The Seminar on 'Experience of the Work of Parliaments in Eastern Europe and the CIS'

The event was organized by the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus in collaboration with PDP II and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The seminar aimed to present the results of study visits to the parliaments of other countries made by Apparatus staff in 2011-2012. The study visits were supported by PDP II and were part of the activities on the development of professional and organizational capacity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The visits were made by staff of the committees' Secretariat and departments of the VR to related parliamentary units in Eastern Europe and the CIS. The purpose of these visits was to gain positive experience and implement it in the activities of the relevant departments of the VR Apparatus or the Secretariats of the Committees. The seminar was attended by leadership of the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada, Committees' Secretariat, and departments staff of the VR. The event was a follow-up to the seminar on "Ways of Improving the Work of the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine - the Priority Steps" held on November 23, 2010. The winners of the contest, who made study visits in 2010, presented the results of their study visits and relevant proposals on optimization of the work of structural divisions of the VR during the 2010 seminar. The study visits were focused on professional growth and achieving more effective results of the activity of the departments and secretariats. The participants in the contest were expected to inculcate the positive experience gained during the study visits in the activities of the relevant departments of the VR Apparatus or the Secretariats of the Committees. The seminar provided a platform for the exchange of experience and best practices among the participants. The seminar was a significant event in the development of professional and organizational capacity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It highlighted the importance of study visits and exchange of experience among parliamentary units in Eastern Europe and the CIS. The seminar's outcomes were expected to contribute to the improvement of the work of the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and its structural divisions.