On 25 November, the Verkhovna Rada hosted the roundtable to present the updated human resources management strategy of the VRU Secretariat and discuss new legislative framework and modern human resources management practices enshrined into it for the development of parliamentary public service.
The event was organized by the EU-UNDP Parliamentary Reform Project in cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. it was attended by the Members of Parliament of Ukraine, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada, parliamentary committees, researchers and experts.
Head of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat Viacheslav Shtuchnyi noted that the Ukrainian Parliament’s Secretariat was set to change to be aligned with the times, thus, the Verkhovna Rada leadership welcomes the proposals of experts based on the analysis of current situation in Ukraine and international best practices. In fact, this initiative came directly from the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat, because in the regime in which the Parliament of the 9th convocation operates, the processes should be effective, and the Secretariat should hire the best staff possible and provide adequate training to them.
“As a result of our collaboration, we will be ready to formally approve the updated HRM strategy and workplan for its implementation until 2022. Also, as we continue to implement the recommendations of the European Parliament, we started preparation for introducing new modern HRM practices and tools in the Verkhovna Rada, including the development of a new corporate culture, quality management and gender mainstreaming,” the Head of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat added.
The Head of Operations, Section 1, of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine Martin Klaucke, noted that the Secretariat’s activity and effectiveness mattered a lot, and therefore, the issues raised during the round table would directly impact the reform of the Parliament.
“Today, we have already identified some areas for improvement based on the needs, as well as suggestions for organizational improvement and best practices. It is important that the draft law on parliamentary public service results in securing a neutral, impartial, effective and professional support that the Secretariat will extend to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to implement its functions,” Mr. Klauke emphasized.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Ukraine Manal Fouani said that parliaments play a key role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and implementing national reforms. Therefore, she highly appreciated the cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, supported by the European Union. According to Ms. Fouani, Ukrainian Parliament has every chance to become one of the most modern parliaments in the world, not only in terms of technical upgrade, but also in terms of the optimal structure, approaches and practices.
“We see and welcome your steps in improving your human resources management. Bringing Parliament closer to people is extremely important. We focus on enhancing the effectiveness of Parliament, its institutions, and we put emphasis on implementing a new HRM strategy,” UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Ukraine noted.
Experts from the EU-UNDP Parliamentary Reform Project presented the results of their research on the models of parliamentary public service in countries around the world. Viacheslav Tolkovanov, Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Reform Office, said that the experts analyzed models of the parliamentary public service of 35 countries to find out that the French and German models fit Ukrainian context the best. It is about the parliamentary public service as part of the civil service, similar to civil service in the justice system.
The roundtable participants also discussed new approaches to HR management, awareness of the corporate culture of the national parliament, quality management and other issues.
A draft of the HRM and Capacity Building Strategy of the VRU Secretariat for 2019-2022 was presented. Some of the innovations are annual forecasting of the need for new specialists, introducing mentorship for new employees and the gender audit.
The Head of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat Viacheslav Shtuchnyi reported that in the near future, an international organization competitively selected by UDNP would carry out a functional audit of the Secretariat’s performance and suggest recommendations on optimization of the structure and functional responsibilities of its units.