Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative Ii
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UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2019 – SEPTEMBER 2019 SWIFT IV IQC AID-OAA-I-14-00006 TASK ORDER AID-OAA-TO-17-00009 October 2019 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Chemonics International Inc. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTENTS ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................................................ii PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................ 1 UCBI II PROGRAM AREAS ............................................................................................................ 1 UKRAINE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL COUNTRY CONTEXT ............................................................. 3 NATIONAL ................................................................................................................................... 3 REGIONAL .................................................................................................................................... 5 GRANTS SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 7 ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS ..................................................................................................................... 8 OBJECTIVE 1: BUILD ACCEPTANCE OF A DIVERSE UKRAINE ....................................................... 8 OBJECTIVE 2. INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN POSITIVE, DEMOCRATIC CHANGE .......................... 12 OBJECTIVE 3. INCREASE MEDIA NARRATIVES ABOUT UNITY AND POSITIVE CHANGES ........... 16 PROGRAM EVALUATION ............................................................................................................... 19 i UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT, APR 2019-SEP 2019 ACRONYMS ASC Administrative Service Center CoR European Committee of the Regions CSC City Services Center DSP Department of Social Protection DDGS Direct Distribution of Goods and Services EU European Union EBU European Broadcasting Union EECP Entry-Exit Checkpoint FAA Fixed Amount Award FMR Final Monitoring Report IDP Internally Displaced Person IMF International Monetary Fund GCA Government Controlled Area M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NGCA Non-Government Controlled Area NGO Non-Governmental Organization NSDC National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine OSBB Apartment Building Co-Owners Association OTI Office of Transition Initiatives PDA Program Development Assistant PDO Program Development Officer PSA Public Service Announcement RA Rolling Assessment SCORE Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index SeeD Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development SO Sub-Objective STTA Short-Term Technical Assistance UA:PBC National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine UCBI II Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative II USAID United States Agency for International Development ii UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT, APR 2019-SEP 2019 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Office of Transition Initiative (OTI)’s program in Ukraine helps to ensure political stability and national unity in Ukraine by expanding acceptance of a pluralistic Ukrainian civic identity based on common values. While the program handed off its regional efforts in Donetsk and Luhansk to long-term United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programs in early 2019, OTI continues to implement confidence building initiatives at a regional and national level. In the Azov Sea region, OTI implements activities that mitigate the effects of Russian aggression by demonstrating the dividends of reform, inspiring confidence in economic transformation, and supporting media that counters disinformation. At a national level, OTI supports diverse and innovative media, and communications activities that promote national unity, raise awareness of reform, and foster inclusive civic values. In the past six months, UCBI II provided citizens with opportunities to play a more productive role in their communities by supporting civil society efforts to hold the government accountable, and by using media as a platform to better disseminate balanced information and amplify public awareness as well as the impacts of reforms. This approach has required significant and ongoing dialogue with host authorities and communities, both in Kyiv and in the regions. UCBI II assistance comes in the form of small, in-kind grants (goods, services, and technical support procured directly by UCBI II and provided to grantees) and fixed amount cash awards to a range of partners, including national and local civilian government entities, civil society organizations, and community leaders. UCBI II provides targeted assistance in order to: ● build acceptance of a diverse Ukraine; ● increase confidence in positive, democratic change; ● increase media narratives about unity and positive change. UCBI II PROGRAM AREAS UCBI II’s overarching goal, to expand acceptance of a pluralistic Ukrainian civic identity based on common values, remains a valid guiding framework for the program, yet changes have been made to take advantage of the political opportunities presented with the new Presidential Administration, as well as to streamline management and focus program development teams. To achieve the program goal, the team has identified three objectives. Additionally, the previous broad sub-objectives have been replaced with more specific “lines of effort” to reflect what UCBI II has learned in the past year and to focus management teams. UCBI II’s programming is guided by contextual analysis of local dynamics and geographic regions; activities addressing each objective vary based on the assessed needs and identified opportunities. 1 UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT, APR 2019-SEP 2019 The strategic framework prioritizes the following program areas: In response to this framework, UCBI II supported activities in Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, Kharkiv, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts during this reporting period. 2 UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT, APR 2019-SEP 2019 UKRAINE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL COUNTRY CONTEXT In May 2019, Ukrainians elected a new President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, with an overwhelming 73 percent of the popular vote. The majority of voters in every region, with the notable exception of Lviv, voted for Zelenskiy, demonstrating that Ukrainians are ready for change. Surveys conducted since the election show that Ukrainians are more optimistic now than at any point since the Revolution of Dignity and have high expectations, including quick improvements in the economy, an end to the war in the east, and fundamental reforms within the government. While much is still unknown about Ukraine’s new president, and there is significant skepticism about his experience, allegiances, and policies among Ukraine’s elites and civil society, there are reasons for optimism. The Zelenskiy Administration has prioritized improving national unity, implementing a more inclusive policy toward Donbas, and addressing key reform areas, such as anti-corruption, pension, health and educational reforms. A number of the president’s initial appointments have been scrutinized by civil society, suspicious of oligarch influence. However, Zelenskiy has been forward leaning on Ukraine’s European ambitions and has clearly portrayed Ukraine as a strong democracy compared to Russia. These ambitions, a national mood of positive change and a more inclusive European Ukraine, can be amplified by UCBI II to achieve its objectives. However, Ukraine’s challenges persist. Russian aggression in the east and south of the country are creating vulnerabilities that USAID is trying to address through UCBI II and other programs. USAID has made the Sea of Azov region a strategic priority and is building the appropriate mechanisms to advance national unity and effectively address the challenges of Ukraine’s media and communications environment. NATIONAL Several key issues impacted the country context during the reporting period. Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ukraine Comedian-turned-candidate Volodymyr Zelenskiy gained a landslide victory in the second round of the Ukrainian presidential election on April 21st, having received more than 73 percent of votes. He beat his contender, the incumbent President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, by nearly 50 percent of the vote, winning with an unprecedented margin that has never been seen before in the history of second-round elections in Ukraine. His landslide victory is both an indicator of Ukrainian citizens’ incredible hunger for change and the enduring influence of the entertainment industry on public perceptions of the country’s trajectory. 3 UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT, APR 2019-SEP 2019 Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a snap parliamentary election during his swearing-in ceremony as Ukraine's new president. He also mentioned that ending the conflict with Russian-backed rebels in the east would be his top priority. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, snap elections to the Ukrainian parliament were held on July 21, 2019 after newly inaugurated President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dissolved parliament on May 21, 2019