RADA PROGRAM Responsible, Accountable, Democratic Assembly in

QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT Year 5 (October 01 – December 31, 2017)

Submitted: January 15, 2018 Cooperative Agreement No. AID-121-A-14-00001

Program Background The East Europe Foundation is pleased to submit the Quarterly Performance Report of its Responsible Accountable Democratic Assembly (RADA) Program in Ukraine for the period between October 01, 2017, and December 31, 2017. The Program was awarded by USAID to the East Europe Foundation and launched in Ukraine on November 26, 2013, under Cooperative Agreement No.AID-121-A-14-00001. The Program is being implemented in cooperation with the Ukrainian Parliament, the Ukrainian Government, local governments, regional associations and highly qualified civil society organizations. The RADA Program is designed to promote a representative, accountable and independent Parliament through (1) providing support to MPs to build constituent relations and improve their representation function; (2) expanding citizen education and monitoring of Parliament and MPs in order to increase their accountability, and improving civic engagement in the legislative process; and (3) promoting parliamentary independence to counterbalance the government by enforcing the rules and procedures that govern the body. The RADA Program is administered to the following three program objectives: i. Improved public presentation in the legislative process; ii. Expanded role of citizens in monitoring Parliament’s work; iii. Strengthened role of legislature in providing independent oversight of the executive branch of power.

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Approach to Implementation The RADA Program works in conjunction with partners to form an alliance of Ukrainian CSOs that offers the RADA program as USAID’s primary vehicle for achieving one of the three USAID/Ukraine Mission Development Objectives “More Participatory, Transparent and Accountable Governance Processes.” The RADA alliance partners implement innovative programmatic tools based on their vast experience of previous work in the Ukrainian context with government agencies at both national and local levels, plus a variety of emerging local CSOs. Alliance partners include Internews-Ukraine (IUA), OPORA, Agency for Legislative Initiatives (ALI) as well as Interns’ League (IL). Their projects are supported via a sub-grant mechanism. RADA’s approach is to institutionalize successful programs, such as the parliamentary internship program, citizens’ monitoring of the legislative process as well as MP and MP aides training programs with Ukrainian CSOs and VR’s constituent units. RADA builds strong double-sided relationships with the VR Secretariat, the VR Rules Committee, the VR Committee on Preventing Crime and Corruption, the VR Committee on Legal Policy, the VR Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government, the VR Press Services and other structures of the Parliament to strengthen VR’s legislative capacity through effective cooperation with civil society. RADA’s alliance partners share their experience in effective participation and monitoring of the legislative and other government processes with emerging NGOs and regional civil society groups. They focus on raising the awareness and skills of regional constituents so as to reduce the political abyss between citizens and their elected representatives. Civic education efforts ensure more active civic engagement in the process of policy development and implementation at both national and regional levels. The RADA Program is guided by the USAID imperative factors (Anti-Corruption, Gender Equality and Local Capacity Building) when planning and coordinating all its activities.

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Acronyms

ALI Agency for Legislative Initiatives (RADA Program partner) APDU Association of People’s Deputies of Ukraine AUC Association of Ukrainian Cities CM Cabinet of Ministers CMU Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine CoE COP Chief of Party CSO Civil society organization DCOP Deputy Chief of Party EEF East Europe Foundation EP EU IL Interns’ League (RADA Program partner) IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union IT Information Technologies IUA Internews Ukraine (RADA Program partner) LSG Local self-government MP Member of Parliament MPs’ aides Assistants to Members of Parliament NDI National Democratic Institute NF Narodnyi Front, political party NGO(s) Nongovernmental organization(s) ODIHR/OSCE OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights OGP Open Government Partnership OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe PIP Parliamentary Internship Program PPB Petro Poroshenko Bloc, political party PWD Persons with disabilities RPR Reanimation Package of Reforms CSO Civil Society Organization SMD Single mandate district SME Small or medium enterprise SMS Short Message Service via mobile telephones ToT Training of trainers UN United Nations USAID United State Agency for International Development VR / VRU / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament of Ukraine) VRC Committee of Verkhovna Rada VRS Secretariat of Verkhovna Rada WG Working group

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Table of Content

Program Background ...... 2 Approach to Implementation ...... 3 Acronyms ...... 4 Table of Content ...... 5 ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS STORIES ...... 6 ACTIVITIES ...... 7 OBJECTIVE 1: Improved public representation in the legislative process ...... 7 Expected Result 1.1. Effective communication, outreach and constituency services developed ...... 7 Expected Result 1.2. Inclusive legislative practices established ...... 11 Expected Result 1.3. Cooperation between MPs and local governments strengthened ...... 17 Expected Result 1.4. Cooperation and communication between the VRU and VR ARC institutionalized and strengthened ...... 18 OBJECTIVE 2: Expanded role of citizens in monitoring the work of Parliament ...... 19 Expected Result 2.1. Civic education initiatives promoted to foster greater citizen engagement in the legislative process ...... 19 Expected Result 2.2. Civil society monitoring of the VR fostered, including strengthening of lobbying groups ...... 22 Expected Result 2.3. Reform legislation passed by partnering with other USAID programs ...... 24 OBJECTIVE 3. Role of legislature in providing independent oversight of the executive branch strengthened ...... 25 Expected Result 3.1. Anti-Corruption efforts strengthened including Parliamentary budgetary oversight ...... 25 Expected Result 3.2. Parliamentary oversight strengthened through improved structural effectiveness ...... 29 Expected result 3.3. Internship program institutionalized ...... 29 Anti-Corruption ...... 31 Gender Equity ...... 31 People with Disabilities ...... 31 Local Capacity Building (institutions and/or civil society) ...... 31 Other relevant activities ...... 32 Lessons Learned ...... 33 List of Sub-Grants ...... 34 ANNEXES ...... 35

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ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS STORIES

VRU establishes personal scholarships for the participants of the Parliamentary Internship Program

On December 7, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 6596 “On Certain Issues of Implementing Article 48 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Civil Service’ at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.” Starting from 2018, the Resolution establishes personal scholarships for the participants of the Parliamentary Internship Program enrolled full-time. MPs Formatted: English (United States) Valeriy Karpuntsov and Pavlo Pynzenyk, Parliamentary Internship Program alumni, had registered the draft resolution back in June 2017. The draft was supported by the lead Committee at its meeting on July 13, 2017, and was submitted to the plenary meeting during the autumn session. To support the draft resolution, the Interns’ League NGO team, together with the RADA Program, conducted a series of advocacy activities and meetings with Members of Parliament and with the VRU Rada Secretariat.

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ACTIVITIES OBJECTIVE 1: Improved public representation in the legislative process Expected Result 1.1. Effective communication, outreach and constituency services developed 1.1.i. Model District MP Offices The RADA Program continued to support 7 MPs in implementation of the activity under the pilot initiative called “Model District.” It aims at strengthening cooperation between MPs and voters, including mass media, NGOs, local self-governance authority, for addressing problems important to the district, as well as capacity development and improvement of skills and knowledge of MPs and their assistants in this field. The Model District Project provides for a variety of discussion formats, using the modern trends in establishing cooperation, raising awareness and public involvement in the decision-making process. The activities include press tours, MP reports in the district, public discussions of draft legislation and topical issues of state development and local self-governance, study tours, etc. Thus, in this reporting period the RADA Program supported MPs in implementation of several initiatives: On September 29 – October 1, 2017, the RADA Program supported Model District MPs in organizing a study visit to Chernihiv and Nizhyn with the MPs of the Verkhovna Rada and the Latvian Sejm. MPs Oleksandr Kodola, Ihor Huz, Viktoriya Syumar, Oleksandr Chernenko, and Pavlo Rizanenko took part in the event with the participation of deputies of Latvian Sejm Ainārs Mežulis, Sergejs Dolgopolovs, Viktors Valainis and Nelija Kleinberga. The MPs and their teams summarized the activity of the Model District initiative and exchanged experiences in organizing work in the constituency. They also discussed the modern communication tools that the RADA Program provided in order to establish a dialogue with constituents such as Town Hall Meetings, public reports to local councils and voters in the district, press-tours for regional journalists to the Verkhovna Rada, training sessions, etc. The participants took part in Oxford-style debates about the success of the decentralization reform in Ukraine (http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada- program-conducted-training-ukrainian-and-latvian-parliamentarians-basis-model). On October 27-29, 2017, the RADA Program organized a training for trainers (TOT) on the Verkhovna Rada Rules of Procedures. Thirty representatives of the VR Secretariat and NGOs participated in the training. The RADA Program experts provided participants with resources to develop their own training courses. The training program focused on the following issues: • details of the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; • functions and forms of work; • Verkhovna Rada voting procedures; • the main subjects of parliamentary procedures; • structure of the Verkhovna Rada; • discipline and ethics in the work of the Verkhovna Rada; • legislative process: how laws are created in the Parliament; • Verkhovna Rada’s interaction with the President, the Government, and the public; • MPs’ requests and appeals. The RADA Program provides the VRU staff and civil activists with practical experience in conducting training sessions on the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada by conducting trainings for MPs, MPs’ aides, secretariats of Parliamentary factions and groups as well as for representatives of the VRU Secretariat (https://goo.gl/oqUv23). On November 17, 2017, the RADA Program supported MP Svitlana Zalishchuk’s initiative to conduct a training on “Deputy Requests and Appeals” for MPs’ aides from the Interfactional Union “Eurooptimists.”

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The participants in the training were MP Svitlana Zalishchuk and 23 MP aides. The training focused on issues such as different types of instruments for performing the oversight functions of the Parliament and the MPs, including deputies’ requests and appeals, the role of structural divisions of the VRU Secretariat in this process, and for consolidating the knowledge and skills gained during the training by implementing case studies and practical tasks. To institutionalize further training programs, the Formatted: English (United States) Program invited the Head of the VRU Secretariat’s Control Department Vladyslav Voloshchuk to conduct a training session in cooperation with two other trainers – Alyona Sheshenya, trainer of the RADA Program training center, and Volodymyr Kryzhanivskyi, RADA Program Senior Consultant (https://goo.gl/TezxcX). On November 21, 2017, the RADA Program supported MP Pavlo Rizanenko in conducting an open discussion on the decentralization reform and voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities with the participation of rural leaderships and representatives of local self-governance from Brovary and Baryshivka rayons and town of Berezan. The participants in the discussion included Valentyna Rudkovska, Deputy Head of the Department for Communications with Local Authorities and Local Self-Government Bodies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Mykola Rubchak, Head of the Department of Administrative and Territorial System of the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, Dmytro Lykov, acting Head of the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of Oblast State Administration, and Oleh Lyubimov, Director of the Kyiv Center of Local Self-Government Development. The purpose of the event was to demonstrate and discuss best practices, lessons learned and positive aspects from decentralization, conduct risk analysis and successful results justification from amalgamation of territorial communities as well as to encourage local leadership for strategic thinking and planning. The format of the event provides for group and panel discussions as well as for using an efficient interaction tool known as Oxford Debates. The event provided successful arguments for the decentralization reform based on the experience of Ihor Huz, another participant of the RADA Program Model District component, by inviting the head of the amalgamated communities from his district. During the two panel sessions, the participants discussed: • The results of decentralization: local budgets, political aspects; • Elaboration of plans for developing future/newly established amalgamated communities and additional funding; • The need for advanced training for staff and involvement of young professionals; • Reform implementation problems and ways to overcome them; • Positive examples of communities amalgamation, results, benefits; • Communication, involvement, participation and interaction between the central and local authorities and the public, etc. At the end of the Oxford Debates, the participants gave a “yes” vote to the amalgamation of local communities. It is expected that the discussion of local communities at the Forum will result in active cooperation in the field of amalgamation (https://goo.gl/knZmTa). On December 19, 2017, the RADA Program helped MPs to communicate effectively with their districts to improve the representation of the public in the legislative process. The RADA Program supported MP Olena Sotnyk in organizing hearings of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on

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with the topic "State Strategy of Positioning Ukraine in the World" on December 19. The Committee hearings were attended by the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze, MPs of Ukraine, Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, representatives of professional and public associations, and experts in the field of branding. MP Olena Sotnyk presented the results of the project "Development of the Positioning and External Image (Branding) of Ukraine," which was conducted from March to July 2017 in Kharkiv under the RADA Program’s Model District initiative. As a result, recommendations were prepared for the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine (http://radaprogram.org/en/rada-news). On December 19-20, 2017, the RADA Program partner IUA supported MP Olena Sotnyk in organizing a regional press tour to Verkhovna Rada for 23 regional journalists to improve communication between constituencies and MPs so as to strengthen outreach and citizens’ participation in the legislative process (https://goo.gl/dZnk8S). See E.R. 1.1.ii for further details. During this reporting period, MP Ihor Huz, participant of Model District initiative, presented his public report. More information is available at https://goo.gl/t1RmDN. 1.1.ii. Regional topical press-tours On December 19-20, 2017, IUA held an additional two-day press tour for regional journalists. It was conducted in Kyiv and was attended by MP Olena Sotnyk, a participant of the RADA Model District component. Twenty-three journalists participated in the press tour (including 12 women and 11 men). The agenda of the event included the following: • Familiarization with the work of the Parliament. • Briefings of People's Deputies at the press-post of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. • Open hearings of the Committee on European Integration of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "The State Strategy of Positioning Ukraine in the World." This was the central event of the press tour. MP Olena Sotnyk, participant of the RADA Program Model District initiative, chaired the hearings. In addition, journalists had an opportunity to be acquainted with the formats of the parliamentary Committees' work, ask questions, and take part in the discussion. • Meeting with representatives of the Press Service and the Information Department of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. One of the main tasks of this part of the press tour was to provide the regional journalists with useful information that could help them write about the Parliament. It included the following: (1) how and where to check data about the activities of the Verkhovna Rada; (2) how to contact the MPs to get the necessary information; and (3) how to participate in parliamentary activities. Iryna Karmelyuk, Head of the Press Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and Serhiy Goryachev, Head of the Information Office of the Verkhovna Rada, informed the participants on the above-mentioned issues. Serhiy Goryachev also told the participants about new services for journalists on the VRU web-portal. • School of Parliamentary Journalism. RADA Program expert Volodymyr Kryzhanivskyi delivered a special lecture on the VRU Rules of Procedure. It helped journalists understand the principles of work of Ukrainian Parliament, including the legislative process.

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• Meeting with the RADA Program partners and presentation of information materials on Parliament- related issues, produced under the Program. Among others, OPORA has presented its parliamentary monitoring tools for regional journalists, while IL concentrated on electronic tools of the VRU developed with the RADA Program’s assistance. • Press conference of members of the VRU Committee on European Integration for the press tour participants. • Familiarization with the work of the following VRU Committees: Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations; Committee on Social Policy, Employment and Pension Provision; Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information Policy; Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government. The press tour participants were invited to attend a meeting of one of the Committees. This part of the press tour was meant to provide journalists with an insight into the work of the Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Responses to the post-event questionnaire showed that the proposed format of press tours is highly appreciated by journalists. The average mark for professional level improvement as a result of the press tour is 9.4 points out of 10. Media report on the event is available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hFwWLDHvjA4 n3cfyPog9LvjazMHI0U4b. A video from the KTM Radio Company outlining each stage of the press tour is available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10FkLGpbUF1bS Ezf7EM9-GEep-J6C5Iip. The press tour was the last of four events in 2017. Such format can be regarded as the first step in creating the School of Parliamentary Journalism within the VRU. All the materials of the events in 2017 were transferred to the VRU Press Service. Based on the experience of more than 20 press events conducted under the RADA Program, IUA together with the Press Service of the VRU Secretariat published a methodology for organization and conduct of press events. The manual is targeted at MPs and their aides as well as the VRU PR and information professionals. It describes the full cycle of a media event with a detailed plan for each stage: starting from idea and concept to completion, including post-communication. IUA will disseminate them among MPs, their aides, and the VRU Secretariat. The manual is available in electronic format at https://issuu.com/internews-ukraine/docs/presstools_rada. 1.1.iii. Open Government Partnership Implementation The RADA Program supports Ukrainian civil society in monitoring the results achieved under the Open Government Partnership Initiative to improve the quality of governance. The RADA Program prepared the final report on Ukraine's compliance with its obligations under the OGP Initiative. The presentation of the report took place at the VR Committee on Preventing and Combating Corruption, bringing together an influential group of anti-corruption activists on December 14. For more information, please visit https://goo.gl/fPaVnS.

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1.1.iv. Training for MPs, MP aides and faction staff On December 14-15, 2017, the RADA Program, in cooperation with the Organizational Department of the VR Secretariat, organized a training session on the Verkhovna Rada Rules of Procedures for representatives of the Committees’ secretariats and structural divisions of the VRU Secretariat. At the training, 17 participants learned more about the structure and functions of the work of the Verkhovna Rada, the legislative process, the ethical aspects of the activities of the VRU, etc. The Program involved 3 trainers – participants in the training for trainers conducted on October 27-29, 2017: two NGO representatives – Alyona Shehenya and Mykhailo Horkusha, and one representative of the VRU Secretariat – Hanna Lys, Chief Consultant of the Secretariat of the Committee on Legal Policy and Justice. In addition, RADA Program Senior Consultant Volodymyr Kryzhanivskyi provided expert support and comments during the training (https://goo.gl/4mzpFX). On December 13-14, 2017, the RADA Program, in cooperation with UN Women, organized an expert workshop on Harmonization of the Ukrainian Legislation on Gender Equality: Recommendations of Concluding Observations to the Eighth Periodic Report on the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The event was attended by representatives of the Parliamentary Caucuses “Equal Opportunities,” gender focal points of the secretariats of Verkhovna Rada Committees, as well as representatives of the Vice Prime Minister’s office on European Integration. The objectives of the event included enhancing civil servants’ knowledge and skills in applying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Optional Protocol to the Convention in legislative work; increasing their knowledge of state obligations under CEDAW; monitoring of CEDAW implementation; reviewing the Concluding Observations to the 8th Periodic Report of Ukraine; elaboration of amendments to the legislation in accordance with the Concluding Observations to the 8th periodic report of Ukraine (https://goo.gl/PBVkVV).

Expected Result 1.2. Inclusive legislative practices established 1.2.i. New Civic Platform CSO Registry No RADA activities in the reporting period. 1.2.ii. Promotion of the CSO Registry’ public use No RADA activities in the reporting period. 1.2.iii. Public education on decentralization and regional reform On November 21, 2017, the RADA Program supported MP Pavlo Rizanenko in conducting an open discussion on decentralization reform and voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities with participation of rural leaderships and representatives of local self-governance from Brovary and Baryshivka rayons and town of Berezan. Refer please E.R. 1.1.i for detailed information on the event. 1.2.iv. Training on Policy Analysis for lawmakers During the reporting period, the EIRC’s chief Roman Kobets delivered the last two trainings on public policy analysis of the four planned for 2017: • on October 24, 2017, for 25 representatives of the Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government; • on December 12, 2017, for 19 representatives of the VRU committees and faction secretariats as well as MPs aides.

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The trainings focused on the specifics of decision-making in public policy - the public policy cycle, problems of the legislative process as a stage of public policy formation, stakeholders and their role in public policy, and use of analytical papers in the work of public agencies across the world. Practical recommendations to the participants included a description of legislation drafting problems, quality criteria for bills, and a classification of stakeholders. Based on the trainings conducted in 2017, the RADA Program will work out and conduct ToT to prepare up to 10 trainers in policy analysis in 2018. This pull of trainers will deliver policy analysis trainings for MPs and their aides, VRU staff and CSO representatives in future. At least 3 trainings will be conducted in 2018. 1.2.v. E-Platform to monitor and respond to citizens’ legislative petitions and complaints The RADA partner NGO IL produced promo materials of the Electronic petitions service for different target groups for further promotion: • three releases of infographics reviews of the new and most popular petitions to the Verkhovna Rada (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/oglyad-e-petyciy-do-vru-za-lystopad-2017-roku, http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/oglyad-e-petyciy-do-vru-za-25-29-zhovtnya-2017-roku and http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/oglyad-e-petyciy-do-vru-za-18-veresnya-1-zhovtnya-2017-roku). The newsletters were received by the Secretariats of the Committees of the Verkhovna Rada and MPs. • Infographics (printed and electronic) "E-petitions to State Institutions. Which Bodies Should Be Contacted with which Questions?" (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/e-petyciyi-do-yakyh- organiv-z-yakymy-pytannyamy-zvertatysya) • Research and creation of a site-business card to promote e-petitions to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine "E-petitions to State Institutions." • Research and infographics (printed and electronic) on how e-petitions work in other countries compared to Ukraine: "Electronic Petition Systems to the Parliament in EU States and in Ukraine" (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/porivnyannya-system-elektronnyh-petyciy-do-parlamentu- v-krayinah-yes-ta-v-ukrayini). • A series of video-blogs "E-petition: from Idea to Result." The videos are available at:  https://youtu.be/PsOBHD9cULI  https://youtu.be/FkWFNQN619E  https://youtu.be/VlXZH0NIlJ4  https://youtu.be/3v-c2aPl6sI  https://youtu.be/xjW8uz5mGSo

The developed materials were distributed through social networks, partners and state institutions via e-mail or were posted on the IL website. The infographics “The State Institutions to Be Contacted in Connection with Issues Raised in Electronic Petitions” were disseminated by the Ukrinform news agency, and were also published in other regional and national Internet resources. In addition, these infographics were published on the website of the Department of Citizens' Appeals of the VRU Secretariat. Recently, the Department of Citizens' Appeals proposed the Interns’ League cooperation in promoting one more VRU electronic tool – electronic appeals – and in preparing other materials explaining and revealing the Department’s work. On November 15, 2017, IL conducted a webinar "Everything on Electronic Petitions to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine" (https://goo.gl/vepTbM). Forty-six persons participated in the webinar; the webinar video has received 72 views. The webinar video is available on the RADA Program’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2_Ax7pO9nA).

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1.2.vi. Support the activities of the European Information Research Center (EIRC) During the reporting period, the European Information Research Center (EIRC) analysts responded to 23 requests including: • 21 requests from Members of Parliament; • 6 requests from the Verkhovna Rada Committees; • 3 requests from the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; • 2 requests from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine deputy group on inter-parliamentary relations. The preparation of replies to request involved the analysis of international practices in various spheres of state policy. Accordingly, papers on the following subjects were prepared: legal regulation of immunity of Members of Parliament, judicial reforms, digital money and cryptocurrency business regulations, participatory budget regulations, etc. Analytical products prepared by EIRC are available at https://goo.gl/rsJhhB. The EIRC continued to promote the Center’s products among Members of Parliament, parliamentary assistants and employees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. On November 21, 2017, the EIRC participated in events organized within the framework of the Global Legislative Openness Week. Presentation of the EIRC activities: • On October 5, 2017, EIRC Director Roman Kobets moderated the first public discussion “Interaction between Legislative and Executive Powers: Efficient, Foreseeable, Qualitative Legislative Decisions” held within the framework of 10 discussions on the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada. Roman Kobets presented report on cooperation of the legislative and executive branches in the legislative process. • On October 25, 2017, EIRC Director Roman Kobets presented the activities of the EIRC at the coordination meeting of representatives of international technical assistance projects. • On November 21, 2017, EIRC Director Roman Kobets presented the activities of the EIRC at the coordination meeting on enhancing the efficiency of cooperation among the Verkhovna Rada Committees, the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat and international technical assistance projects. • On November 28, 2017, EIRC analyst Anastasiia Parshykova presented the EIRC research paper on international experience of civil service reforms at the coordination meeting of representatives of the RADA Program and partner organizations with the heads of secretariats of the Verkhovna Rada Committees. • On December 18, 2017, EIRC Director Roman Kobets presented the research paper “Foreign Practice of Legislative Regulation of the Local Deputies’ Status” at the panel discussion “Legislative Regulation of the Local Deputies’ Legal Status: Present State and Future Prospects.” • On December 20, 2017 EIRC activities were presented at a meeting with local media journalists. During the reporting period, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives continued its activities on working out and presenting the policy analysis documents thus promoting one of the most convenient alternative format that helps the VRU committees in forming their position as well as stimulates the discussion between the VRU, CMU and CSOs on the most sensitive issues. ALI has drafted, published and presented 7 Policy Papers: 1. “Proposals Concerning the Policy of Government’s Reporting in Parliament” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Policy-Paper_Report-1.pdf). The policy document was prepared within the framework of the parliamentary reform advocacy campaign. The issue of legislature reform is closely linked to the legislative process in general and hence with the ways of organizing communication between the Government and the Parliament, both in terms of adoption of legislation and in terms of supervision of its enforcement. Without

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effective communication between these institutions, it is impossible to improve the work of the Parliament itself. The paper is intended for MPs of Ukraine, public experts and scholars. On December 21, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine held a press briefing focusing on the presentation of a policy paper on “Concept of Beginning-to-End Legislative Process” and “Proposals Concerning the Policy of Government’s Reporting in Parliament.” The presentation was delivered by Dmytro Lubinets, MP of Ukraine, and Oleksandr Zaslavskyi, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, author of the study. A press release on the event is available on the ALI website: https://goo.gl/pYwFyG.

2. “Proposals for Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Propozicii_Politiki_ECHR.pdf). The document was prepared at the request of the Committee on Legal Policy and Justice. Currently, Ukraine has major problems executing ECHR judgments, partly due to the mechanism of execution of these judgments established by the legislation of Ukraine. Thus, the document focuses on analyzing the practice of execution of ECHR judgments by Ukraine, gaps in legislation and proposals for improving this situation. The document is intended for MPs of Ukraine, public experts and academics. The presentation was postponed to the next session.

3. “Proposals for the Policy Concerning Supporting Documents in the Legislative Process” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp- content/uploads/2017/10/ALI_Propozicii_Politiki_Suprovidnih_Dokumentiv_17.11.pdf). The paper was prepared as part of the parliamentary reform advocacy campaign. Support documents accompanying draft laws do not solve the problem of legislative spam; but if we change the role of the cover note and its structure, it might help to improve the process of passing laws. An explanatory note will clarify the goals and objectives of the draft law and demonstrate its connection with the current policy. Consequently, discussion will focus on its content rather than on the legal mechanism of implementation. The document is intended for MPs Ukraine, local councilors, public experts and academics. On November 17, 2017, at the roundtable on “The Role and Place of Supporting Documents in the Legislative Process,” organized within the RADA Program in cooperation with the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, Mykhailo Koltsov, ALI expert, presented the Policy Paper. The paper deals with the following issues: What is “legislative spam” and how does it affect the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine? How can we solve the problem of “legislative spam”? What is a cover note and what are its functions? What tasks can a correct cover note tackle? What are checklists and how can they affect the efficiency of the work of MPs and of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine? Presenting the Policy Paper, Mykhailo Koltsov emphasized that the problem of “legislative spam” affects primarily MPs themselves and the VRU Secretariat. The load on the latter is particularly tough, since its work is strictly regulated and there are no additional resources to solve the problem by increasing the staff or by amending regulations. A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: http://parlament.org.ua/2017/11/17/prezentatsiya-analitychnogo-doslidzhennya-policy-paper-na- temu-propozytsiyi-do-polityky-shhodo-suprovidnyh-dokumentiv-u-zakonodavchomu-protsesi/

4. “Proposals Concerning the Policy of Ensuring Gender Equality in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp- content/uploads/2017/10/Propozicii_Politiki_Gendernoi_Rivnosti.pdf). The paper was drafted at the request of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure and Support to Work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The document analyzes the main aspects of integration of the gender component into the work of the VRU. The study contains suggestions concerning the introduction of mandatory gender-focused legal assessment of draft laws by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; proposals regarding sexism and discrimination in the behavior of parliamentarians in accordance with ethical practices; suggestions as to improving the balanced representation of women and men in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The document is intended for MPs of Ukraine, local councilors, public experts and academics.

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The presentation was postponed to the next session.

5. “Proposals for Policy on Cyber Security Reform in Ukraine” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/au_White-book-on-cybersecurity- draft_5.pdf). The paper was prepared on request of the VRU Committee for Informatization and Communications. Under conditions of hybrid warfare, lack of a legislative framework for cybersecurity in Ukraine significantly increases the risk of collapse of the national cyber security system and challenges the possibility of integration of Ukrainian cybersecurity components at European and world levels. To date, Ukraine has established no single center for coordinating the work on legislative and regulatory support to ensure effectiveness of the system of cyber security based on a comprehensive analysis of the current state of this area, of the challenges; existing and potential threats that would take into account the interests of all stakeholders. The system that would be integrated into the European and global international cybersecurity system and would have sufficient financial, organizational, technical, and personnel support. The document is intended for MPs of Ukraine, local councilors, public experts and academics. The paper was presented on December 14, 2017, during the Committee hearings on “Principles of E-Governance in the Electoral Process.” The event was organized by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives in cooperation with the Committee on Informatization and Communications of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with the support of the International IDEA. The paper was presented by one of its authors – Yehor Aushev, Project Manager of the Cyber-Guard, co-founder of HACKEN. During the event, the paper was discussed with 42 people, including representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, specialized parliamentary Committees, a representative of the Central Election Commission, and representatives of NGOs working on improvement of the electoral process in Ukraine. A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: http://parlament.org.ua/2017/12/15/prezentatsiya-analitychnogo-doslidzhennya-policy-paper-na- temu-propozytsiyi-do-polityky-shhodo-reformuvannya-sfery-kiberbezpeky-v-ukrayini/

6. “Concept of ‘End to-End’ Legislative Process” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Policy-Paper_End-to-end.pdf). The paper was prepared as part of the parliamentary reform advocacy campaign. The document contains an analysis of existing practices, an overview of international experience, as well as proposals as to the concept of the “beginning-to-end” legislative process reform focused on strengthening coordination between legislative initiative actors. This is set out in the first recommendation of the Roadmap on Internal Reform and Capacity-Building for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine prepared by the European Parliament’s Needs Assessment Mission headed by Pat Cox. The document is intended for MPs of Ukraine, local councilors, public experts and academics. There were 3 presentations of the Policy Paper in the reporting quarter: • On December 06, 2017, the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center (2, Khreshchatyk Str.) hosted a presentation of the Policy Paper “Concept of ‘Beginning-to-End’ Legislative Process.” The event was attended by MP Dmytro Lubinets, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure and Support to Work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The video of the press briefing is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1-eD3ztLys. A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: https://goo.gl/px8npd.

• On December 12, 2017, Oleksandr Zaslavskyi presented the paper at the conference “Role of Parliament, Heads of State, Government and the Public in Improving the Quality of the Legislative Process.” A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: https://goo.gl/11oMyK.

• On December 21, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine hosted a press briefing Formatted: Indent: First line: 0" devoted to the presentation of policy papers on “Concept of ‘End-to-End’ Legislative Process” and “Proposals Concerning the Policy of Government’s Reporting in Parliament.”

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The studies were presented by MP Dmytro Lubinets and Oleksandr Zaslavskyi, author of the study, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives. A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: https://goo.gl/AJ7JFN.

7. “Proposals as to Conflict Resolution Policy in Temporarily Uncontrolled Territories in the East of Ukraine” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Donbas_ALI_PP-.pdf). Today, the state of affairs in Ukraine displays a low level of stability and security. In Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the east of the country, a conflict broke out whereby pro-Russian separatists took control of parts of the two oblasts. The document suggests possible solutions to the conflict in Donbas taking into account military and financial/property losses, social sentiment, the positions of external players and other factors. The document is intended for MPs of Ukraine, local councilors, public experts and academics.

8. The policy paper on “Proposals Concerning Policy on Conflict of Interests of MPs of Ukraine” was published in the previous period. The problem of managing conflicts of interest is relevant both for Ukrainian society and for the crosscutting tasks of the RADA Program that include, inter alia, counteraction to corruption. It also corresponds to the recommendations #52 of the Roadmap on Internal Reform and Capacity- Building for the VRU prepared by the European Parliament’s Needs Assessment Mission headed by Pat Cox. The document analyzes the phenomenon of conflict of interest in the Ukrainian parliament and suggests possible ways of managing conflicts of interest and developing conflict-of-interest policies. Based on the analysis, it was found that there is evidence of a conflict of interest for 9% of MPs. However, the incoherence of legislation, lack of a coherent policy regarding conflicts of interest, insufficiency of penalties, and the inertia of controlling bodies inhibit both resolution of existing conflicts of interests and prevention of potential ones. The nature of the MP’s representative function implies the existence of certain conflicts of interest, so it is extremely important to prevent conflicts of interest and to ensure the inevitability of punishment for violating existing conflict-of-interest rules and regulations using a coherent conflict-of-interest policy. The document was presented twice during the reporting period: • On November 14, 2017, during the press briefing at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The paper was presented by MP Serhiy Leshchenko; Svitlana Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives; and Ulyana Poltavets, author of the study, Program Director of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives. A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: https://goo.gl/N4vXzs. References in the media: https://newsnetwork.tv/movie/29464/

• On November 15, 2017, at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center. The paper was presented by Ulyana Poltavets and Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, together with Svitlana Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, and MP Serhiy Leshchenko. The event was attended by journalists, representatives of NACP and PUNP. A press release of the event is available on the ALI website: http://parlament.org.ua/2017/11/15/prezentatsiya-analitychnogo-dokumentu-policy- paper-na-temu-propozytsiyi-do-polityky-shhodo-konfliktu-interesiv-narodnyh-deputativ- ukrayiny/.

9. The policy paper “Proposals for the Policy of Rehabilitation for People with Health Problems” was published in the previous period. Its presentation was held on November 21, at Kyiv hotel. The event was attended by 34 participants, including MPs’ assistants, representatives of the Secretariat of the VRU Committee on Health Care, the Secretariat of the VRU Commissioner for Human Rights, the State Service of Ukraine for War Veterans and Anti-Terrorist Operation Participants, the Institute of Social Technologies, International University of Human Development ‘Ukraine’, eHealth, Clinical Hospital “Feofaniya,” and representatives of the public.

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The paper was presented by Bohdan Moisa, Coordinator of the Analytical Division of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union. The discussion focused on such issues as financing the provision of quality rehabilitation services; social protection of persons with disabilities (guardians); bias in disability assessment; limited possibilities of the ICF for adequate assessment of disability; staffing schedule of specialists providing rehabilitation services; clarification of the terms “physical rehabilitation,” “social rehabilitation” and “psychological rehabilitation”; and building multidisciplinary teams in rehabilitation institutions (https://goo.gl/jW2S5p).

10. The policy document “Proposals for the Policy on Regulation of the Status of Local Councilors” was published in the previous period. The study was presented on December 18, 2017, at the round table on “Legislative Regulation of the Legal Status of Local Councilors: State of Play and Prospects for Improvement” of the Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government.

The event was organized by the VRU Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self- Government in co-operation with the project “Promoting Local Democracy in Ukraine” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The paper was presented by its author Kateryna Handzyuk, Advisor to the City Mayor, Councilor of the Council, member of the Executive Committee of the Kherson City Council (https://goo.gl/L1ggPF).

During the reporting period, two issues of the magazine Chasopys Parlament were published:

No. 3 “Challenges to Functioning and Prospects for Reform of the Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Parlam-3_ED.pdf). The issue focuses on the legal and political aspects of the work of parliamentary Committees and outlines the main areas of their future reform.

No. 4 “Specifics of Civil Service in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp- content/uploads/2017/11/Parlam4_1.pdf). The issue deals with the problems of establishing the parliamentary service in Ukraine. On November 24, 2017, Tetyana Chernukha, Program Coordinator of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, presented the paper at the roundtable on “Parliamentary Service” organized by the RADA Program (https://goo.gl/xHfkFk).

1.2.vii. Policy Dialogue Meetings in cooperation with the Association of People’s Deputies of Ukraine No RADA activities in the reporting period. Expected Result 1.3. Cooperation between MPs and local governments strengthened 1.3.i. Support regional local government associations and the Association of the Ukrainian Cities (AUC) – biannual MP district report sessions No RADA activities in the reporting period. 1.3.ii. Regional policy dialog meetings in different regions in coordination with VR LSG and in cooperation with CoE No RADA activities in the reporting period. 1.3.iii. Town Hall Meetings to discuss emerging issues and voice the concerns and preferences No RADA activities in the reporting period. 1.3.iv. Initiate, in cooperation with CoE, regular reports by local government associations in the VR LSG Committee with the participation of representatives of other Committees No RADA activities in the reporting period.

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Expected Result 1.4. Cooperation and communication between the VRU and VR ARC institutionalized and strengthened The activity has been suspended. Instead, RADA launched a peer-to-peer exchange program for VRU staff in Y3 that allowed them to learn about parliamentary work in other countries. In Y3, the RADA Program successfully accomplished first peer-to-peer visits for three employees of VR Committees to the Parliaments of Estonia and Poland, each visit lasting from 7 to 10 days. The information on the visits within the reported period is available in the Model District Initiative (ER 1.1.1).

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OBJECTIVE 2: Expanded role of citizens in monitoring the work of Parliament Expected Result 2.1. Civic education initiatives promoted to foster greater citizen engagement in the legislative process 2.1.i. Interactive map-based web portal with information about MPs RADA partner OPORA continued to develop the “Rada OPORA" web portal (https://rada.oporaua.org) – a powerful tool that provides analytical data on the Parliament and the parliamentarians’ work. The number of visitors to the RADA OPORA web portal has increased in comparison with the initial figures. Thus, in October-December 2017, according to Google Analytics data, the portal's attendance statistic was 250 people a day. The portal's initial attendance rate was 85 people a day. During the reporting period, OPORA has developed a new tool for monitoring the work of people's deputies on the portal, "State Subsidies Map" (https://rada.oporaua.org/mapa-subvencii-2016/). The tool allows analyzing how much money from the State Budget (subvention for socio-economic development) was allocated to each constituency. This Map is imposed on another OPORA tool, "Constituencies Map" (https://rada.oporaua.org/instrumenty/okruhy). The information is collected based on analysis of the CMU Resolution on the distribution of state subventions. The research results1 were presented during the national press conference2 on November 26, 2017, and during the coordination meeting of the representatives of international technical aid projects (IPTAC) which was held by the RADA Program3 on November 29. OPORA also has published the following analytical materials on the web-portal: • activity ratings of the 88 majoritarian deputies for October 2017 (https://rada.oporaua.org/analityka/zviti/19761-reitynh-diialnosti-88-deputativ-mazhorytarnykiv- u-zhovtni-2017-roku); • 8 analytical materials related to the world legislative and parliamentary experience, activities of the VRU and its Committees, and the proper functioning of parliamentary parties; • 17 analytical materials with a regional focus on the work of deputies and parliamentary parties; • report summing up 3 years of operation of the VRU of 8th convocation. All the documents are available at https://rada.oporaua.org/analityka/zviti. OPORA will continue to update the RADA web portal to let citizens know important information about MPs and the Parliament’s effectiveness. 2.1.ii. Civic Education Campaign in regions on both national and regional specific policy issues During the reporting period, OPORA experts delivered 27 lectures for students of social and humanitarian disciplines in 13 institutions of higher education in 13 regions of Ukraine. 534 students visited the lectures, which took place in the following cities: # Date City 1. 09-Oct-17 Sumy 2. 11-Oct-17 Kharkiv 3. 12-Oct-17 Sumy 4. 13-Oct-17 Lutsk 5. 13-Oct-17 Kharkiv 6. 17-Oct-17 Sumy 7. 17-Oct-17 Lviv 8. 17-Oct-17 Lutsk 9. 18-Oct-17 Kharkiv 10. 20-Oct-17 Chernivtsi 11. 23-Oct-17 Odesa 12. 23-Oct-17 Odesa 13. 23-Oct-17 Ivano-Frankivsk

1 https://rada.oporaua.org/novyny/novini/19751-derzhavni-subventsiji-khto-skil-ki-naprosiv-na-okrug. 2 https://rada.oporaua.org/novyny/novini/19752-mekhanizm-vydilennia-kabminom-subventsii-dlia-rehioniv- neprozoryi-a-rozpodil-koshtiv-nerivnomirnyi-ta-mozhe-zalezhaty-vid-deputativ-mazhorytarnykiv. 3 http://radaprogram.org/radanews/gromadski-organizaciyi-prezentuvaly-doslidzhennya-pro-derzhavni-subvenciyi-na-zustrichi.

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14. 23-Oct-17 Lutsk 15. 23-Oct-17 Mykolaiv 16. 24-Oct-17 Lviv 17. 25-Oct-17 Lviv 18. 26-Oct-17 Lviv 19. 26-Oct-17 Poltava 20. 26-Oct-17 Khmelnytskyi 21. 30-Oct-17 Khmelnytskyi 22. 31-Oct-17 Kropyvnytskyi 23. 02-Nov-17 Khmelnytskyi 24. 20-Nov-17 Cherkasy 25. 23-Nov-17 Sumy 26. 01-Dec-17 Dnipro 27. 09-Dec-17 Mykolaiv Two MPs (Iryna Konstankevych (http://itd.rada.gov.ua/mps/info/page/20103) and Ihor Lapin (http://itd.rada.gov.ua/mps/info/page/18114)) participated in the events in Lutsk. To deliver the lectures, OPORA published a practical manual "Parliament, Elections and Technologies" (https://app.box.com/s/gkbltto8ubseiggaejz2wmh10y6ab6ph) which had been developed to provide the students with high-quality information on the VRU functioning principles. The manual contains a five-part training module: 1) Instruments of parliamentary monitoring; 2) Parliamentary parties: funding standards and operating practices; 3) The people's deputy activity in the Parliament, its Committees, and "in the field"; 4) Election systems and election administration systems; 5) Legislative process in Ukraine. The manual’s hard copies were distributed during the lectures. 2.1.iii. Workshops for youth on culture of effective engagement in the legislative process No RADA activities in the reporting period. 2.1.iv. Public discussions on proposed legislation in public libraries (Bibliomist) No RADA activities in the reporting period. 2.1.v. Methodological recommendations for teachers in high schools on Legislature for Youth In the reporting period, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives (ALI) published Methodological Recommendations for teachers of secondary schools. The recommendations consist of the following parts: “Election Process,” “Political System in Ukraine: Citizen Engagement,” “Legislature for Youth,” and “Youth in Government Programs”; they were developed to improve the educational process on the parliamentary issues. ALI presented them at a joint event with the Institute of Educational Content Modernization on November 23. The presentation is part of the “Memorandum of Cooperation” of January 26, 2016, between the RADA Program and the Institute of Educational Content Modernization. Volodymyr KOVTUNETS, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, drew attention to the fact that the methodology was not instruction-based, when the teacher has a monopoly on truth and the student has to reproduce that gospel truth; instead, it was about practical training. Mr. Kovtunets emphasized the importance of encouraging students to contribute actively to shaping responsibility for all processes taking place in our country. The Methodological Recommendations are available on the ALI website: https://goo.gl/eVxz3u.

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On October 24 and 26, 2017, ALI tested the role game “Agora: Democratic Procedure of Law Adoption in the Parliament of Ukraine” at Kyiv Secondary School No. 148, involving 28 students of grades 10-11. The moderator of the game was Ivan Pikul, history teacher of the school. The students modeled the Parliament’s work in adopting the Draft Law “On the Election of the President of the School,” which had been drafted in cooperation with teachers to regulate the procedure for the election of the school’s President, head of the students’ self-government body. According to the students, the game AGORA provided them with an insight into the main stages of the VRU legislative process, helped them try their hand at parliamentary work and understand how important and difficult the MPs’ work is. To popularize the game "Agora" and to make it user-friendly for the target audience, IUA created a training video package. The video package consists of two parts. The first part is a promotional video about the game itself, which emphasizes the importance of the game and the benefits of the method. It also includes interviews of the following professionals: • Lilia Hrynevych, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; • Igor Kogut, Director of the USAID RADA Program; • Svitlana Matviyenko, Head of the Council of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives; • Serhiy Horbachov, Director of Ivan Bahryanyi secondary school # 148 in Kyiv; • Ivan Pikul, teacher of social and humanitarian disciplines, who is one of the first teachers to use the game in the education process. The second part of the video package contains three thematic components: (1) the rules of the game, (2) presentation of the necessary theory, and (3) the heading book, which the teacher will apply during the game. This part will be used during the educational process, because its purpose is to simplify the explanation of the rules for teachers and students. The video itself is available at https://www.facebook.com/catherina.paryhina/posts/1610844032328431. 2.1.vi. Civic educational campaigns on citizen rights, roles and responsibilities OPORA continued to maintain its website “They vote for you” that presents the findings of the monitoring of MPs’ voting at https://rada4you.org/divisions. 2.1.vii. Press tours for regional media to VR IUA held one additional press tour for regional journalists. Please refer to E.R. 1.1.ii for the details. 2.1.viii. Youth Parliament Initiative to discuss the pressing issues for young people No RADA activities in the reporting period. 2.1.ix. TV program “Dear MPs” (Re:Forma) No RADA activities in the reporting period. 2.1.x. Series of programs “Parliament through Young People’s Eyes” on RADA TV Channel IUA created video episodes for the program "The Parliament through Young People’s Eyes," which is a series highlighting three important issues of the VRU work so as to inform youth. IUA focused on the following topics: • Parliamentary reform: importance, challenges and current situation. • Oversight function of the Parliament: what and how Parliament controls, oversight over the Cabinet of Ministers; tools and importance. • The impact of citizens on the legislative process: the difference between the legislative and law drafting processes; how can citizens influence the processes?

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The videos are to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for further broadcast on the Parliamentary TV channel "Rada"; it will also be disseminated through the RADA Program and its partner web-resources. As part of the 2018 activities, it is planned to propose these social videos to national and regional channels for educational purposes. The video is available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qtBGPvkjrsESP_ljQ8dKPkAasljv1VPa. Additionally, IUA created an educational video for the RADA InfoBus initiative "Methods of monitoring the MPs’ activities" to draw the attention of the population to the importance of monitoring the MPs’ activities as well as to describe the available tools for such monitoring. The video consists of the following parts: 1. Importance of monitoring of MPs’ activities 2. MPs’ accountability: e-declaration and reporting in their constituencies 3. Indicators of MPs effectiveness 4. Tools of MPs’ monitoring This video will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for further broadcast on the Parliamentary TV channel "Rada." In addition, it will be distributed on the official web resources the RADA Program and its partners. Additionally to the InfoBus activity, the video will be offered to national and regional TV channels as a social video. It is available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wrMPJQ7VEewALBfAz9X3p-0HaOLxzTJY. 2.1.xi. Annual Parliamentary Hearings Based on the results of the conference, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives published a collection of selected works of the participants of the Seventh International Academic Conference “Parliamentary Readings.” The Collection includes the best 15 reports out of 26 presented at the Seventh International Academic Conference “Parliamentary Readings” (26-27 May 2017). In addition, the Collection includes expert articles by the special guests of the Conference: • Jan MENTZER, Foreign Policy Advisor, Political Advisor on foreign policy issues of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany; • Dr. Johann WADEPHUL, Member of Bundestag (Berlin, Germany); • Volodymyr PANIOTTO, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Lecturer of the Department of Sociology, KIIS Director General; • Volodymyr Venher, Head of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy and Justice. The copies of the Conference Collection were disseminated among the Conference participants and academic libraries of Ukraine. The Collection is available on the ALI website: http://parlament.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Zbirka_7_Parlamentski_Chytannya_2017.pdf

Expected Result 2.2. Civil society monitoring of the VR fostered, including strengthening of lobbying groups 2.2.i. With the Institute of Legislation, develop and institutionalize the platform for public commentaries on proposed legislation The RADA Program continued to promote the electronic tools of the Parliament. On November 23, 2017, IL held a presentation "Electronic Democracy in Action: e-Tools of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine." The event was attended by representatives of NGOs, Secretariats of the VRU Committees, MP’s aides, and employees of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat. RADA Program expert Serhiy Cherednichenko delivered a detailed presentation of the e-tools of the Parliament and the main principles of their work and usage. IL also disseminated its materials on the e-tools for the VRU (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/elektronna-demokratiya-v-diyi-e-instrumenty-verhovnoyi-rady- ukrayiny).

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IL also produced a video instruction on how to use the platform for public discussion of the VRU draft laws in order to promote the platform and to explain to Internet users how to work with this tool (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/shcho-take-portal-gromadskogo-obgovorennya-zakonoproektiv- videoinstrukciya). The video instruction is available at the IL YouTube channel and has already received 85 views (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgucQC62DLs). On November 24, 2017, IL held a webinar "The Portal for Discussion of Draft Laws." The participants were informed on the technical functionalities of the Portal, the opportunities provided for its users, and the results of its functioning in 2017. Thirty-eight users took part in the event (https://goo.gl/3aUBTj). The webinar is available on the YouTube channel of the RADA Program (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUrLz2BZ4w). All the VRU electronic services (e-Petitions, e- Appeals, the Citizens-Rada Legislative Discussion E-Platform) have a common user database and its statistics in 2017 are as follows: Users 2017 Total Registered 128902 209331 Active 105123 175978 Inactive 23779 33334 SMS-verified 87742 138271 e-Petitions to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine: Petitions 2017 Total Submitted 592 1752 Rejected 229 864 Published 357 880 Deleted 0 60 Collected 25,000 signatures 2 3 Transferred as e-Appeals 320 722 Replies to e-Appeals 285 647

Citizens-Rada Legislative Discussion E-Platform: Drafts published for discussion 5 Users participating in the discussion and commenting 969 Comments, suggestions and notes submitted 1041 Drafts proposed for discussion by users 48

2.2.ii. Training module on CSO monitoring of constituency development funds and other district-specific allocations This activity has been completed. The RADA Program has started to incorporate the methodology into the training module in the Model District component. 2.2.iii. Support citizen groups engaged in lobbying and advocacy campaigns for democratic legislation or legislative amendments In the reporting period, ALI published a handbook for NGOs “Guidelines for Planning and Conducting Advocacy Campaigns” on the basics of communication with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine when conducting advocacy campaigns. The handbook’s aim is to strengthen NGOs’ skills in the area of planning and conducting advocacy campaigns. It contains the best world practices and approaches to advocacy. This is the first publication

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aimed at systematizing the existing experience and providing insights into ways of effective interaction between society and government through advocacy, which might be of use for public activists, heads of organizations, advocacy and communication advisers of NGOs, government officials, and business professionals engaged in the field of government relations. The handbook will be disseminated for target audiences including through the web resources of ALI and the RADA Program. Additionally, the Ukrainian Catholic University Is going to use it in the educational process. The handbook is available on the ALI website: http://parlament.org.ua/2017/09/05/kerivni-pryntsypy-z- planuvannya-ta-provedennya-advokatsijnyh-kampanij/.

Expected Result 2.3. Reform legislation passed by partnering with other USAID programs 2.3.i. Support conducting biannual beginning-of-plenary-session presentations of USAID projects in VR Committees that have relevant project jurisdictions The RADA Program held coordination meetings of international technical assistance programs working in Ukraine (IPTAC): • On October 25, 2017, to present the activities of the European Information and Research Center at the Verkhovna Rada. The Center was created in order to provide the people's deputies of Ukraine and the staff of the Secretariats of the Verkhovna Rada with information that they can use in the law-making process (http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-presented-activities- european-information-and-research-center-verkhovna). • On November 29, Anatoliy Bondarchuk, Head of the Civil Network OPORA, Andriy Savchuk, analyst of the Civil Network OPORA, and Ivan Sikora, expert for the Open Society Foundation, presented two studies conducted within the framework of the USAID RADA Program about the allocation of state subventions (http://radaprogram.org/en/content/civil-society-organizations-present- research-state-subventions-meeting-technical-assistance). 2.3.ii. Encourage USAID programs’ representation in WGs, discussions, committee meetings The RADA Program organized a coordination meeting of the VRU Secretariat with the representatives of the international technical assistance projects on November 21, 2017. The meeting participants expressed interest in further cooperation in the spheres of expertise, analytical work and improvement of professionalism of the VRU staff (https://goo.gl/ZXrwDN). 2.3.iii. Develop recommendations of draft legislation tracking to be used by CSOs In Year 2 and Year 3, OPORA developed and widely promoted its websites and Parliament monitoring methodology among national and regional CSOs and public activists. Those toolkits are under current use throughout Ukraine (https://rada.oporaua.org/). Please refer to sections 2.1.ii and 2.1.vi of this report.

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OBJECTIVE 3. Role of legislature in providing independent oversight of the executive branch strengthened Expected Result 3.1. Anti-Corruption efforts strengthened including Parliamentary budgetary oversight 3.1.i. Video-based training manual on analyzing the state budget and the participation of MPs in the budget preparation and oversight RADA experts developed a video training – a unique tool on the budgeting process for the parliamentarians and the public. The video course consists of four parts, each devoted to different stages of the state budgeting process: (i) Legislative background and Ukrainian system of budgeting; (ii) Preparation of budget categories and discussions; (iii) Budget consideration process in the Parliament; and (iv) Parliament’s function of oversight of budget expenditures. All four segments are placed at the RADA Program YouTube channel and the RADA Program website (http://radaprogram.org/videomaterials/byudzhetnyy-proces). 3.1.ii. Encourage use of the web-site resource corruptua.org on corruption activities by region This activity was suspended, since the web resource does not function as a reporter on anti-corruption activities due to absence of funding for the website. The RADA Program was never supposed to fund the functioning of the website; it was expected to present cases of corruption for review by the VR Committee on Preventing and Combating Corruption. Instead, the RADA Program planned to conduct quarterly meetings together with the VR Committee on Preventing and Combating Corruption to follow anti-corruption activities. 3.1.iii. Expert discussion on changes to the Law on the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure In cooperation with VR Rules Committee Aiming at promoting and speeding up the full introduction of Parliamentary Reform, the RADA Program launched a series of expert discussions on Parliamentary Reform (based on the European Parliament Mission’s March 2016 Recommendations). The RADA Program will use the recommendations resulting from each discussion for further promotion of the Parliamentary reform. During the reporting period, the RADA Program conducted 6 expert discussions: 1. Legislative and executive interaction: effective, predictable, high-quality legislative solutions (October 5, 2017, http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program- organized-discussion-about-relationship-between-legislative-and-executive). The discussion covered the harmonization of legislative initiatives between the Government and the Parliament and oversight of the implementation of laws. The roundtable was attended by the members of the Working Group on Parliamentary reform, the staff of the VR Secretariat, experts, lawyers, civil society, and journalists.

2. Hour of Questions to the Government as Parliamentary oversight function (October 13, 2017, http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-held-roundtable-about-about-hour- questions-government-instrument) The discussion covered: • the problems of implementation of the current toolkit "Hours of Questions to the Government" • "Hour" or "day" of questions to the Government? • International experience of "Hours of Questions to the Government." The roundtable was attended by members of the Working Group on Parliamentary reform, the staff of the VR Secretariat, experts, lawyers, civil society, and journalists.

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3. Voting procedure: quorum and status of laws (November 3, 2017, http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-held-roundtable-about-voting-procedure- status-laws-and-quorum) The discussion covered: • Risks and benefits of introducing a simple majority vote • Introduction of a voting system for ordinary laws being enacted by a simple majority and for special laws requiring an absolute majority (Recommendation No. 13 of the Roadmap on internal reform and institutional capacity building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine). The roundtable was attended by members of the Working Group on Parliamentary reform, the staff of the VR Secretariat, experts, lawyers, civil society, and journalists.

4. Role of Explanatory Note to draft legislation in the legislative process (November 17, 2017, http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-promotes-discussion-parliamentary- reform-improve-mechanism-preparing). At the event, the RADA Program’s partner Agency for Legal Initiatives presented a policy paper called “Policy Proposals for Accompanying Documents in the Legislative Process,” proposing to change the role of the explanatory memorandum, formalize its structure, and introduce checklists into the practices of the Secretariat. Questions at the discussion: • Accompanying documents: types and requirements • Value of accompanying documents for registration of bills • Explanatory note as an embodiment of the draft law • Financial and economic justification: the role, significance, peculiarities of preparation.

5. Parliamentary Service: challenges and future (November 24, 2017, http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-organized-roundtable-about- parliamentary-service). The discussion covered the following aspects: • International experience in regulating parliamentary service in other countries; • Principles of establishing parliamentary service, its functioning, format, and legal framework. The roundtable was attended by MPs, members of the Working Group on Parliamentary Reform, the staff of the VR Secretariat, lawyers, civil society, and journalists.

6. Parliamentary Conference “Role of Society, Government, and Parliament. How to Improve the Legislative Process” (December 12, 2017, https://goo.gl/NTcp9z). The discussion brought together the main stakeholders for presenting their proposals for actions aimed at making the legislative process efficient, enhancing the role of the Secretariat and Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the legislative process, and providing expert and analytical support. The list of the Conference recommendations is available via the above link.

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Apart from this, on December 18, 2017, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives held the First Open Expert TV Debates on the Parliamentary Reform on the RADA TV channel. The debates were broadcasted on the RADA TV channel, which made it possible to engage a wide range of viewers of the RADA TV channel as well as the online audience to discuss the topic of parliamentary reform. Besides, the Facebook page of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives invited readers to take part in a survey on key issues of parliamentary reform through online voting. The TV debate was moderated by Oleksandr Zaslavskyi, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives. Speakers: • MP Olena Sotnyk, member of the parliamentary faction of the political party Samopomich, secretary of the VRU Committee on European Integration; • MP Yuriy Miroshnychenko, member of the parliamentary faction of the political party Opozytsiynyi Blok (), Chairman of the Subcommittee of the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement. Experts: • Yuriy Hanushchak, MP of Ukraine of 6th convocation; • Volodymyr Kryzhanivskyi, MP of Ukraine of 1st convocation, Senior Advisor to the USAID RADA Program. The debate focused on discussing specific proposals outlined in the Roadmap on Internal Reform and Capacity-Building for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine prepared by the European Parliament’s Needs Assessment Mission led by Pat Cox. The first set of issues discussed by MPs and experts concerned the organization of the process of discussing and aligning political decisions on parliamentary reform and search for a political compromise. The second set of issues focused on the bills approved within the framework of the working group and the Monnet dialogue platform. These are the Draft Law “On Amendments to the Laws of Ukraine ‘On Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’” and “On Central Executive Bodies” regarding the optimization of the work of the Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the relationship between their areas of competence and the ministries’ fields of activity. This bill was drafted in pursuance of recommendation 17 of the Roadmap stipulating the need to strengthen the monitoring role of Committees due to improved communication with specialized Committees. The third set of issues focused on the problem of the “legislative tsunami” or, to use parliamentarians’ term, “legislative spam,” which the European Parliament’s Assessment Mission recognized to be a major problem of the work of the VRU. This term is used to describe the huge number of legislative initiatives registered by MPs that become a burden for the expert departments of the Secretariat, for the parliamentary Committees and the Parliament as a whole. Accordingly, Recommendation 6 of the Roadmap stipulates that 20 top-priority legislative initiatives of MPs should be selected and considered based on the “float principle” – i.e., the Parliament will go on to consider the next parliamentary initiative only after adoption of one of these 20 as a whole. A press release of the Debate is available on the ALI website (http://parlament.org.ua/2017/12/19/pershi- vidkryti-ekspertni-debaty-shhodo-parlamentskoyi-reformy/). As of December 22, 2017, the TV Debate video generated 14 views on the YouTube channel of Rada TV Channel. In the reporting period, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives drafted info briefs on parliamentary reform on the following topics: 1. Institute of parliamentary bailiffs in different countries of the world. 2. International experience in regulating lobbying activities in Parliament. 3. Global Inter-Parliamentary Relations. 4. Stages of consideration of bills: International Experience. 3.1.iv. Methodological recommendations for VR Committees for reviewing the Chamber’s reports No RADA activities in the reporting period.

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3.1.v. Participate in activities of the VR Committee on Combating Organized Crime and Corruption charged with the development of the Code of Ethics The Agency for Legislative Initiatives drafted an analytical report on “Parliamentarians’ Code of Conduct: Structure, Content, and Subject Matter. Realities and Proposals for Ukraine” (http://parlament.org.ua/wp- content/uploads/2017/09/Code-of-Conduct_Analytical-report.pdf). This document aimed to summarize the discussions of MPs of Ukraine, international experts, OSCE ODIHR experts and stakeholders on the basis of a dialogue platform. In addition, the document provides a codification of the existing legislation in the areas covered by the Code of Conduct. This, firstly, refers to the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada and the Constitution of Ukraine, and, secondly, to the laws “On the Status of People’s Deputies of Ukraine” and “On Prevention of Corruption.” Apart from that, the codification sets penalties for infringement of the relevant provisions, in particular those relating to the behavior of MPs, conflicts of interest, declarations, etc. The report contributed to improving the culture of the political dialogue, strengthening inter-party cooperation, and approximation to international standards in accordance with the recommendations of the Mission headed by Pat Cox contained in the Report and Roadmap on Internal Reform and Capacity-Building for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The report was worked out within the framework of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives’ project “Promoting Democratic Political Culture in Verkhovna Rada through Political Dialogue and Ethical Standards,” implemented with the support of the Matra Program (Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) and in partnership with the OSCE ODIHR project “Strengthening Dialogue among Civil Society and with Key Government Stakeholders in Ukraine on Human Dimension Issues,” the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, and with the assistance of the RADA Program. 3.1.vi. Series of round table discussions on political and campaign finance and changes to current legislation with IFES The RADA Program, together with IFES and NDI, organized the Forum "Our Money in Politics: Version 3.0" on October 19. Around 100 participants (MPs and their teams, representatives of the civil sector, international organizations, and journalists) were involved in the discussion. Attendees of the forum discussed key problems of state financing (Ukrainian realities and international experience), as well as control over financial costs (reports, inspections, sanctions). At the forum, there was a general consensus amongst the speakers on the following important steps that need to be undertaken to strengthen transparency and regulation of money in Ukrainian politics: • Harmonizing the rules governing campaign finance in local elections with the rules governing party finance and campaign finance in the presidential and parliamentary elections; • Delineation of powers of the state bodies in charge of supervising political finance, in particular, NAPC, respective election commissions, and the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine; • Revision of legal provisions for political finance reporting that would provide for the establishment of an electronic platform for party and candidate financial reporting; • Establishment of effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions for political finance violations; • Adoption of a methodology for evaluating donations given to political parties; • Increased civic awareness of significance of political finance reform implementation and active engagement into the process of its monitoring. The Forum statement is available at http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-organized- national-forum-our-money-politics-version-30.

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3.1.vii. Guidelines and methodological recommendations on the implementation of new anti-corruption provisions in the Ukrainian legislation, with Government Representative for Anti-Corruption Policy and NAUCS No RADA activities in the reporting period. Expected Result 3.2. Parliamentary oversight strengthened through improved structural effectiveness 3.2.i. Series of public hearings on pre-prepared shadow reports RADA’s partner Agency for Legislative initiatives (ALI) presented its Shadow Report “Memory Policy Reform: Interim Results of Enforcement of the Decommunization Laws” on November 1, 2017, within the framework of the roundtable “Legislation on Condemnation of the Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes in Ukraine: Enforcement Status.” The report focused on the steps that need to be taken to make the decommunization reform truly comprehensive. The event was organized by the Agency Legislative Initiatives in co-operation with the Subcommittee on Decommunization of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy and Justice. The event was attended by 46 participants, including representatives of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, employees of the National Museum ‘Holodomor Victims’ Memorial’, MPs, MPs’ aides, and representatives of the public. The roundtable was moderated by MP Andriy Illyenko, Head of the Subcommittee on Condemnation of the Communist and National-Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Legal Policy and Justice. For more information, please visit http://parlament.org.ua/2017/11/01/prezentatsiya-shadow-report- reforma-u-sferi-polityky-pam-yati-promizhni-pidsumky-vykonannya-dekomunizatsijnyh-zakoniv/). The Shadow Report is available on the ALI website in the Analytics section: http://parlament.org.ua/wp- content/uploads/2017/11/Shadow_Decomunisation.pdf). 1. Committee meeting during the next session. 3.2.ii. Support using MP inquiries challenging Government decisions and other oversight means during Committee-conducted hearings – in cooperation with VR Committees No RADA activities in the reporting period. 3.2.iii. Updated training courses currently provided on Drafting Legislation, Norm Making, Lawmaking Techniques, Legal Language, Citizens and Lawmaking – with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, IRF, VR HR Department, VR Secretariat, and Institute of Legislation No RADA activities in the reporting period.

Expected result 3.3. Internship program institutionalized 3.3.i. Support Parliamentary Internship Program (PIP) During the official closing ceremony of the Parliamentary Internship Program 2017, Member of Parliament Valery Karpuntsov addressed the graduates, asking them to take part in the competition for the position of his aide. As a result, about 10 graduates who submitted a CV were invited to interviews that took place in early October 2017. According to the results of the interviews, two graduates of the Parliamentary Internship Program 2017 – Vladyslav Shkolnikov and Valentyna Chuyenko – became the MP’s aides.

In order to promote the Parliamentary Internship Program among youth in different regions of Ukraine, Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Line RADA’s partner the Interns’ League (IL) held 13 presentations in 8 cities during the reporting period: width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) • Kropyvnytskyi: Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University, October 18, 2017. • Odesa: Odesa National Maritime University, October 19, 2017, NU "Odesa Law Academy," October 19, 2017.

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• Uzhhorod: Uzhhorod National University, October 31, 2017. • Kyiv: presentation at the Vadym Hetman National Economic University of Kyiv , November 14, Formatted: English (United States) 2017, festival of opportunities “Important Things,” November 18, 2017, National University of Kyiv- Mohyla Academy, November 18, 2017. • Ternopil: Ternopil National Economic University, November 15, 2017. • Vinnytsia: Vasyl Stus National University of Donetsk, November 16, 2017, Vinnytsia Institute of Trade and Economics of KNUTE, November 16, 2017, Vinnytsia National Technical University, November 16, 2017. • Ostroh: National University Ostroh Academy, November 20, 2017. • Lviv: Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, November 21, 2017. 3.3.ii. Assist the Interns’ League in conducting recruitment campaign for Parliament Internship Program 2015-2016 and build institutional capacity for the Interns’ League IL, together with the Human Resources Office of the VRU Secretariat, conducted two rounds of selection for the Parliamentary Internship Program 2018. For the first round (application form competition), 439 applications were received from candidates (this is the record number of applications since 2012). There were about 7.8 applicants competing for one position intern of intern. It is also worth noting that this year 40 Parliamentary Internship Program graduates of different years agreed to evaluate the questionnaires. This is an indicator of the high quality and permanence of the work of the NGO “Interns’ League” with the graduates of the Program. 156 people were admitted to interviews (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/vyznacheno- pivfinalistiv-konkursnogo-vidboru-na-uchast-u-programi-stazhuvannya-v-aparati). After conducting interviews with the semifinalists on 12-15 December, the Commission on Internship chose 56 participants for the Parliamentary Internship Program 2018 (50 to the VRU and 6 to other internship units): http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/vyznacheno-uchasnykiv-programy-stazhuvannya-v-aparati- verhovnoyi-rady-ukrayiny-v-2018-roci). At the moment, together with the Staff Office of the VRU, the Interns’ League is working on the preparation of the Order "On Conducting Internships for Participants of the Parliamentary Internship Program 2018" and of the Parliamentary Internship Program 2018 itself. IL plans to hold the opening ceremony of the PIP 2018 in the last decade of January 2018. 3.3.iii. Develop a Sustainability Plan and Exit Plan for the Interns’ League No RADA activities in the reporting period. 3.3.iv. Negotiate the transfer of the Parliamentary Internship Program to the VR Secretariat and provide limited programmatic training support During the reporting period under review, the full implementation of the fourth stage of the Program’s institutionalization was achieved: the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution specifying the procedure for conducting internships by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and establishing, from 2018, 30 scholarships of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for interns enrolled full-time. By this decision, the Parliament of Ukraine recognized the importance and necessity of this Program and demonstrated its willingness to work on its further development. The adoption of the resolution was preceded by a thorough advocacy campaign by IL and the RADA Program: in October-November, meetings and negotiations were held with representatives of the parliamentary Committees and factions and the leadership of the Parliament. To support the resolution with arguments for the importance of the Program, we addressed all MPs via letters. The promotion of the resolution involved all graduates of the internship program working in the Verkhovna Rada or as MPs’ aides and all partners of the NGO “Interns’ League.” The result of the advocacy work was 244 votes "for" – at the plenary meeting on December 7, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 6596 “On Certain Issues of Implementing Article 48 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Civil Service’ at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.” IL continues its work aimed at implementing the mechanism for allocating scholarships from the VRU budget.

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CROSS-CUTTING USAID COMPONENTS Anti-Corruption • ALI has published its policy paper “Proposals as to Conflict Resolution Policy in Temporarily Uncontrolled Territories in the East of Ukraine.” Gender Equity • On December 13-14, the RADA Program organized an Expert Workshop on Harmonization of the Ukrainian Legislation on Gender Equality: Recommendations of Concluding Observations to the Eighth Periodic Report on the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The event was targeted at representatives of the Parliamentary Caucuses "Equal Opportunities," gender representatives authorized by the Secretariats of Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (http://radaprogram.org/en/content/usaid-rada-program-and-un-women-organized-expert- workshop-harmonization-ukrainian). • ALI published the policy paper “Proposals Concerning the Policy of Ensuring Gender Equality in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” presented and distributed it in the session hall among MPs, sent it out to libraries, universities of Ukraine, public organizations, partners. People with Disabilities • In the reporting period, policy papers “Proposals for the Policy of Rehabilitation for People with Health Problems” and “Policy Proposals on Employment of People with Disabilities” were printed and published in 700 copies, presented and sent out to MPs, libraries, universities of Ukraine, public organizations, partners, etc. Local Capacity Building (institutions and/or civil society) • ALI published a handbook for NGOs on the basics of communication with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine when conducting advocacy campaigns. • OPORA continues to contribute to the capacity building of local nongovernmental institutions and civil society by providing methodologies for monitoring the activities of the MPs and local deputies. More transparency in the Parliament’s work was achieved through the development of a geographically oriented Internet portal https://rada.oporaua.org. The portal contains a number of tools to monitor the work of the Verkhovna Rada and of the Members of Parliament; improvement of working procedures, standards of transparency and openness in the work of the parliamentary Committees (please read more under ER 2.1.ii.). • OPORA conducted 27 lectures for students of social and humanitarian disciplines in 13 institutions of higher education located in 13 regions of Ukraine. The lectures were attended by 534 students from the regions. • OPORA held a meeting of its Network Public Advisers on December 22-23 in Kyiv, where the results of work under the RADA Program in 2017 were summed up and the working plan for 2018 was discussed. Public consultants from 11 regions of Ukraine, as well as members of the administrative team (analysts, network manager and project manager, press service) took part in the event. Overall, the event was attended by 20 persons. In order to strengthen the team's capability, a series of trainings on writing the materials, media cooperation, basics of social networking and principles of design for data visualization was organized. • During the reporting period, representatives of the NGO “Interns’ League” held 13 presentations of the Parliamentary Internship Program in 8 regions of Ukraine. During the presentations, electronic tools of the Parliament were also presented (portal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, tool of electronic petitions to Parliament, and “The Draft Laws Public Discussion Portal”). This enabled future contestants to prepare themselves better to fill out application forms and to be interviewed, as well as broadened their knowledge of the electronic resources of the Verkhovna Rada.

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Other relevant activities Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) Discussion on public administration reform On November 21, IL held a discussion on "Public Administration Reform: Innovations that will Change the System" (together with the Internews-Ukraine project “Civil Service Reform” and the Reanimation Package of Reforms). The discussion was held for NGO representatives and young professionals in fields related to public administration (http://www.interns.org.ua/uk/content/reforma-derzhavnogo-upravlinnya-novaciyi- shcho-zminyat-systemu).

Support the work of the VRU Committees • To meet the request of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Fuel and Energy, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Presidential Administration, the RADA Program provided online streaming of series of sittings of the Contest Committee on selection of candidates for the National Committee on State Regulation of Energetics and Utilities. The Contest Committee sittings involve representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as well as experts from international organizations and programs. Obligatory Internet streaming of the Contest Committee sittings organized by the RADA Program provides transparency and openness of the selection procedures as well as the functioning of the Committee in general. • On November 3, the RADA Program participated in the working meeting of the Committee on Preventing and Combating Corruption on its request. The main point of the agenda was the report by Artem Sytnyk, Director of National Anticorruption Bureau (http://radaprogram.org/radanews/programa-usaid-rada-doluchylasya-do-robochogo-zasidannya- komitetu-z-pytan-zapobigannya-i). • On November 15, 2017, on the request of the Committee on Budget, the RADA Program COP Ihor Kohut presented the publication of the Program on the cooperation between the Accounting Chamber, the VRU and CSOs (http://radaprogram.org/radanews/dyrektor-programy-usaid-rada- prezentuvav-publikaciyu-pro-pivpracyu-rahunkovoyi-palaty-z). The publication is available at https://goo.gl/6TQakd.

The RADA Program participated in the information market “Resources for communities” The RADA Program presented its publications at the information market “Resources for communities” that was organized by the Association of the Ukrainian Cities on November 14. More than 300 mayors of Ukrainian cities and towns as well as heads of village councils participated in the event chaired by Kyiv city mayor Vitaliy Klychko (http://radaprogram.org/radanews/programa-usaid-rada- predstavyla-vydannya-programy-ta-partneriv-na- informaciynomu-yarmarku).

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Lessons Learned • Agency for Legislative Initiatives successfully worked out all the planned analytical documents though presentations of 3 Policy Papers; 2 Shadow Reports are postponed to 2018. The presentations are scheduled for the next session of the VRU. The delay is related to the fact that the activities of the RADA Program are very often dependent on the schedule of the VRU departments; in this connection, events need to be planned in advance.

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List of Sub-Grants Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) Grant Organization Project Project amount in name Contacts Manager Period Project Description Y4, USD Agency for 15, office 303, Nyzhniy Val St., Oleksandr 10 months The project objectives are: 225,336.27 Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Legislative Kyiv, 04070 Zaslavskyi • Support to MPs to build constituent relations and improve their Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) Initiatives NGO Tel: (044) 531 3768; fax: (044) 425 representation function; Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0", Border: Left: 2533 • Expand citizen education and monitoring of Parliament and MPs in order to (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Line width, From text: 1 pt [email protected]іev.ua; increase their accountability; Border spacing: ) www.parliament.org.ua • Promote parliamentary independence to counterbalance the Government by reinforcing the rules and procedures that govern the body. Major activities under the project: Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt 1. Prepare and publish analytical materials (Policy Paper, Policy Research) Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) 2. Conduct trainings, colloquia, Town Hall Meetings with MPs’ participation 3. Develop a Guide on communication with the VRU during lobbying and advocacy campaigns for CSOs Civil Network 34A, office 93, Hrushevskoho St., Olena Rybiy / 9 months The project will facilitate public education and improved information of citizens 119,727.49 Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt OPORA, NGO Kyiv, 29013 Anatoliy on working mechanisms of the Parliament and MPs by systematically publishing Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) [email protected] Bondarchuk high-quality materials on the operation of the Parliament in formats intelligible to +38 044 591 44 44 a wide audience (infographics, video clips, educational and analytical materials). It also envisages further development of the www.rada.oporaua.org web portal and as well as production of TV programs focusing on parliamentary issues. The project will ensure regular production and distribution of monitoring reports on activities of the Parliament and MPs based on a number of criteria. Internews- International NGO “Internews Kostiantyn 10 months The main purpose of the project is to assist the RADA Program in providing 120,000.00 Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Ukraine NGO Ukraine” Kvurt support to MPs to build effective constituent relations, and to improve their Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) 15 Ryzka Street, Kyiv, Ukraine, representative function via increased and more efficient use of information and 04112. communication technologies (ICT), among other activities. Tel: (044) 458-44-40, 501-92-03 email: [email protected] http://internews.ua/about/ Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Interns` League 11, office 511, Velyka Maria Savina 10 months The main purpose of the project is to strengthen the institutional and 38,267.85 Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) NGO Zhytomyrskya St., Kyiv, 01021 organizational capacity-building of the Interns` League, as well as to support it in Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Tel/fax (044) 255-92-44 administrating the Parliamentary Internship Program in 2017. The project Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) Tel: (066) 764-68-08 objectives are as follows: Field Code Changed [email protected]; • Promotion campaign for using E-Petitions, Citizens Rada Legislative Field Code Changed [email protected] Discussion E-Platform (Citizen E-Platform); www.interns.org.ua • Strengthen the capacity-building of the NGO “Interns` League”; Field Code Changed • Implement Parliamentary Internship Program in 2017; Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0", Border: Left: • Develop new areas of activities for the Interns` League. (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) Formatted: Border: Left: (Single solid line, Auto, 0.5 pt Line width, From text: 1 pt Border spacing: ) USAID RADA Quarterly Report, October 01 – December 31, 2017 Page 34

ANNEXES

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