financial and economic Icrisis, made worst by the permanent political crisis of recent year. The social situation in the country was made worse by the complex presidential elections. Political populism did not help NGO efforts. Public opinion was focused mainly on political events and less on defending the population’s real interests and introducing relevant reforms in different areas in which the non-profit sector actively works.. In 2009, the International Renaissance Foundation provided $6.5 million in support to socially important public initi- atives. During the year, IRF supporting more than 550 projects implemented by Ukrainian non-governmental orga- nizations and institutions in different regions of Ukraine. These are organizations in Kyiv, cities, towns, raion centers of Ukraine that work to defend human rights, enhance the impact of civil society and public control over governm- Black ent, promote Ukraine’s European integration and the development of independent media, implement initiatives in the education and health sectors, and carry out projects to protect vulnerable groups and integrate national min- orities into Ukrainian society. P349, During the elections, IRF supported public initiatives aimed at ensuring the honest and fair expression of the will of the people, in particular conducting a national exit poll as a means of control over the integrity of the vote count. With IRF support, a public platform for reform was created, without which Ukraine can’t become a developed European country. The modernization strategy for Ukraine, which was widely publicized and discussed in the regions, proved that civil society is capable of articulating and defending priorities for a consolidated reform strategy for the country. 2009 marked the release of the 500th book translated into Ukrainian and published with IRF support. Understanding the effect of the financial crisis on Ukraine, in 2009 the International Renaissance Foundation together with the Open Society Institute Emergency Fund launched the new Anti-Crisis Humanitarian Program, with the aim of helping people, cultural and community groups hardest hit by the financial and economic crisis. Enhancing our own openness remains a key principle for IRF. The new initiative on strategic communication and management skills which IRF began to implement in 2009 significantly expanded opportunities for public participation in open dialogue and common identification of vectors for civil society development. The updated website (www.irf.ua) is to become a platform for e-communication, increased feedback between IRF and representatives of civil society, government and media. All those interested are invited to discuss a wide range of topics related to IRF, including participation in the annual planning of program strategies, announcing and implementing grant competitions, assessing supported projects, providing proposals on how to improve the work of IRF as an integral component of civil society in Ukraine. The results of the Foundation’s charitable donor work were made possible thanks to the work of independent experts – members of the IRF Executive Board and Program Boards. We are sincerely grateful to all the Foundation’s friends and partners, whose contribution to our common cause is mentioned below. Without such cooperation, we would have lost the opportunity to carry out many civic initiatives on time. This report presents the socially important initiatives supported by the International Renaissance Foundation in 2009. Yevhen Bystrytsky, Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation International Renaissance Foundation • 2009 Annual Report 3 In 2009, the CIVIL SOCIETY IMPACT ENHANCE PROGRAM (Program Director - Oleksiy Orlovsky) supported NGOs and civic associations in monitoring government activities, defending and lobbying the common interests of different groups, and ensured their participation in the development and implementation of legal and regulatory acts on the national and local level. The Program supported active civil society organizations, endorsing the following forms of public self-organization. Among the projects supported by the Program to promote the development of such effective tools of public control as public expert examinations, it’s worth noting the “Electronic desktop for the public expert: internet resource for civic activists” project. With support from the IRF, a special internet resource for people who want to conduct public examinations was elaborated. The site is called “Electronic desktop for the public expert” (ngoexpert.in.ua and civicexpert.in.ua). As a part of the “Electronic register of public examinations – component of the Government portal” project an electronic register was created and after it is tested, it will be given to the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to maintain. It is expected that the online register will appear on the Civil Society and Government website (http://civic.kmu.gov.ua/civic/control/uk/index) in April 2010. Black The large-scale nationwide project “Territorial Reform: from modeling to implementation” was completed. Its goal was to promote administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine. As a part of this project, a Concept for administrative and territorial reform and draft law on the territorial structure of Ukraine were developed and P349, discussed publicly, modeling was done of the territorial structure of 16 pilot raions in 4 oblasts of Ukraine, a study was done of the history of administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine in 1907-2009, a number of brochures were issued, etc. For more information about this project and its results, visit: http://www.csi.org.ua. In cooperation with the UNITER Program and East Europe Foundation, in early 2009 the first joint competition was announced, aimed at supporting reforms on the local level. One interesting project currently being implemented is the “Public campaign for enforcement of the law at parking areas in Kyiv”. As part of the project, legal support and consultations were given to drivers who had wheel locks placed on their cars, and a lobbying campaign was launched to cancel certain acts of the Kyiv city government that permit this form of parking enforcement. Other noteworthy projects were “Ternopil – City Statute” and “Introducing a Statute for Zhytomyr City”. Ternopil and Zhytomyr are two of the few remaining oblast centers that still do not have a statute. In Ternopil, a working group, created by an order form the mayor, along with experts has developed a draft statute. In Zhytomyr the efforts have focused on public discussion and revision of the draft