Jeff Grieco Meeting Summary With USAID Ukraine Desk Officers

• ISOA members were encouraged to partner with Ukraine organizations and Ukraine private sector for ongoing sustainable programming.  US funding will focus on localization of assistance there at direction of Administrator and White House. 
• US Government has focused its assistance to date through military assistance and direct, on-budget assistance to Ukraine Government which now amounts to over $8.5 billion delivered by end of December, 2022. 
• US civilian assistance programming (largely implemented by USAID) will also focus on traditional development as well as stabilization programming inside Ukraine.  They expect the humanitarian assistance packages, being implemented by UN agencies, will likely transition toward more sustainable development and stabilization programs over time but not until after the winter period. 
• USAID is focusing its funding through four primary Ukraine-based Government vehicles/partnerships:
• Ministry of Social Policy: where USAID is conducting health and education programming and care for the large IDP population.  Link:  Ministry of social policy.Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine (msp.gov.ua)
• Ministry of Digital Transformation: where USAID is funding on going refugee and IDP assistance via information technology programs where technology can assist informing mobile populations about safe areas, transportation supply chain routing, etc… This Ministry is also actively assisting the anti-corruption programming that donors are insisting on inside Ukraine.
• Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection: USAID is working with this Ministry to heating supply for Ukraine communities suffering from the war.  USAID noted they already distributed about 300 generators for hospitals, schools, community centers, etc…
• USAID is interested in improving corporate governance systems in Ukraine and especially for energy companies so Ukraine does not re-develop a host of oligarchs controlling energy supplies and using that to hold the Ukraine Government somewhat hostage.
• USAID is looking at energy tariff systems and energy sector benefits for the broader population as well. 
• USAID noted that Ukraine has the largest gas storage supplies in Europe and can use these supplies and Ukrainian-based oil and gas production as a key export to Europe to help solve the shut-down of European access to Russian energy supplies. 
• Link:  Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine (mepr.gov.ua)
• Ministry of Public Health:  USAID working with the Ministry and its “Metis Procurement Agency” to improve health procurements as assistance flows increase.  The USAID Global Health Bureau is the lead here. 
• Note:  On October 20-21, 2022, a scientific and practical conference with international participation "Current Issues of Public Health and Environmental Safety of Ukraine" (18 Marzieiev readings) will be held. The event will be held in on-line mode using the ZOOM platform.
• For all those who want to participate at the conference, please fill in the application form for participation. The reference to the conference will be sent to the e-mail address specified upon registration.  More detailed information on participation in the conference is presented in the Information Letter.
• Link to this Oct. 20-21, 2022 Conference Planning website: Scientific and practical conference with international participation "Current Issues of Public Health and Environmental Safety of Ukraine" (18 Marzieiev readings) - Institute for Public Health
• Ministry Website Link:  State Institution “O.M. Marzeiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine”
• Anti-Corruption Assistance:  USAID functional assistance will be provided in multiple ways for improving Ukraine’s anti-corruption programming nationally.  For example, USAID is funding:
• ProZorro System, a Ukraine-based civil society procurement and oversight mechanism and organization.  ProZorro is a hybrid electronic open-source government e-procurement system created as the result of a partnership between business, government and the civil society
• ProZorro is a fully online public procurement platform and a collaboration environment that ensures open access to public procurement (tenders) in Ukraine. Fully implemented in 2016 as a hybrid (both centralized public and decentralized private marketplaces) system it has since been globally recognized as one of the most innovative public procurement systems delivering government services in a stakeholder-focused, transparent, effective, fair and low-cost way.
• Public purchasing accounts for a sizable part of Ukraine’s GDP. Annually, about UAH 600 billion (approximately EUR 20 billion) worth of goods and services are transacted with the help of tenders. It is estimated that ProZorro may be responsible for up about 10% of the overall to public spending savings due to increased competition and better transparency.
• All of the functionality offered by this online portal, is available to the general public without the need to register and without any barriers to access. All public tender information in Ukrainian language and procurement announcements in English over certain price thresholds is available here. In this way, ProZorro ensures transparent and efficient spending of public funds by simplifying oversight opportunities for the civil society and by enabling enhanced, open competition among businesses that aim to supply goods and services to the government entities in Ukraine.
• ProZorro traces its origins to a grassroots volunteer-led reform initiative. Funded and overseen by a group of international institutions and NGOs since it has grown into an extensive collaboration environment unifying government agency that oversee public purchasing, government organizations involved in public purchasing, educational partners, private enterprises, civil society and media participants, as well as global national government partners and international non-government organizations.
• The ProZorro team has developed an absolutely unique model of a robust collaboration and trust for the business, government, and the civil society. This model is available for adoption within any country aiming to implement a highly efficient electronic open procurement system as a healthy collaboration where all participants win.  (Source Wikipedia)
• Link:  Home | ProZorro
• Ministry of Digital Transformation Public Procurement System and automation with 100% transparency built in. 
• Link:  Contacts | Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine (thedigital.gov.ua)
• The Ministry of Digital Transformation (Ukrainian: Міністерство цифрової трансформації України) is a government ministry in Ukraine that was established on 29 August 2019.
• The goals of the ministry by 2024:
• transfer 100% of all public services for citizens and businesses online;
• provide 95% of transport infrastructure, settlements and their social facilities with access to high-speed Internet;
• to teach 6 million Ukrainians digital skills;
• increase the share of IT in the country's GDP to 10%.
• The ministry's most important project is the so-called "state in a smartphone" project that was aiming that by 2024 for 100% of all government services should be available online with 20% of services provided automatically, without the intervention of an official, and one online fill-in form to receive a package of services "in any life situation".[3]  (Source Wikipedia)
• NABU Program:  National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національне Антикорупційне Бюро України, НАБУ) or NABU.
• NABU is a Ukrainianlaw enforcementanti-corruption agency which investigates corruption in Ukraine and prepares cases for prosecution.[5] It has investigatory powers but cannot indict suspects.[6] Only agency findings passed to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office become a part of criminal case.[6]
• The agency was established in 2014 after its predecessor, the National Anti-Corruption Committee (Ukrainian: Національний антикорупційний комітет) was considered a failure.[citation needed] The bureau was created on the request of the International Monetary Fund.  The agency is set to employ 700 people.[3] Its first 70 detectives started work on 1 October 2015.[7]   The agency's government funding is mandated under American and European Union aid programs.[6] 
• It has an evidence-sharing agreement with the FBI.[6]    Such values as integrity, courage, determination and commitment are considered as the main for official appoint candidates and the whole state body.[8]   
• The Ukrainian government also employs the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption which works to prevent corruption by monitoring government officials' lifestyles.[9]
• Link: National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (nabu.gov.ua)
• Ukraine Government very concerned about the return of refugees from all over Europe.  They do not want them to stay in those nations as they fear a serious brain drain and negative development impact as they need to rebuild the nation quickly and need these young professionals to return with their technical skills and knowledge.  Many of those young professionals have focused on the fact that they will not return unless Ukraine Government stops the high level of corruption. 
• There will be no US assistance for housing construction or housing reconstruction as this is being funded by the EU and Ukraine itself.  EU will also be looking at rebuilding schools.  These types of programs will be decided at the next donor meeting on Ukraine to be held in Berlin, this month.
• The international expert conference on the restoration and reconstruction of Ukraine will be held in Berlin on October 25, 2022 focusing on specific sectors in which Ukraine can receive quicker reconstruction assistance.
• Links:
• Berlin to host international donors conference on Ukraine reconstruction Oct 25 (ukrinform.net)
• EU preparing new proposals for grants, loans to aid Ukraine (ukrinform.net)
• Germany Plans Conference for Rebuilding Ukraine in October - Bloomberg
• How Will Ukraine Rebuild (and Who Should Pay)? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)