The Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Olena Kondratiuk and representatives of the RADA Programme and the East Europe Foundation discussed a new stage of cooperation with the Parliament for 2020-2021.
There was held a working meeting between Olena Kondratiuk, the Deputy Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the leadership of the USAID Responsibility, Accountability, Democratic Parliamentary Representation (RADA) Programme and the East Europe Foundation.
Olena Kondratiuk welcomed the decision to continue the implementation of the Programme’s projects until June 30, 2021."It's a very good news. We highly appreciate the support provided by our partners to strengthen communication between voters, MPs, VRU committees and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an institution," the Vice Speaker stated.
The President of the East Europe Foundation Viktor Liakh, the RADA Programme Director Ihor Kohut, the Deputy Director of the RADA Programme Tetiana Bibik informed Olena Kondratiuk about the updated key tasks of the Programme and further plans for its implementation. In particular, the parties discussed prospects for introducing gender analysis practices in the parliamentary work, implementing the pilot project "Model Committee", establishing a training center to ensure continuing education and professional advancement of MPs and their assistants. Improving of public communications as well as expanding of online resources, knowledge base and audience of the Verkhovna Rada Educational Center were also discussed.
The Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine did also uphold the need to create a modern parliamentary research service that would be capable of promptly providing fair and unbiased analytical information, including for the needs of the parliamentary leadership, MPs, and VRU committees. And it is the belief of the conferees that such a service should be organized on the basis of best international practices, in the image and likeness of the Congressional Research Service of the United States Congress, analytical services of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Polish Sejm, the German Bundestag and other European parliaments.
In turn, representatives of the RADA Programme and the East Europe Foundation expressed their readiness to provide comprehensive assistance and support to the parliamentary research service.