Annual Report of TI Ukraine 2020
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Transparency International Ukraine is an accredited chapter of the global movement Transparency International with a comprehensive approach to development and implementation of changes for reduction of the corruption levels.
Our mission is to reduce the level of corruption in Ukraine.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
PREVENTION
PUNISHMENT
ENGAGEMENT
mitigate corruption risks at the national and the local level by increasing transparency and accountability in authorities’ work
ensure an effective system of punishment for corruption violations
engage the maximum number of participants and create conditions enabling them to unite into effective networks by providing them with regular support
OUR VALUES
Unity: We are a team united by a common goal. Our team prevails mutual respect, mutual trust and responsibility.
Systemic approach: We analyze both the consequences and the reasons, suggesting and implementing comprehensive mechanisms.
Openness: We are open, accountable and honest in our activity.
Balance: We are willing to listen to all sides and make an independent, informed decision. Our activity is constructive.
Innovation: If old methods are ineffective, we are willing to take risks to find new effective strategies. We think outside the box.
Proactivity: We do not wait for change; we make the change ourselves.
Efficiency: We achieve excellent results with optimal use of resources and account for them.
THE BOARD OF TI UKRAINE
Andrii Vyshnevskyi
Chair of the Board, Executive Director of CSO Tomorrow’s Lawyer
Andrii Rozhdestvenskyi
Executive Director of the UCU Leadership Center
Matthew C. Stephenson
Law professor at Harvard Law School
Tanya Khavanska
legal and political analyst on anti-corruption
activities at the OECD
activities at the OECD
(мember of the Board from December 2020 to March 2021)
Pavlo Sheremeta
Ukrainian economist, Minister of Economy
of Ukraine (2014)
of Ukraine (2014)
Former members of the Board
José Ugaz
(November 2017 – December 2020)
Professor of Law, Chair of Transparency International (2014-2017)
Tomas Fiala
(October 2016 – December 2020)
Chief Executive Officer of the Ukrainian investment company Dragon Capital
THE BOARD OF TI UKRAINE
GET TO KNOW
Andrii Vyshnevskyi
Chair of the Board, Executive Director of CSO Tomorrow’s Lawyer
Andrii Rozhdestvenskyi
Executive Director of the UCU Leadership Center
Matthew C. Stephenson
Law professor at Harvard Law School
Tanya Khavanska
legal and political analyst on anti-corruption
activities at the OECD
activities at the OECD
(member of the Board from December 2020 to March 2021)
Pavlo Sheremeta
Ukrainian economist, Minister of Economy
of Ukraine (2014)
of Ukraine (2014)
Former members of the Board
José Ugaz
(November 2017 – December 2020)
Professor of Law, Chair of Transparency International (2014-2017)
Tomas Fiala
(October 2016 – December 2020)
Chief Executive Officer of the Ukrainian investment company Dragon Capital
TI UKRAINE’S MAIN VICTORIES IN 2020
We developed a map with all information on COVID-19 procurement
We conducted 12 unique studies which reveal the peculiarities of operation and identify the development vectors of the anti-corruption ecosystem, the sector of public procurement, city transparency and accountability
During the local elections, we actively promoted the principles of government transparency and accountability. We presented the Transparent Local Government Code, supported by 35 candidates and 14 parties and party offices
We have started work on the support of the Sustainable Investments Office under the State Property Fund of Ukraine to improve the latter’s effectiveness
We launched a City Transparency and Accountability Online Platform which helps to facilitate an effective dialogue between the government and the community
We developed an effective system of partnerships with regional CSOs to combat corruption at the local level
We successfully advocated for changes in the international arena, interacted with members of the European Parliament, G7 ambassadors, the IMF and the Venice Commission
We prevented the adoption of a number of toxic laws and advocated ways to resolve the constitutional justice crisis
For the first time, we used an original methodology to conduct profound analysis of the procedural and formal operation of the High Anti-Corruption Court
We grew institutionally, scoring 3.9 points out of 4 under the Organizational Capacity Assessment by Pact
We created a project for parents “What Does Your School Buy?” with an online map of school procurement and detailed guidelines on monitoring school procurement
VICTORIES DURING A CHALLENGING YEAR
2020 was certainly an extraordinary year not just in Ukraine, but worldwide. Last year, TI Ukraine presented its annual report during the first week of the quarantine. We had no idea what lay ahead. This year has been a challenge for each of us, and that’s what makes the big and small wins that we have still achieved all the more precious.
Against the background of a completely new challenge in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are facing a change of the political vector and a departure from the reform agenda. Last March, we saw significant reshuffle in the government and in the authorities overall. The passion for reforms and their results has significantly faded, with incompetence or attempts at puppeteering public institutions have become increasingly apparent.
Pro-Russian and pro-oligarchic forces in Parliament, and in the pro-government majority in particular, have intensified their activities and increasingly initiated attempts to undermine reforms. For those reasons, in 2020, we had to summon all our strength, experience, and knowledge, to not only maintain the anti-corruption agenda but also to preserve the current achievements.
Andrii Borovyk
Executive Director, TI Ukraine
Read more
So, what have we done to reduce corruption in the country and promote reforms? In order to form a vision of the country and its future, together with our partners and the NACP, we have developed the national Anti-Corruption Strategy for 5 years, which is already awaiting a second reading in the Parliament. We advocated the strengthening of whistleblower protection in the law. As part of the fight against the pandemic, we supported the government in drafting changes to public procurement legislation to simplify procedures. In addition, we stopped the attempts of the government majority to adopt the provisions which would effectively destroy the work of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency. Thanks to our efforts and those of our partners, we have stopped the initiative to introduce the principle of “localization” in public procurement. This legislative initiative could indicate the dismantling of Prozorro, the most transparent and innovative public procurement system.
Unexpectedly, we faced the threat of a complete decline of the anti-corruption infrastructure following a scandalous decision of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court. TI Ukraine experts actively participated in overcoming the crisis. Not only did we analyze new draft laws and advocate important initiatives together with other CSOs, but we also actively worked with the international partners who supported Ukraine during this difficult time.
In 2020, we focused more on developing knowledge and expertise, which is why we conducted a number of studies concerning the capacity of anti-corruption institutions, the HACC’s performance, and the public procurement market. This research helped us to assess the level of development of anti-corruption agencies and the public procurement sector, to highlight problematic moments, and to develop recommendations for further work.
We have been actively developing new tools: a map of Covid procurement, a map of school procurement for parents, an online platform to increase the transparency and accountability of Ukrainian cities. All these products are already helping everyone to contribute to the fight against corruption.
Following up on the previous successful experience with the implementation of reforms within the triangle civil society — government — business, we supported the State Property Fund reform team during the challenging time for our economy. This support has translated into actual budget revenue of which the SPFU can be proud. I hope, Ukrainians will see it in the future as well.
As part of our organizational development, we managed to quickly adapt to the new reality of our work. Our team has acquired new online tools for cooperation and has been joined by new professionals. Remote work has become a new permanent element of our lives. We held an annual Membership Conference where a professional new Board of the organization was formed.
Ukraine has not yet managed to overcome all the obstacles of 2020, and new ones are already looming on the horizon. Last year was full of events and crises, but I can say with confidence that our team has become more experienced, stronger and more flexible at the same time.
We will continue our efforts to promote and defend reforms. Looking back, we can confidently say that we can be proud. But I strongly believe that there are greater victories ahead. And we are ready to keep moving forward and fight for them.
So, what have we done to reduce corruption in the country and promote reforms? In order to form a vision of the country and its future, together with our partners and the NACP, we have developed the national Anti-Corruption Strategy for 5 years, which is already awaiting a second reading in the Parliament. We advocated the strengthening of whistleblower protection in the law. As part of the fight against the pandemic, we supported the government in drafting changes to public procurement legislation to simplify procedures. In addition, we stopped the attempts of the government majority to adopt the provisions which would effectively destroy the work of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency. Thanks to our efforts and those of our partners, we have stopped the initiative to introduce the principle of “localization” in public procurement. This legislative initiative could indicate the dismantling of Prozorro, the most transparent and innovative public procurement system.
Unexpectedly, we faced the threat of a complete decline of the anti-corruption infrastructure following a scandalous decision of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court. TI Ukraine experts actively participated in overcoming the crisis. Not only did we analyze new draft laws and advocate important initiatives together with other CSOs, but we also actively worked with the international partners who supported Ukraine during this difficult time.
In 2020, we focused more on developing knowledge and expertise, which is why we conducted a number of studies concerning the capacity of anti-corruption institutions, the HACC’s performance, and the public procurement market. This research helped us to assess the level of development of anti-corruption agencies and the public procurement sector, to highlight problematic moments, and to develop recommendations for further work.
We have been actively developing new tools: a map of Covid procurement, a map of school procurement for parents, an online platform to increase the transparency and accountability of Ukrainian cities. All these products are already helping everyone to contribute to the fight against corruption.
Following up on the previous successful experience with the implementation of reforms within the triangle civil society — government — business, we supported the State Property Fund reform team during the challenging time for our economy. This support has translated into actual budget revenue of which the SPFU can be proud. I hope, Ukrainians will see it in the future as well.
As part of our organizational development, we managed to quickly adapt to the new reality of our work. Our team has acquired new online tools for cooperation and has been joined by new professionals. Remote work has become a new permanent element of our lives. We held an annual Membership Conference where a professional new Board of the organization was formed.
Ukraine has not yet managed to overcome all the obstacles of 2020, and new ones are already looming on the horizon. Last year was full of events and crises, but I can say with confidence that our team has become more experienced, stronger and more flexible at the same time.
We will continue our efforts to promote and defend reforms. Looking back, we can confidently say that we can be proud. But I strongly believe that there are greater victories ahead. And we are ready to keep moving forward and fight for them.
PREVENTION
Map with all information on COVID-19 procurement
Online map of school procurement
Support the rebooted NACP
Mitigate corruption risks at the national and the local level by increasing transparency and accountability in authorities’ work
Read more
In the field of public procurement, independent and effective control over all processes and activities is exercised by national and local authorities, as well as state-owned enterprises and institutions.
We provide the authorities with monitoring tools and teach how to use them (BI Prozorro, DOZORRO, proBI, city transparency and accountability rankings)
- We have developed a BI tool which enables finding all the necessary information on COVID-19 procurement via Prozorro in just a few clicks/
- We have created an online map of school procurement “What Does Your School Buy?” to track school procurement in oblast capitals. It has been used 15,000 times.
- Thanks to TI Ukraine, a module of public procurement analysis was embedded into the websites of 50 city councils. This way, city councils not only demonstrate openness to the community, but also use this tool to improve their procurement processes.
- We conducted 5 in-depth procurement studies:
We advocate strengthening the responsibility for corruption at the level of legislation, in particular in laws on corruption.
- Together with international partners, we contributed to the non-adoption of the law on localization, which carries corruption risks and violates international agreements.
- We advocated and facilitated the adoption of the updated Law of Ukraine “On Public Procurement.” Among other things, the new version of the Law provides for increased liability for violations in the field of procurement.
- We supported and promoted the initiative to simplify COVID-19 procurement. The government approved a version of the procedure which stipulated that procuring entities did not need to wait for 48 hours after the publication of the annual procurement plan to sign the agreement, did not require participants to provide numerous mandatory documents; independently defined the criteria of integrity and reliability of a potential supplier.
- We have also achieved the commitment to enter into procurement contracts in the open data format within the Action Plan with Open Government Partnership.
We are strengthening cooperation with the State Audit Service for effective control in the field of procurement.
- We have created the report The State Audit Service in Ukraine: Is Monitoring Effective? We have studied the functions and results of the agency’s work and identified the weak links in the monitoring system that require further improvement.
In the field of national and municipal property management, we strive to achieve effective management of national and municipal property in Ukraine through the implementation of transparency, competition and independent oversight standards.
We have launched the work of the Sustainable Investments Office under the State Property Fund of Ukraine. SIO contributes to the reform of the Fund and improves its performance; it also supports the processes of privatization and effective public property management
- SIO experts automated the process of preparing facilities for privatization, which made small-scale privatization more efficient and brought more than UAH 3 billion to the national budget.
- The privatization showcase was developed and launched – the privatization.gov.ua portal.
- The lease of national property has started under new transparent procedures; the portal orenda.gov.ua with detailed information about objects has been launched in test mode.
- The reform of the enterprise management system governed by the SPFU has started; among other things, the situation with key public enterprises has been improved with the participation of SIO analysts—Energoatom, Electrotiazhmash, Centrenergo.
We have created a special module on the portal for the financial reporting of state-owned enterprises in Ukraine which filters state-owned enterprises by financial risk categories.
We have also expanded the functionality of the portal: added an interactive map and detailed statistics of state-owned enterprises, provided integration with the Unified State Register of Court Decisions and the Unified State Register of Economic Entities through Opendatabot.
In cooperation with Prozorro.Sale, we conducted training for almost 200 participants on the lease of municipal property and privatization, as well as control over these processes
Increasing the amount of open data in cities and amalgamated hromadas.
We advocate increasing the level of transparency, promoting the level of accountability equal to the level of transparency.
- We have presented the Transparency Ranking of 100 Largest Ukrainian Cities in 2019. Having analyzed the openness of cities in 14 sectors, we have found that most cities (59%) are moving towards greater transparency. Cities increased their transparency by 6% on average compared to the previous year.
- We launched a City Transparency and Accountability Online Platform which helps to facilitate an effective dialogue between the government and the community.
- Together with Public Control Platform (Dnipro) and Center for Public Monitoring and Research (Lviv), we conducted a pilot study with the participation of 10 Ukrainian cities based on the newly developed city accountability assessment methodology.
- We have presented an updated Handbook of Good Municipal Transparency Practices and provided it to city council representatives from all over Ukraine.
With TI Ukraine’s facilitation and support, the rebooted NACP with a single manager successfully launched the wave of electronic declarations for 2019 and reset a few of its functions.
We regularly analyze the work of the NACP and provide recommendations for improving its performance.
- Together with the National Agency, we have launched a convenient website Declare 2020. It contains answers to the most common questions among those who fill out asset declarations.
- We have analyzed and developed 16 regulatory acts and documents for the rebooted NACP.
- We have prepared and published a number of anti-corruption instructions which explain regular citizens how they can act in certain situations and put complex concepts into simple words.
- We have prepared 12 analytical materials and blog publications on the NACP’s work and relevant legislative initiatives.
We advocate for legislative changes in the field of anti-corruption.
- We have become the co-authors of the Anti-Corruption Strategy of Ukraine (particularly the sections on the unavoidable punishment for corruption, fair trial, financial control, corruption whistleblowers, conflict of interest) and the respective draft law, co-organized expert and public discussions, and actively advocated for the adoption of the Strategy. On November 5, MPs supported the Strategy in the first reading.
- We have participated in the development and advocacy of legislative initiatives to overcome the constitutional justice crisis and restoring full-fledged NACP functionality. We have analyzed over 20 legislative initiatives on restoring NACP powers after the CCU decision and monitored further developments in the Parliament.
- As a participant engaged in the constitutional proceedings, we have provided the Constitutional Court with a written explanation on the compliance of certain provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Corruption Prevention,” the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine with the Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine.
ENGAGEMENT
City Transparency and Accountability Online Platform
A series of anti-corruption trainings
Enhanced advocacy with partners
To engage as many allies as possible and create conditions for uniting them into effective networks, ensuring stable support.
Read more
Build partnerships with representatives of the business community that support the promotion of integrity.
We monitor and advocate legislative initiatives (including at the local level) aimed at reducing corruption risks in economic activities
- We have analyzed 29 draft laws related to the field of public procurement and advocated their adoption or revision; we have also researched initiatives at the local level and draft regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers related to the field of public procurement.
- We have initiated and coordinated an expert group at TI Ukraine on improving the public procurement system. The group includes representatives of business, procuring entities, authorities and the public.
We promote analytical tools and tools of transparency/accountability among business representatives
- We conducted 15 trainings for business representatives, procuring entities, and our partners.
- In partnership with one of the largest electronic platforms Zakupki.Prom.ua, we have celebrated the participants of the electronic trading market in the annual Zakupki.Best Award. Nominees were selected using the BI module based on data in the Prozorro system for 2019.
An informal network of local government representatives working on the implementation of transparency and accountability practices has been created.
Advise on best practices for transparency and accountability
- Before the 2020 local elections, together with the team of the Institute of Political Education, we presented the Government Transparency Code. This is a list of the first steps needed to increase the authorities’ transparency and accountability. The Code contains 11 provisions on areas which traditionally suffer from a lack of clear and predictable rules or are only partially transparent.
- In the public module, BI analysts have implemented a functionality that reflects success and violations in procurement. It allows evaluating tenders of subordinate organizers in a few clicks.
- On the DOZORRO portal, we have created accounts for 5 city councils with the ability to track feedback on procurement conducted by the subordinate institutions and improve their procurement processes.
- We have developed a handbook on public procurement for beginners in the field. The handbook is useful primarily for officials of amalgamated hromadas.
- We have conducted training on changes in the field of public procurement and the use of public BI module for representatives of city councils (229 students) and amalgamated hromada representatives in all regions of Ukraine (over 1000 students).
- We conducted interim observation of the situation with the transparency of Ukrainian cities—39 city councils joined this study.
- We have organized a series of trainings and advice to increase the level of transparency in the cities of Ukraine. In particular, we presented the results of the Transparency Ranking 2019 in Kyiv, Bakhmut, Kremenchuk, Nikopol, Chervonohrad, as well as evaluated and provided a list of recommendations for cities outside the evaluation—Truskavets, Horokhiv and Pereyaslav.
- We have advised 10 cities on the implementation of transparency and accountability practices.
We created and have maintained a platform for the exchange of experience and interaction among local authorities
- We launched the online platform Transparent Cities for government-community interaction. Representatives of civil society organizations and active residents can assess the transparency and accountability of local authorities in 14 main areas, leave general and detailed feedback on accountability, and the government can respond to comments in the format of a public dialogue.
- As of early 2021, 17 local councils had already registered their profiles on the online platform, and 29 CSOs had applied to join the community.
A network of CSOs and active citizens united by issues of corruption prevention and counteraction.
We are developing a network of partners among public organizations, journalists, experts at the national and international levels
- We took an active part in various advocacy campaigns. We cooperated with civil society organizations of national and regional levels which specialize, in particular, in anti-corruption.
- 51 organizations supported our statement calling for the immediate voluntary resignation of dishonest CCU judges who made decisions that undermine anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine.
- We have expanded “coverage” in the regions on transparency and accountability issues. For this, 5 regional coordinators were engaged in the team work, helping assess the transparency and accountability of cities across the country and build a community of regional CSOs.
- We have supported the network of regional civil society organizations—the DOZORRO community. In 2020, the community sent more 9 thousand letters to procuring entities, regulatory or law enforcement agencies based on the results of procurement analysis.
- We have formed a network of 7 journalists in the regions who cover the problems of public procurement at the local level. Almost 250 articles were created, with their total reach amounting to more than 368 thousand views.
- We partnered with foreign CSOs ePanstwo (Poland), K-Monitor (Hungary) and ECONLAB (Czech Republic) to increase efficiency and reduce corruption risks in the field of public procurement in Ukraine and Europe.
- Together with Open Contracting Partnership, we trained CSOs and journalists from Moldova, the Kyrgyz Republic and other countries on how to monitor procurement under the COVID-19 procedure.
- We have advised researchers from Princeton University on open data in the field of procurement, public oversight of procurement and detection of collusion in procurement.
We conduct training events and distribute educational materials among members of the organization and active citizens
- We have developed the institutional capacity of TI Ukraine and organizations of the partnership network. We re-evaluated organizational capacity according to the international methodology OPI (Pact’s Organizational Performance Index): 12 CSOs received individual reports and recommendations.
- 33 people underwent internship programs in all fields of the organization. They included students and graduates of the Ukrainian Catholic University, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv etc.
- We have conducted 43 training events for more than 1,500 people. Representatives from all regions of Ukraine were involved in the training events.
PUNISHMENT
Unique studies of the anti-corruption ecosystem
Legislative work of lawyers of TI Ukraine
Penalties for violations in the field of procurement
To ensure an effective system of punishment for corruption-related violations.
Read more
The formation of an effective anti-corruption infrastructure that ensures an effective punishment system for corruption-related violations, including establishing an independent and professional High Anti-Corruption Court that guarantees fair justice within a reasonable time.
We regularly collect information and systematically analyze certain anti-corruption institutions’ performance (NABU, SAPO, HACC, ARMA) and their interaction with each other
- Conducted its first study of capacity, management, and interaction of agencies that make up Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the institutional and operational capacity of the vital anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine (the NABU, the SAPO, the HACC, the ARMA, and the NACP). We developed several recommendations that would strengthen the capacity of anti-corruption institutions. Some of them have already been implemented.
- We have analyzed 213 candidates for the positions of the 11 SAPO prosecutors. The results of the analysis were transmitted to the members of the Competition Commission, which included Andrii Borovyk, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine.
- Together with the ARMA, we developed a comprehensive draft law on improving the Agency’s asset management function and actively advocated for it during the year.
- We prepared an analysis of dozens of draft laws and court decisions with conclusions and recommendations.
We monitor the formation and systematically analyze the newly created High Anti-Corruption Court’s activity and prepare the necessary recommendations to improve its performance
- We have developed our original methodolog to assess the procedural and formal operation of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
- We analyzed the Court’s daily communications and provided recommendations to improve public interaction with HACC stakeholders.
- Attended more than 311 court hearings and monitored 68 proceedings. In the above-mentioned proceedings, 126 people had the status of the accused.
- In the first instance, the average percentage of violations is 7%. In the appellate instance, the average percentage of violations is 3%. As regards the generalized results of the hearings during the choice of interim measures, the average percentage of violations is higher (17%).
We conduct anti-corruption investigations together with investigative journalists
The DOZORRO community forwarded some statements about crimes and violations in the field of public procurement:
- seven criminal proceedings have been opened;
- seventy-two contracts have been terminated;
- members of the tender committee or government officials have been brought to justice in 46 cases;
- two hundred fifty tenders have been canceled;
- amendments have been made to the tender documentation in 390 tenders;
- according to the appeals to the AMCU, collusion has been confirmed in 36 tenders.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
3.9 points out of 4 in the Organizational Development Assessment
8 new projects
Adaptation to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic
Provide effective sustainable functioning of the organization, stable when faced with internal or external change.
Read more
The organization is constantly and systematically working to build its institutional sustainability.
We devote attention to the management and development of individuals involved in its projects, fundraising, and its monitoring and evaluation system
- International Organizational Performance Index (OPI) methodology, TI Ukraine has scored 3.9 points out of 4; The evaluation showed that over the past four years, the organization has significantly improved its organizational processes and become more resilient to challenges and ready for development.
- According to the survey of civil society organizations, the respondents have assessed cooperation with TI Ukraine as highly useful; they also spoke highly of the experience of joint project implementation and the organization’s educational activities.
- The members of the organization have elected a new Board for the next two years, which includes both people who already have experience working with the organization and those who can expand our expertise in anti-corruption issues.
- 16 new team members joined TI Ukraine to implement new projects.
- 8 new projects have been initiated.
- The organization has successfully passed external assessments of organizational sustainability and development: 3 sustainability assessments by donor organizations and 3 external audits.
- We have adapted to the new challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly organized online work of the entire team.
We actively worked with the media
- Published 100 blogs in online media.
- Provided almost 300 expert comments for various types of media.
- Participated in radio and television programs over 100 times.
- Achieved an average of 500 mentions of TI Ukraine in various media per month.
- The total reach of social media is 4.3 million people.
countries: the USA, Morocco, Lebanon, the UK, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Georgia, Moldova, Mexico, Colombia, Kenya and the European Union in general.
In 2020, TI Ukraine worked with the following countries
During the year, we also actively worked with Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission, as well as ambassadors of G7, the IMF, and World Bank.
13
Unusual 2020:
Institutional development is at the heart of TI Ukraine’s growth, as it ensures the success of all the other strategic priorities of the organization: prevention, punishment, and engagement in anti-corruption. It is about the growth and transformation of the team: both its members and tasks.
TI Ukraine’s Chief Operating Officer Anastasiia Mazurok has shared the main challenges and victories in the organization’s institutional development and shared her vision of the team’s role. She has been working with TI Ukraine to change the country
running a marathon at the speed of a sprint
Anastasiia Mazurok
12 steps of Transparency International Ukraine’s development
Chief Operating Officer,
TI Ukraine
TI Ukraine
for almost four years, and there is no one who can better tell about the organization’s transformations at various stages.
So, what was special about 2020, the year of the pandemic?
Adaptability is the new standard
Like the entire world, we faced Covid, which made us change, adapt, reorient, and accept the new reality as part of our lives. We stood our ground and maintained our momentum. Our efficiency has not dropped, it has even grown in some aspects. But we feel that every victory in 2020 is much more valuable than in other years.
Read more
We are running a marathon at the speed of a sprint
The gist of an organization is people. Our work depends to a greater extent on the political and legislative agenda. In a situation where these processes are chaotic and changeable, people often feel burned out, exhausted, hopeless. It is therefore critical for us to maintain a positive atmosphere in the team despite everything. These connections are essential for recuperation.
We kept doing our job even when these subjects were overshadowed by Covid-19
Monitoring the work of anti-corruption bodies and upholding the integrity of the anti-corruption infrastructure, monitoring legislative initiatives, amending laws, advocating for necessary changes, increasing transparency and accountability at the regional level—we kept doing all these things in spite of everything.
The gist of an organization is people. Our work depends to a greater extent on the political and legislative agenda. In a situation where these processes are chaotic and changeable, people often feel burned out, exhausted, hopeless. It is therefore critical for us to maintain a positive atmosphere in the team despite everything. These connections are essential for recuperation.
We kept doing our job even when these subjects were overshadowed by Covid-19
Monitoring the work of anti-corruption bodies and upholding the integrity of the anti-corruption infrastructure, monitoring legislative initiatives, amending laws, advocating for necessary changes, increasing transparency and accountability at the regional level—we kept doing all these things in spite of everything.
The civil society sector is not the opposition. It is an ally
Working in the third sector is different from activism. Our value is that we can speak professionally and honestly about positive and negative things alike. We are focused on balance and depth, but we remain flexible, since our primary goal is achieving results. This is where our true value lies.
Engagement ≠ mass effect
Engagement is one of our strategic priorities. In 2020, we realized that offline is not the only way to have people join the fight against corruption. We have found new ways, developed new tools. For example, we have developed a Covid-19 procurement map and an online map of school procurement, launched an online platform of City Transparency and Accountability, and more. Importantly, there is demand: people want to remain active, follow the situation in their country or community, and affect it.
We have grown stronger institutionally
And this is evidenced by the PACT Organizational Capacity Assessment. TI Ukraine scored 3.9 points out of 4 possible (compared to 2.8 in 2017). It is a world-renowned methodology for assessing the institutional sustainability of an organization and a clear proof that we are moving in the right direction.
The team has grown in numbers and in spirits
Another institutional victory of the year is 16 new team members. And growth is not just about the number of people here: we have become more “grown-up.” The organization rebooted and expanded. This year, we recruited people and organized onboarding fully online, which is a completely new experience. The pandemic taught us independence: say what you will, but the office gives us an illusion of control, and when all the employees are at home, they have to prioritize their assignments and make more decisions on their own.
People as a priority
In the new reality, we had to take a hard look at our basic values and understand how important they are among our team. We changed the formats of interaction, reoriented our plans, adapted to individual characteristics, schedules, life circumstances. And most importantly, we remained people, even in critical moments, work-related and otherwise.
True enthusiasm
We have an entire enthusiastic community in TI. Our team members truly care about what they do. They are interested in these issues at work and in their free time alike not because they have a task, but because they care about what is happening, and it is important for them to have an impact. We have learned that other people don’t feel “at home” with us, so they tend to leave us. The lack of hard skills is not as big a problem for us as the lack of common values.
New plan ahead!
This year marks the end of the three-year development strategy of TI Ukraine. Thus, we are going to have a new opportunity to research, analyze, and plan our effective work.
We make change so that our day after tomorrow is better than today
We can implement those changes that do not always seem most relevant. We are regularly, systematically making things happen to improve the country. The trust of our team, which fights for these changes alongside us, is inspiring and empowering.
We are running a marathon at the speed of a sprint
The gist of an organization is people. Our work depends to a greater extent on the political and legislative agenda. In a situation where these processes are chaotic and changeable, people often feel burned out, exhausted, hopeless. It is therefore critical for us to maintain a positive atmosphere in the team despite everything. These connections are essential for recuperation.
We kept doing our job even when these subjects were overshadowed by Covid-19
Monitoring the work of anti-corruption bodies and upholding the integrity of the anti-corruption infrastructure, monitoring legislative initiatives, amending laws, advocating for necessary changes, increasing transparency and accountability at the regional level—we kept doing all these things in spite of everything.
The gist of an organization is people. Our work depends to a greater extent on the political and legislative agenda. In a situation where these processes are chaotic and changeable, people often feel burned out, exhausted, hopeless. It is therefore critical for us to maintain a positive atmosphere in the team despite everything. These connections are essential for recuperation.
We kept doing our job even when these subjects were overshadowed by Covid-19
Monitoring the work of anti-corruption bodies and upholding the integrity of the anti-corruption infrastructure, monitoring legislative initiatives, amending laws, advocating for necessary changes, increasing transparency and accountability at the regional level—we kept doing all these things in spite of everything.
The civil society sector is not the opposition. It is an ally
Working in the third sector is different from activism. Our value is that we can speak professionally and honestly about positive and negative things alike. We are focused on balance and depth, but we remain flexible, since our primary goal is achieving results. This is where our true value lies.
Engagement ≠ mass effect
Engagement is one of our strategic priorities. In 2020, we realized that offline is not the only way to have people join the fight against corruption. We have found new ways, developed new tools. For example, we have developed a Covid-19 procurement map and an online map of school procurement, launched an online platform of City Transparency and Accountability, and more. Importantly, there is demand: people want to remain active, follow the situation in their country or community, and affect it.
We have grown stronger institutionally
And this is evidenced by the PACT Organizational Capacity Assessment. TI Ukraine scored 3.9 points out of 4 possible (compared to 2.8 in 2017). It is a world-renowned methodology for assessing the institutional sustainability of an organization and a clear proof that we are moving in the right direction.
The team has grown in numbers and in spirits
Another institutional victory of the year is 16 new team members. And growth is not just about the number of people here: we have become more “grown-up.” The organization rebooted and expanded. This year, we recruited people and organized onboarding fully online, which is a completely new experience. The pandemic taught us independence: say what you will, but the office gives us an illusion of control, and when all the employees are at home, they have to prioritize their assignments and make more decisions on their own.
People as a priority
In the new reality, we had to take a hard look at our basic values and understand how important they are among our team. We changed the formats of interaction, reoriented our plans, adapted to individual characteristics, schedules, life circumstances. And most importantly, we remained people, even in critical moments, work-related and otherwise.
True enthusiasm
We have an entire enthusiastic community in TI. Our team members truly care about what they do. They are interested in these issues at work and in their free time alike not because they have a task, but because they care about what is happening, and it is important for them to have an impact. We have learned that other people don’t feel “at home” with us, so they tend to leave us. The lack of hard skills is not as big a problem for us as the lack of common values.
New plan ahead!
This year marks the end of the three-year development strategy of TI Ukraine. Thus, we are going to have a new opportunity to research, analyze, and plan our effective work.
We make change so that our day after tomorrow is better than today
We can implement those changes that do not always seem most relevant. We are regularly, systematically making things happen to improve the country. The trust of our team, which fights for these changes alongside us, is inspiring and empowering.
FINANCIAL REPORT
SOURCES OF REVENUE
Total amount of revenue UAH
40 477 095
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Total expenditures UAH
44 880 820
EXPENDITURES BY PROJECT
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It is almost impossible to eradicate corruption fully. But the level of corruption can be reduced. At Transparency International Ukraine, as an accredited chapter of the global anti-corruption movement, we know what steps need to be taken.
We definitely have the same path. Because everyone can contribute to changes in our country: whether you are in a big city or a tiny village, in school or in a hospital, in the Parliament or in your own backyard.
You cannot beat Corruptors alone. Go on TI Ukraine’s website, choose your superpower and join the fight against the predator.
Only together, by uniting the efforts of citizens, business, and the government, can we reduce the level of corruption in Ukraine.
2020 IN PHOTOS
CONTACTS
Transparency International Ukraine
Kyiv, 37-41 Sichovykh Striltsiv Street, 5th floor, 04053
+38-044-360-52-42
@ Transparency International Ukraine 2021
Transparency International is an anti-corruption organization founded in 1993 in Berlin by Peter Eigen, former director of the World Bank. Delia Ferreira Rubio is currently the chairman of the TI board. Transparency International is found in more than 110 countries of the world. The organization is best known for the Corruption Perceptions Index and the Global Corruption Barometer. According to the Global Go To Think Index Tank Report for 2020, Transparency International ranked 3rd out of 143 independent think tanks in the world. And in second among 71 world analytical institutions dealing with the topic of Open and Good Governance.
