The Center International for Private Enterprise (CIPE) is a Senior Technical Partner within the Democratic Elections and Political Processes cooperative agreement awarded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Under the award, CIPE brings expertise to the private sector’s engagement in democratic processes including through advocacy, good governance, anti-corruption, and market-oriented reform. You can find more below about CIPE’s work with Ukrainians and preparing their business community for life after war.
CIPE and its partners are on the ground in Ukraine preparing for recovery and reconstruction, a growing focus for the international community. CIPE’s Kyiv-based staff has remained in Ukraine since Russia’s large-scale invasion, working closely with a network of more than 200 business associations and chambers of commerce representing thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. The business groups provide vital services and leadership in close coordination with all levels of government, lending expertise and resources for everything from humanitarian aid distribution to repairing military equipment.
With support from CIPE, private sector leaders are already initiating reforms and business agendas that cannot wait including anti-corruption efforts to minimize war-time fraud and keep supply chains moving. Top Ukrainian business leaders shared their priorities at a recent CIPE event, asserting that Ukraine’s business community is well-positioned to drive change and must have a seat at the table with decision-makers to ensure that Ukraine is on a path to modernization.
“The work done in this one year, has been more than in the past five years. It is time, not only to win the war, it is time to change the country.”
“The work done in this one year has been more than in the past five years. It is time, not only to win the war, it is time to change the country,” said Andrii Dykun from the Ukrainian Agrarian Council. “The road ahead isn’t easy, but the war can’t slow down the pace of reforms,” added Nadiia Bedrychuk from the Ukrainian Direct Selling Association. Dykun, Bedrychuk, and other private sector leaders are pressing for action in many key areas as part of efforts to attract much-needed investment: battling disinformation, digitalization, tax reform, and measures to ensure fiscal transparency.
“They [are] not just looking to rebuild the old post-Soviet country, but rather transform Ukraine into a new, modern economy and state that ensures peace and prosperity to all of its citizens, and quickly becomes a contributor to global democracy and prosperity…,” said CIPE Europe and Eurasia Director Natalia Otel Belan. She and other CIPE colleagues are providing assessments and in-person briefs to government officials and others, including the Yermak-McFaul International Working Group, USAID, the US State Department, the European Values Summit, and Forum 2000. CIPE experts were among the featured speakers at the United States Chamber of Commerce’s recent public launch of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Initiative.
Other efforts involve a series of reports and policy papers on key topics intended to inform decision-makers and potential donors. Those include briefs on current work to address corruption, new information about pre-war Russian economic attacks, and analyses of behaviors by Ukrainian oligarchs and how to counter their influence.
To learn more about CIPE’s programs in Ukraine and other countries, visit cipe.org, LinkedIn, Facebook, orTwitter.
