UKRAINE CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVE II SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT OCTOBER 2020 – MARCH 2021

The program aims to ensure political stability and national unity in Ukraine by advancing efforts towards the reintegration of Donbas and Crimea, strengthening abilities to counter disinformation and malign narratives, and serving as a ready instrument to address emerging threats to national cohesion and stability. UCBI II's revised strategic framework, adopted in December 2020, focuses on reintegration and disinformation, building on previous successes and cumulative learning. The program has narrowed its geographic focus to Southeastern and Western Ukraine, with a smaller footprint in Kherson, Kharkiv, and Zakarpattia oblasts, as well as in Kyiv on initiatives with national significance. The program's overarching goal is to support Ukraine's national unity and stability. UCBI II's programming is guided by contextual analysis of local dynamics and geographic regions, with activities designed to address objectives based on assessed needs and identified opportunities. The program has initiated and completed activities under two strategic frameworks: the June 2019 framework and the December 2020 framework. During this reporting period, UCBI II supported activities in Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zakarpattia oblasts, as well as at the national level through support to multi-location or government level interventions and media activities. The program prioritizes the following program areas: reintegration of Donbas and Crimea, countering disinformation and malign narratives, and promoting national unity and stability in Ukraine. The Zelenskyy administration has prioritized improving national unity, implementing a more inclusive policy toward Donbas, and addressing several key reform areas. Key issues and events directly impacting the UCBI II strategic framework include the Presidential Administration's announcement of the Crimean Platform Summit in January 2021 and the GoU's release of a draft law on the transition period in January 2021. UCBI II has worked closely with the USAID Mission to hand over areas of programmatic focus, including reform-focused and civil society network building work in the Azov Region to the Democracy and Governance East project and strategic communications and media efforts to the Transformation Communications Activity (TCA). The program's commitment to strategically identifying key partners, approaches, and activities to hand over to other USAID and USG programs will enable it to work effectively while preparing to exit Ukraine in 2022. The program's geographic focus has shifted to prioritize areas with high potential for reintegration and disinformation efforts. UCBI II continues to work in Southeastern Ukraine with a focus on Kherson and a smaller footprint in Zaporizhzhia, as well as in Kharkiv, Western Ukraine with a focus on Zakarpattia and a drawdown in Ivano-Frankivsk, and in Kyiv on initiatives with national significance. UCBI II's revised strategic framework positions the program to take advantage of new political opportunities presented by the GoU to accelerate the reintegration of Donbas and Crimea and to be ready to help Ukrainian civil society and authorities to address emerging impediments to stability and national cohesion. The program's overall intent remains the same – to promote national unity and stability in Ukraine by empowering and enabling the GoU and local organizations to address ongoing and emerging challenges.