Ukraine's Open Government Partnership initiative 55% ready, reads monitoring report
Kyiv, July 19 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The government of Ukraine has fulfilled 55% of its international obligations to become more open through implementing the Open Government Partnership initiative, according to a monitoring report by non-government organizations (NGOs).
While announcing the results of the monitoring at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency on Friday, Head of Transparency International Chapter in Ukraine Oleksiy Khmara said that 55% looks as a positive figure, as the action plan for the implementation of the initiative is designed for two years.
The action plan features five priorities: engaging civil society in state policy, providing access to public information, preventing and combating of corruption, facilitating good governance through better administrative services, and introducing e-government technologies.
The initiative to involve the public in the formation of state policy has been implemented by 55% - this includes the implementation of the law on charity and a number of measures to improve the transparency of local governments.
The Open Government Partnership action plan to ensure access to public information has been fulfilled by 38%. According to the report, most of the components of the initiative in this part have been poorly implemented.
The Open Government Partnership's anti-corruption part has been fulfilled by 64% due to the introduction of amendments to laws on state anti-corruption policy and to the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes.
The report says that "a breakthrough in the adoption of a number of legislative anti-corruption amendments was the result of high pressure by international organizations rather than of the high awareness of the political elite of Ukraine."
Monitoring NGOs assessed the stage of the implementation of measures to improve administrative services at 55%, while the readiness of e-government and e-democracy development was assessed by 66%.
The monitoring report was produced by nine NGOs, including Transparency International Ukraine.