ANALYSIS: U.S. government delegation offers anti-corruption support (03/12/06)

ANALYSIS

U.S. government delegation offers anti-corruption support

Embassy of the United States

KYIV - A United States government delegation from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the State Department spent three days in Kyiv from February 27 to March 1, meeting with Ukrainian government officials, as well as with representatives of Ukrainian NGOs, the mass media and the private sector.

The purpose of the visit was to help draw up a plan for a special development program focused on fighting corruption. Ukraine became eligible for such a program after the MCC named it a Millennium Account Threshold country in November 2005.

The Threshold Program is directed toward a limited number of countries that have not yet qualified for full Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) assistance but have demonstrated a significant commitment to meeting eligibility criteria. Currently 17 countries have qualified in addition to Ukraine, including Jordan, Moldova and Indonesia. The Threshold Program is designed as an added incentive to countries committed to reform and will be used to assist such countries in moving towards future MCA eligibility.

"The Threshold Program provides Ukraine a unique chance to deal head on with corruption, one of the most challenging issues that still confronts it," explained G. Kevin Saba, managing director MCC Threshold Program.

An application for Threshold Program assistance is a two-step process. Countries that have been invited to submit proposals and are interested in participating in the Threshold Program must first submit a concept paper to the MCC, which Ukraine did in mid-February.

The MCC team then arrived to hold discussions that support the development of the implementation plan, which is the second phase of the process. The members of the MCC team include Mr. Saba, Jaroslav Dutkewych, MCC country relations director; Bradley Parks, MCC development officer; and Liane Dorsey, U.S. State Department country assistance officer.

The MCA is based on several key principles - including a focus on poverty reduction, sustainable economic growth, political commitment, inclusiveness, accountability and emphasis on results - that will be reflected throughout the development and implementation of MCA programs. The MCA builds on development research that emphasizes the central role a country's own policies and institutions play in its economic development and the need for strong country "ownership" of development objectives, policies and actions.

The primary means to improve country performance on the policy indicators that are central to the MCA eligibility criteria is to carry out policy reforms and institutional changes in those areas in which the country failed to meet the criteria. Assistance funded under the Threshold Program is intended to help countries make these changes. Participation in the Threshold Program does not guarantee that a country will become eligible for MCA assistance in the future.

| Home Page |