Today, the United States announced more than $200 million in assistance to support democracy, governance and human rights in Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced the additional assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during a visit to Ukraine.
The new funding will enhance transparency and accountability of institutions, support Ukraine’s reform efforts to counter corruption, and strengthen public financial management practices to meet international standards, enable continued advocacy for human rights accountability, further judicial reform and legal aid, and bolster independent media and civil society. All of these initiatives are essential for Ukraine’s democratic future and aspirations to join the EU.
Through this funding, USAID will support Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies through efforts such as the implementation of the State Anti-Corruption Program. USAID funding will further bolster judicial reform efforts necessary for advancing EU integration, including with the High Council of Justice, the High Qualification Commission of Justices, and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. Support will also help establish additional NGO-run justice centers at the local level, which will work closely with the Ministry of Justice’s free legal aid system to help war victims resolve legal challenges and restore livelihoods.
USAID funding will enable the further digitalization of recovery and reconstruction efforts, for example, by improving and ensuring the transparent procurement of infrastructure projects through GOU systems like ProZorro and the new Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM). USAID will also support the further development and implementation of the e-Recovery platform for managing the processes by which war victims receive compensation for damaged property.
The funding will further enable the Government of Ukraine to continue to provide support to victims of Russia’s brutal war through advocacy, forensics, documentation and referral to civil society support networks for survivors of war crimes and human rights abuses to better access legal, medical, and other resources.
USAID will partner with the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance and target line ministries to strengthen public financial management practices and meet international standards in order to ensure recovery resource utilization is efficient and effective. The additional funding will aid Ukraine’s Parliament in developing and adopting reform legislation required for advancing Ukraine on its path to the EU. The assistance will also assist civic and political actors to engage in Ukraine’s recovery and respond to citizen’s needs. Finally, this assistance from the American people will support the restoration of lifesaving services and enact health governance reforms to enable economic recovery in Ukraine.
With support from USAID, Ukraine is making tangible progress toward transparency and effective governance. For example, since 2015, Ukraine has saved more than $8 billion thanks to the successful implementation of the USAID-supported ProZorro procurement transparency system. Ukraine has also become a global model of e-governance with the Diia app, supported by USAID, which now offers more than 120 digital public services to more than 19 million users, almost two thirds of Ukraine’s teen and adult population.
The additional USAID assistance announced by the Secretary reaffirms the American people’s commitment to supporting a sovereign, independent, democratic Ukraine as it advances on its freely chosen path. We continue to stand united with the indomitable people of Ukraine as they win the war and win the future.