Support to Ukraine’s Reforms for Governance Program.
Funded by Global Affairs Canada. Implemented by Alinea.
Support to Ukraine’s Reforms for Governance Program.
Funded by Global Affairs Canada. Implemented by Alinea.
Making everyday life easier for all Ukrainians
The Government of Ukraine is committed to building systems that improve the lives of all citizens.
The SURGe Program team uses international best practices and engages Ukrainian experts to foster capacity and ensure sustainable progress in governance. Through a series of Reform Projects, this Program supports the government to make systems responsive to the needs of citizens, with a focus on the country’s most vulnerable. This work extends to central government planning by building capacity for results-based management, gender equality and social inclusion.
Within the framework of the project "Support to Ukraine’s Reforms for Governance" (SURGe), implemented by Alinea International and funded by the Government of Canada, it is planned to create several...
SURGe Project is looking for а Regional Investments Monitoring and Evaluation Expert who will be working with the team to help design monitoring and evaluation system and framework at the national an...
Getting women to the decision-making table in Ukraine
Women in Ukraine face a narrow pathway to leadership positions and getting a seat at the decision-making table is a challenge. With this challenge for the current generation comes a challenge for the next generation. “Having few women entrepreneurs, having not enough representation on boards or in governments or in school boards is a problem because women are not represented,” said Tawnia Sanford Ammar, Project Director for SURGe - Support...
“10 days in queues are now 10 clicks in the app.” – New parent benefitting from yeMalyatko
New parents in Ukraine faced up to 30 hours in 11 government offices collecting 37 documents to register their baby and apply for social payments. In close partnership with Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, other government stakeholders and international partners, the SURGe team supported the design and implementation of the yeMalyatko service, which brings together nine services related to registering a new born child. Based on an example from the Government of Canada, the SURGe team developed the concept, obtained support from government leaders, bundled services appropriately and revised processes. Once the revisions were agreed, the team drafted legislation and developed a training program for administrative service staff providing this service. With yeMalyatko, registration is complete in just 10 minutes online, or offline in maternity hospitals, at state registration offices, or in citizen-friendly and inclusive Administrative Service Centres. The SURGe team is currently drafting legislation to further institutionalize yeMalyatko through the Parliament.
– Administrative Services Reform Project
“Parents do not place their children in institutions due to lack of care, but because social welfare issues leave them uncertain about their ability to care.”
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2,798 families saw their children returned home as fears of the pandemic spreading through institutions ignited. The SURGe team supported local government in the Lviv Region to assess the needs of those vulnerable families during lockdown so authorities could quickly respond. Research showed most of these families lived on the poverty line, with 65 per cent noting the importance of financial support in order to care for their children. The SURGe team linked 729 families in need with local social services for the first time, and facilitated packages of basic food and household items for 700 families. The SURGe team is currently working with local service providers, community organizations, social workers and local government representatives to conduct a large-scale needs assessment to understand what services exist, how these services could be improved, the needs of families with young children and pregnant women, and more.
–Community Services for Children Reform Project
“The future of Ukraine depends on quality education being available to all children.”
The Institutional Audit Toolkit is a new tool built by the SURGe team to ensure Ukrainian students have access to high quality education in all schools across the country. Using this tool, the SURGe team supported the State Service for Education Quality to organize institutional audits across the country and train experts to develop clear and evidence-based conclusions with practical recommendations. Between October 2020 and April 2021, 107 school audits were conducted with support and coaching from the SURGe team. Auditors are gaining confidence in their work and local authorities are starting to implement the recommendations. A school audit in the Volyn Region resulted in recommendations for the local government to fund improvements to the school grounds to make them more welcoming and child-friendly. The audit took place at the school in December 2020 and by March 2021, the local government, based on recommendations of the audit, allocated sufficient funds for improvements.
–Quality Education Reform Project
“A prison term being an opportunity to access rehabilitation programs is a key step to a safer Ukraine.”
To support the focus on rehabilitation in Ukraine’s prison system, the SURGe team initiated a working group to develop the Risk and Needs Assessment Tool (RNA Tool). Using the tool, correctional staff assess risks that might cause an incarcerated person to reoffend upon release, and consider what the person might need to decrease their risk of reoffending, such as job training or addiction counselling. The SURGe team worked with prison staff to pilot the tool in 10 prisons, for both males and females at different security levels. The SURGe team also developed and piloted case management tools, designed to see incarcerated people through their time in prison and track successful strategies. The pilot program led to improvements for both the RNA and case management tools, approved by the Ministry of Justice in late 2020 – early 2021. A pilot is now underway on an updated conditional release decision making process to ensure fairness and transparency.
–Corrections Reform Project
“Transformation of the healthcare system has become a measuring stick of broader changes across Ukraine.”
When seeking medical care, Ukrainians often paid out-of-pocket to access health services and facilities, raising serious questions about how the system allocated tax dollars. The SURGe team developed the digital architecture of the State Owned Enterprise eHealth (SOE eHealth) system, creating safe and reliable management of sensitive medical data for 42 million Ukrainian citizens. The SOE eHealth system includes a database of doctors, patients and medical institutions, and a transparent health staff salary system. Patients can now choose a family doctor and healthcare facility, which creates competition and improves quality of care across the sector. As of 2021, more than 70 per cent of patients (approximately 30 million people) reported satisfaction with their family doctor and most family doctors reported satisfaction with salaries. Patients pay less out-of-pocket for health services and have greater access to medications. Additionally, electronic prescriptions are widespread, improving management of the medication reimbursement program.
–eHealth Reform Project
“Public investment is a key policy tool that affects quality of life and shapes choices about where people live and work.”
Working with government representatives in two pilot oblasts, Chernihivska and Cherkaska, the SURGe team conducted surveys to learn about citizen needs that could be met with improved public investment. The needs assessment revealed that challenges are much broader than just financing investment – public authorities also lack the appropriate governance arrangements to make the best use of funding. The SURGe team identified 85 gaps across 15 OECD-recommended capacities for effective public investment, with key gaps in strategic planning, budget alignment and lack of coordination. The research also showed that citizens are not informed about the implementation of investment projects and there is not an effective public investment monitoring and evaluation system. This process culminated in discussion about more than 200 recommendations to national, regional and local authorities on legislative, organizational and capacity building measures designed to transform public investment into a driving force for the development of regions and communities.
–Public Investment Governance Reform Project
Reform Projects
Administrative Services:
Digitizing documents & services for daily life
Quality Education:
Improving access to quality education for all students
Community Services for Children:
Helping vulnerable families access services to care for their children
eHealth:
Improving access & quality across Ukraine’s health system through digital innovations
Public Investment Governance:
Optimizing public investments for citizen needs
Corrections:
Fostering rehabilitation with a focus on human rights
ANP-NATO:
Implemented by PROTECT as of Spring 2021
Adminstrative Services:
Digitizing documents and services needed for daily life
Quality Education:
Improving access to quality education for all students
Community Services for Children:
Helping vulnerable families access services to care for their children
eHealth:
Improving access & quality across Ukraine’s health system through digital innovations
Public Investment Governance:
Optimizing public investments for citizen needs
Corrections:
Fostering rehabilitation with a focus on human rights
ANP-NATO:
Implemented by PROTECT as of Spring 2021
Administrative Services Reform Project
People seeking disability status should not face travel to multiple government offices and require dozens of pieces of documentation. This process, affecting more than 2.7 million Ukrainians, should be simple, respectful and reflected in changes underway to make administrative services more accessible, less bureaucratic and increasingly innovative for everyone. The Administrative Services Reform Project is part of the Government of Ukraine’s work with SURGe, which has already implemented key changes to improve and digitize how Ukrainians access administrative services. This includes obtaining important documents, such as marriage licences and passports. For example, the online Guide to Public Services provides information supporting citizens through life events – from buying a car to registering a birth and returning from the military.
ANP-NATO Reform Project
Implemented by PROTECT as of Spring 2021
As Ukraine seeks to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), work is underway to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the reforms required to meet NATO principles and standards. The Annual National Program (ANP) – NATO Reform Project is part of the Government of Ukraine’s work with SURGe. The ANP, produced yearly under the Ukraine-NATO Commission, includes 100+ nation-wide sectoral reforms. More than 40 per cent of the policy areas addressed are social and economic, reflected in national priorities on the rule of law, energy, security and the environment.
Community Services for Children Reform Project
SURGe works to prevent children from entering the welfare system. Integrated child-oriented services in the community are a key focus, implemented within the National Strategy of Reforming the Institutional Care and Upbringing of Children for 2017-2026. Throughout 2020, SURGe helped the local government of the Lviv Region assess 2,798 families of institutionalized children returned home due to the global pandemic and used this data to address their urgent needs during lockdown. This is one example of work underway to provide all children with a safe family or family-like environment.
eHealth Reform Project
When seeking medical care, Ukrainians often paid out-of-pocket to access health services and facilities, raising serious questions about how the system allocated tax dollars. A fundamental shift was required to provide patients with financial protection in the case of disease, adjust resources to directly meet their needs and address low compensation for healthcare providers. The eHealth Reform Project helped introduce changes that empower patients, particularly those in vulnerable groups, as they navigate the healthcare system. For example, patients can now choose a family doctor and healthcare facility, which creates competition and improves quality of care across the sector. Patients pay less out-of-pocket for health services and have increased access to medications. Additionally, electronic prescriptions improve transparency and effective management of the medication reimbursement program.
Corrections Reform Project
Due to high incarceration rates and concerns about human rights violations, Ukraine requires new approaches to corrections. Through the Corrections Reform Project, SURGe supports the Ukrainian government to significantly decrease the number of people incarcerated through alternative sanctions and probation options for crimes of minor and medium gravity, with a focus on human rights. This shift requires an individualized approach for each offender, including assessment of their rehabilitative needs balanced with their risk of re-offending. Decreasing the number of incarcerated people increases the protection of human rights, funding available to the Government of Ukraine for rehabilitation and trust in the corrections system – creating safer communities.
Quality Education Reform Project
SURGe works with government institutions and local school principals to develop mechanisms to improve access to quality education and build safe learning environments for all students across Ukraine. This Reform Project is part of the Quality Assurance (QA) System transformation, which is one of the New Ukrainian School reform pillars. SURGe supports the State Service of Education Quality to set and implement new standards, apply QA instruments and help schools improve the quality of educational activities – all of which contribute to promoting public confidence in the education system and improving learning outcomes for students.
Public Investment Governance Reform Project
Ensuring Ukrainians enjoy a high quality of life regardless of their place of living has been the goal of the Government of Ukraine’s regional policy for many years. Improved governance of public investment can improve roads, Internet, water supply systems, public transport and more – and make progress on achieving this important goal for Ukrainians. SURGe works to ensure that public investments reach all Ukrainians and supports the government to work in new ways with a focus on citizens, particularly those often overlooked in public investments. Working with government representatives in two pilot oblasts, Chernihivska and Cherkaska, the SURGe team recently conducted needs assessments to learn about citizen needs that could be met with improved public investment. Together with the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, SURGe developed policy recommendations and changes to legislation to ensure effective public investment governance across all levels, with some recommendations already approved by Cabinet and Parliament.
CONTACT:
surge@alineainternational.com
CONTACT:
surge@alineainternational.com
Aligned with all UN Sustainable Development Goals
