Final Performance Report: Ukraine Civil Society Environment Activity (USAID “Citizens in Action” Project)

The program's overall purpose was to create a more conducive environment for civil society needs and to reflect European standards. UCIPR's unique approach involved analyzing gaps and opportunities, monitoring emerging challenges, developing proposals for improving legal acts and administrative practices, initiating and leading advocacy campaigns, and offering awareness campaigns, methodological support, and monitoring of adopted legislation. During the project implementation, UCIPR monitored draft laws, legal initiatives, and the practice of implementing CSO legislation, including the Laws on Public Associations, Charitable Foundations, Tax and Budget Codes, Law on Registration, and the National Strategy for Promoting Civil Society Development. UCIPR worked with established coalitions to improve CSO legal frameworks in areas such as CSO registration, non-profit status, taxation, reporting, access to public funding, and local democracy. UCIPR facilitated tax exemptions for SMS-charity, introduced contest-based public funding of veteran CSOs, and allowed 4% tax deductions for companies and individuals donating to CSOs. The organization also permitted CSO entrepreneurial activities, prevented the adoption of additional CSO financial reporting, and contributed to the repeal of asset declarations for anticorruption activists. To avoid misinterpretation of CSO legislation by public officials, UCIPR developed Explanatory Notes, including those regarding CSO registration and non-profit status granting. The program's achievements included the development of proposals for improving legal acts and administrative practices, the initiation and leadership of advocacy campaigns, and the provision of awareness campaigns, methodological support, and monitoring of adopted legislation. UCIPR's efforts resulted in the improvement of CSO legal frameworks, the facilitation of tax exemptions and public funding, and the promotion of CSO entrepreneurial activities. Despite these achievements, the civil society sector in Ukraine still faces challenges, including weak financial diversification and viability, the willingness of public authorities to control international funding to CSOs, and the lack of progress on regulating issues such as local referendums and public consultations. The 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections negatively affected the reform process, and the inability of civil society and government to agree on a legislative approach to governing assemblies remains a challenge. The program's geographic focus was Ukraine, with a specific emphasis on improving the legislative and policy environment for civil society in the country. The timeframes for the program were from 2014 to 2019, with a focus on implementing the program's activities and achieving its objectives during this period. The recommendations for future activities and initiatives are not explicitly stated in the report, but the program's achievements and challenges provide a basis for future efforts to improve the civil society enabling environment in Ukraine.