Kyiv, November 28, 2018. The presentation of the analytical report "Foreign Non-Governmental Foundations in Ukraine: Areas and Scope of Activities", prepared on the basis of open sources, was presented at the press-center of The Interfax-Ukraine News Agency. The report, prepared by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, explains in detail how and in what areas foreign non-profit organizations operate in Ukraine.

The analytical report contains a brief description of the varieties of foreign non-governmental funds, as well as the specifics of their functioning in Ukraine. The study examines the work of organizations from Austria, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and the United States. Indeed, it is the non-governmental structures that are originated and financed from the above-mentioned countries, which are most active in Ukraine.

For example, funds from the United States spent more than $70 million on projects in Ukraine during 2011-2018, and all leading German party funds have their own representations in our country. The specialization of these structures is extremely diverse: for example, the German Heinrich Böll Foundation is committed to protecting human rights and the environment, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy - the Development of Parliamentarism, the American Bloomberg Foundation - Tobacco Control.

The capacity of civil society institutions in Ukraine is growing steadily. Due to mistrust of Ukrainians to state authorities, non-governmental organizations are implementing serious projects in all spheres of public life, using financial support from abroad. This requires civic activists and NGOs to comply with moral and ethical standards and openness that minimizes the risks of using civil society to realize private interests and cover all kinds of abuse. At the same time, the level of openness and transparency of the activity of these structures is insufficient, given their influence on the life of Ukraine. In addition to the “moral and ethical standards”, NGOs should act within the framework of national laws and regulations.

The scientific editor of the analytical report, Doctor of Economics, Professor Igor Burakovsky said: "We did not set ourselves the task of analyzing the effectiveness of foreign funds: this is a topic for a separate study. However, as a scientist and a citizen, I believe that the scale and peculiarities of Ukrainian charitable organizations require separate research. Results of such research would help the society better understand the "institutional" landscape of the public sector activity in Ukraine and would promote responsible advocacy of socially significant changes".

Commenting on the relevance of the research topic, one of the authors of the report, senior researcher of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting Vitaliy Kravchuk noted: "In the Ukrainian context, the activities of charitable foundations are of particular importance. It is difficult to overestimate the role of civic organizations in building the army, developing and implementing the policy of reforms, combating corruption, etc. And society trusts them - this is confirmed by social polls. Therefore, timely and regular disclosure by NGOs of information about their projects and costs must be part of their public communication system, especially if they are involved in the development and implementation of reforms and legislative changes".

The report “Foreign Non-Governmental Foundations in Ukraine” can be downloaded at: http://www.ier.com.ua/en/publications/reports?pid=6097

For more information, please contact the press-service of the Institute of Economic and Political Consultations: tel: + 38 044 278-63-42 or E-mail: [email protected]