Policy Dialogue Project meets in Washington to discuss U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership (07/03/05)

Policy Dialogue Project meets in Washington to discuss U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership

by Miriam Bates

WASHINGTON - The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation hosted the first working session of the Policy Dialogue Project on June 6-9 in Washington. This two-year, State Department-funded project is designed to complement official bilateral discussions and is a practical means to assist in the restoration of a genuine and meaningful strategic partnership between the two countries.

The participants consist of U.S. and Ukrainian government officials, members of the Verkhovna Rada and Congress, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, the media and the business community.

The June working session was the first of four working sessions to be held alternately in Washington and Kyiv. U.S. and Ukrainian policy-makers and issue experts met with each other to discuss issues in U.S.-Ukraine relations and Ukraine's democratic transition, and also met with key players in the U.S. government involved in U.S.-Ukraine policy-making.

The dialogue is coordinated by four task forces managed by U.S. and Ukrainian institutional partners and experts. The Task Forces discussed the following issues during the working session:

o Foreign policy and security: Managed by the Atlantic Council and the Razumkov Center for Economic and Political Studies. Dialogue included issues in the Ukrainian foreign policy decision-making process, Euro-Atlantic integration and membership, Ukraine's regional role and issues in bilateral U.S.-Ukraine relations, such as cooperation in the war on terror and non-proliferation.

o Governance and politics: Managed by the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, George Washington University and the Razumkov Centre for Economic and Political Studies. Dialogue focused on the separation of business and government, mechanisms to guarantee minority rights of the opposition in government and policy, and public participation of NGOs and civil society in the public policy process.

o Economics and business: Managed by SigmaBleyzer and the International Center for Policy Studies. Dialogue focused on problems in WTO accession, creating an institutional capacity of the government to implement radical, stable, and lasting reforms, creating normal conditions for conducting business without harmful interference of government authorities, and creating a uniform public vision of economic reforms for the president and the government.

o Media and information: Managed by the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Europe XXI Foundation. Participants discussed reform of the regulatory framework, public broadcasting in Ukraine, and regional access to information and media.

The project seeks to produce practical, concrete recommendations that go beyond the initial dialogue and discussions of the working sessions. Each task force has produced an action plan of policy recommendations which will be disseminated to targeted officials in both governments and to the wider NGO, media, business and private sector. U.S. and Ukrainian participants share contacts with both governments, thereby facilitating the support and implementation of these recommendations at the highest levels. Future commentary and additional details on these recommendations will soon be issued to the public.

The second working session of the Policy Dialogue Project will be held on November 13-17 in Kyiv.

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