On September 20, 2024 an Ukrainian report of the Civil Society Organisations Sustainability Index for 2023 was presented and there was also a discussion on the topic ‘2023 in the life of Ukrainian civil society’.
Preparation of the research report and presentation is organized by the The Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) with support from the International Renaissance Foundation (IRF).
This research was presented by the Executive director of UCIPR Valeriia Skvortsova, and the expert discussion was moderated by Yuliia Kaplan, an expert from The National Institute for Strategic Studies (NISS).
Opening the event, State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleksandr Yarema emphasized the uniqueness of the experience gained by the civil society of Ukraine during the war.
"No other rating can adequately assess the functioning of public institutions in such difficult conditions as a long war. However, our sector continues to support the fight against the aggressor and initiates social changes," Yarema said.
Oleksii Orlovskyi, Director of the 'Democracy and Good Governance' program initiative at The International Renaissance Foundation (IRF), emphasized in his welcome speech the importance of such research for the development of civil society and its interaction with the government.
"Such indices allow us to measure the 'temperature' of the relationship between civil society and state institutions. This enables us to define our priorities and formulate demands for the future," highlighted Orlovskyi.
Valeriia Skvortsova, the director of UCIPR, presented the results of the 2023 CSO sustainability index study. In the overall rating, indicators of organizational capacity, service provision and sectoral infrastructure continue to grow, emphasizing the resilience of Ukrainian CSOs even in wartime conditions.
A positive point is the improvement of organizational capacity, as many organizations have adapted to the challenges and changed their work strategies. Volunteers groups and charitable funds continue to effectively support the population, veterans and IDPs, particularly, in the area of service provision. The main improvements have occurred in such fields as organizational capacity, service provision and sectoral infrastructure. These indicators have been growing for the second consecutive year. The highest score in Ukraine was recorded in the area of advocacy, although the adoption of the lobbying law may complicate the implementation of advocacy campaigns.
However, there are also challenges. Financial stability remains a difficult question : organizations often rely on citizen donations and membership fees. Recruitment of personnel also becomes a challenge due to war, mobilization and emigration. This requires additional attention to support and develop the sector.
The index shows that civil society in Ukraine continues to strengthen despite the war, but further development requires the joint efforts of the authorities and organizations.
In the second part of the event, a discussion took place during which experts and participants shared their assessments of the development of civil society in Ukraine in 2023. In particular, what are the main trends and changes in the activities of CSOs in Ukraine reflected in the Sustainability Index for 2023 and are there noticeable shifts in financing, capacity development and cooperation with international partners?
Starting the discussion, Maksym Latsyba, the head of the civil society development program of UCIPR, underlined the importance of the legal environment for the functioning of CSOs. He compared it to a “pool” in which CSOs can swim freely or run into bureaucratic obstacles. Behind his words, legislative changes in 2023 produced positive results in the field of humanitarian assistance, in particular, the simplification of the process of its importation. However, the practice did not always comply with the law, due to which there were difficulties with law enforcement. "Legislation has improved, but practice has not become better," he emphasized, noting the wave of inspections of volunteer organizations.
Volodymyr Sheyhus, executive director of the ISAR Ednannia emphasized that the growth of organizational capacity in Ukraine took place thanks to international support. He also drew attention to the increase in the number of new public organizations in the frontline and de-occupied regions. "We are observing new organizations that are emerging in the humanitarian sphere and the volunteer movement," said Sheyhus.
The head of the humanitarian department of the charity foundation of Serhiy Prytula, Maryna Petrychenko, spoke about cooperation with business and communities. She highlighted the importance of transparent interaction and accountability in the implementation of humanitarian aid projects. "The financial stability of our fund is thanks to Ukrainians and conscious business," Petrychenko emphasized.
In her turn, the foreign policy expert of the National Interests Advocacy Network "ANTS" Hanna Hopko talked about the importance of international advocacy for the victory of Ukraine. She emphasized that a closer dialogue between civil society and the government is needed. "Civil society has become a brand of Ukraine, and its stability should be based on institutional stability," she said.
Yuliia Tyschenko, co-founder of the National Platform for Resilience and Social Cohesion and the expert of UCIPR, emphasized the importance of adapting civil society to the new challenges of war. She drew attention to the positive dynamics of the sustainability index in 2023, but also pointed to the need for innovation. "Sustainability is not only about survival, but also about adaptation and innovation," Tyschenko said.
According to communications and advocacy consultant Oleksandr Ravchev, the useful function of the CSO Sustainability Index is the ability to see, in the long term, how the situation is changing. "In the context of the public image, the statistical situation has not changed over the past year, but primarily it is not because nothing happened, because we made a very high jump in the 23rd year, rose by 0.2 points, and accordingly 2023 has passed for us at the same sufficiently high level," summarized the expert.