Ukraine National Initiatives to Enhance Reforms (UNITER) Final Performance Report

The project aimed to strengthen the ability of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to serve as advocates for reforms and to represent citizens throughout the democratic consolidation process. The project's objectives were focused on four key areas: NGOs better representing citizen interests and driving the reform agenda through more effective advocacy, monitoring, and activism; the relevant legislative framework for civil society approaches European standards; NGOs being transparently governed and capably managed; and civil society organizations being more financially sustainable and less dependent on foreign donors. During Phase 1 (2008-2013), UNITER supported the development of NGOs through capacity development, technical assistance, and financial support. The project enabled NGOs to experience a more engaged form of grant management, receive highly technical resources to try new approaches to advocacy, and access new forms of capacity development training, including new media skills. In Phase 2 (2014-2016), UNITER continued to support the development of NGOs, with a focus on effective, broad-based monitoring and advocacy campaigns, expanding CSO constituencies, and improving media engagement and ICT usage by CSOs. The project also supported the creation of an enabling environment for CSO capacity building and advocacy. The project's impact was significant, with civil society in Ukraine becoming more active, professional, and daring to influence policies. UNITER supported newcomers into the civil society sector, including individual activists, and enabled CSOs to experience a more engaged form of grant management and access to new forms of capacity development training. The project also contributed to the maturation of the civil society sector, expanding the convening power of CSOs for key issues, linking Ukrainian capacity development training providers with CSOs, and focusing mutual interest on the creation of an enabling environment for CSO capacity building and advocacy. UNITER encouraged practices of information outreach, improved financial management, greater engagement of CSO boards, and improved governance that led to new forms of cooperation among CSOs at the national and local levels. The project served as a gateway among CSOs, linking them with other CSOs in Kyiv and the regions, and with other donors, and supported the development of individual activists. UNITER also supported advocacy for new laws to enable the civil society environment, while many of these already had been in the pipeline, UNITER's resources made a difference by supporting groups with the right technical experience and bringing in others to help advocate for the laws. The project's legacy continues to resonate throughout Ukraine, with many of the reforms and organizations it supported continuing to shape the country's development. The project's impact on the civil society sector in Ukraine has been significant, and its legacy will continue to be felt for years to come.