“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was developed neither by some idealists detached from reality nor by ideologists with specific agendas, but by men and women who survived the wars and atrocities of 1930-1940s. The authors of the Declaration introduced the high standard to be strived for by all,” writes Blerta Cela, UNDP Deputy Director, in her blog article. Read what she thinks about the human rights situation in Ukraine and what is being done by UNDP to promote fundamental freedoms.

UNDP’s Democratic Governance Advisor in Ukraine Marcus Brand reflects on what is needed to re-establish trust between citizens and their institutions: a long-term partnership for local-area development and social mobilization. Reforms are not an end in themselves, but must lead to tangible benefits for the people of Ukraine in terms of well-being, equality and justice.

Ukraine has made impressive efforts to restrain corruption through legislation and establishment of three new anti-corruption agencies. However, according to 2015 UNITER Pact research on corruption, a third of Ukrainians thought corruption had become more prevalent since the Euromaidan revolution. In what ways can the international community help Ukraine become as corruption-free as its citizens want it to be? Blerta Cela, UNDP Deputy Director, highlights to EuromadanPress four main steps in progress.

Are those who possess certain rights able to effectively get their voices heard? Are those who need to deliver on rights observance indeed able to get their work done? These are questions answered by the human rights based approach (HRBA) to development programming. Civil society organizations can become so much more efficient in their work, if they integrate the approach in their everyday work. To help them with this, UNDP organized a training for 18 trainers aimed at providing them with knowledge and tools for further promoting this approach to their peer CSOs in the regions of Ukraine.

UNDP together with IT education business GoIT Company launched today in Severodonetsk a new initiative to attract young people to careers in Ukraine’s rapidly developing IT market. Over 100 young women and men participated from various towns of the region.

The Gender Strategic Platform, a gender equality coalition supported by UNDP, has presented today to representatives of the Parliament and of the Ombudsperson’s Office the 8th Alternative Periodic Report of the civil society organizations on the implementation by Ukraine of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

On 16 December 2016, the European Investment Bank (EIB), in partnership with the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing, and Communal Services of Ukraine (MRD), has signed the Technical Assistance Cooperation Agreement to facilitate the optimal use of the EUR 200 M Early Recovery Loan, so that it delivers the expected results on time and affectively improves infrastructure and quality of living for the population affected by the conflict in the Eastern Ukraine.

Sociological survey commissioned by UNDP to assess civic knowledge, behavior, attitudes and beliefs, highlights that 35% of Ukrainians are not aware of their civil rights, emphasizing the need for enhanced civic education in various fields to effectively empower citizens to exercise their civic duty, while increasing accountibility at all levels.

The winners of UN Development Programme’s Business Startup Grants Contest have received up to UAH 200,000 (USD 8,000) to launch, recover or develop their small and medium businesses. They signed their grant contracts during the XII International Economic Forum “Discover Donbas” in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on 9 December 2016.

On International Anti-Corruption Day, UNDP in Ukraine focuses on educating the youth on ethical and corrupt-free behaviours through a comprehensive multimedia course introduced today in Ukrainian schools to ensure the integrity of Ukraine’s future professionals and curb this serious crime that undermines social and economic development in all societies.

UNDP brings together over 150 young people and women from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to design grassroot solutions to their specific economic and social challenges and provide insights into economic opportunities, business development, community mobilization, human rights, and protection against gender-based violence.

On the eve of the international Human Rights Day, the Ombudsperson’s Office and the Human Rights Information Centre unveiled the key findings of their joint Human Rights Baseline Study, supported by UNDP in order to help Ukraine address the human rights challenges it faces.

NACP with UNDP support has developed a training course aimed at raising state and local government officials’ awareness of the new anti-corruption legislation and equip them with practical tools to implement the new regulatory provisions.

On the occasion of International Volunteer Day, UN Development Programme in Ukraine, in partnership with UN Volunteers, organized workshops for volunteers and NGOs in Kramatorsk and Sievierodonetsk bringing together over 100 activists, young girls and boys, and NGOs in need to engage volunteers in their activities.

5th Civil Society Development Forum brought together 1200 Ukrainian civil society professionals to promote best practices that ensure the development of adequate skills and organizational capacities to ultimately enable civil society to effectively move the reform process forward in Ukraine.

The newly-created Luhansk Regional Development Agency has been provided with the necessary office equipment enabling it to start working on the region’s recovery and development.

From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, through 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence will raise public awareness and mobilize people in Ukraine and everywhere in the world to change perceptions and behaviors.

Few weeks in UNDP’s renewed medicine procurement cycle for 2016, amounts contracted so far already show savings of USD 3 million compared to prices from 2015, which are immediately reallocated to the procurement of additional medicines to supply more patients suffering from rare diseases with essential treatment.

New UNDP assessment of the level of vulnerability of the health procurement sector’s integrity highlights the central role of the legislation, regulatory and management environments in allowing corruption and collusion to occur, and provides recommendations to effectively reform the Ukrainian health procurement system.

UNDP launches a nationwide campaign called “We Need Each Other” (#EachOther) to foster mutual understanding by pointing at the stereotypes and prejudices that hinder the inclusion of 1.7 million people forcibly displaced from the Donbas region and Crimea, to ultimately promote integration and social cohesion within Ukraine's communities.

On International Tolerance Day, the UN Development Programme brings together girls, boys, women and men from all ages, conditions and backgrounds in Kramatorsk, Donetsk, to promote tolerance, solidarity and non-violence in times of conflict, and to highlight the human rights challenges facing minorities, vulnerable groups and disabled people in their daily life.

UNDP uses USD 4 millions of savings to extend procurement to additional medicines and medical supplies. The delivery of around 60% of additional medicines is expected by the end of 2016.

Ukrainian public servants and civic activists in 13 cities across Ukraine will receive first-hand briefing on the relevant provisions of anti-corruption legislation and training to respond effectively to potential and actual conflicts of interest.

As COP22 unfolds in Morocco, the UNDP report points to inefficiencies in heating and hot water supply to Ukrainian houses, highlighting that the energy saving potential of the five regions which consume 41% of the country’s energy resources is worth USD 3.1 billion – almost half of Ukraine’s imports of natural gas. Setting targets, monitoring progress and effective enforcement are key to achieving greater energy efficiency.

UNDP handbook highlights 27 best practices and case studies to successfully address the challenges of internal displacement in Ukraine at a two-day forum which fostered knowledge and experience sharing between local communities.

While adopting different technical or legal shortcuts, Ukraine should not compromise on the fundamentals – it takes quality systems and the genuine political will of Ukrainians and their leadership to fight corruption.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine (MOH) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a new agreement, which doubles the number of State health programs under which UNDP will procure medicines and medical products to Ukrainian patients for the budget year 2016.

“What is a lifestyle check? It is an investigation into the character and lifestyle of government officials and employees to determine consistency with their income. It presumes that government officials living extravagantly, beyond their means, may be involved in graft and corruption. It is anchored on freedom of information and access to important data.”

The Energy Efficiency Fund and the draft law introduced by Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Gennady Zubko at the UNDP Forum on “Energy Independence. Creating Energy Efficiency Fund” will pave the way to energy efficiency reform in Ukraine, create 75,000 jobs, attract over UAH 60 billion of investments in smart green projects for greater energetic independence and inject UAH 10 billion in State and local budgets.

"Despite the setbacks to be expected along the road, an effective asset declaration system that enjoys the trust of the Ukrainian people will be built, and it will allow Ukraine to move into a new era where corruption is an exception rather than the rule, and where public officials and civil servants are respected for serving the general public, rather than their own personal interests." BY MARCUS BRAND, UNDP Democratic Governance Advisor

Sustained support is required to help conflict-affected communities recover from the violence in Eastern Ukraine, said the UN Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director of the UNDP in Europe and the CIS, as she concluded a four-day visit to the country.

"Now more than ever is the time to harness all the resources and capacities possible to support the communities affected by the conflict and make sure that people can ultimately put a roof over their heads, food on the table and send their children to school." By CIHAN SULTANOGLU, UN Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director of UNDP in Europe and the CIS.