UNDP, Ukrainian government sign Memorandum of understanding in support of civil service and public administration reform in Ukraine

According to the agreement, the bilateral cooperation will be aimed at providing UN-led assistance to the Ukrainian government, namely the Main Department of Civil Service of Ukraine, in the area of institutional reforms, focusing on support to the process of civil service development within the framework of administration reform in Ukraine. 

By signing the memorandum, UNDP and Ukrainian Government have committed themselves to cooperating on the implementation of joint technical assistance projects and other activities in the area of civil service reforms. Specifically, these projects would bring best international practice and mobilise most relevant administrative reform expertise to meet Ukraine's needs in this area. 

"The memorandum will help promote civil service as a modern public institution, which is based on transparency, free access, modern information technologies as well as European standards and values. This civil service should be oriented at offering better service to Ukrainians," Mr O'Donnell said. It will also help Ukrainian government implement recommendations of the EU and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and SIGMA, specifically, with regard to good governance and institutional reforms. 

In addition, the memorandum envisages support in developing functional reviews of central and local executive agencies and introducing modern information technology/e-governance tools into the work of civil service in Ukraine as well as government institutions in general. 

The Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine with Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and UNDP will jointly decide on preparation and realization of the projects. "We have jointly identified and spelled out a couple of top priority assignments and civil service reform activities to be performed within the current Memorandum. It's been rather symbolic that the signing ceremony takes place on the eve of UN Day, as the Memorandum confirms our willing to pursue enhanced cooperation with UN in Ukraine," - Mr Motrenko said. 

In line with the current memorandum, the representatives of UNDP will sign a new technical assistance project in support of civil service reform in Ukraine with the Main Department of Civil Service in the nearest future. It will be funded by the Government of Ireland. According to a cost-sharing agreement signed between UNDP and Irish donor earlier this year, the budget of the two-year project will be EUR 1 million. 

UNDP takes the lead among UN Agencies and Programme in the area of democratic governance and institutional reforms. It brings in a considerable international experience in the area of public administration reform as well as provides a neutral platform for policy discussions and open dialogue on key directions within Ukraine's reform process.