On September 16, 2024, the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko and the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Kondratiuk delivered welcoming remarks at the Democratic Lawmaking Forum, organized by the USAID RADA: The Next Generation Program, to mark Democracy Day.
The forum brought together representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament, civil society organizations and donors to discuss and jointly address the challenges facing parliamentary democracy in Ukraine.
In his speech, the First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko noted that Democracy Day is essentially a professional holiday for Ukrainians. After all, the Ukrainian people fight for a democratic system every day at the cost of extraordinary efforts. “The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, working under martial law and continuous meetings, has managed to find a form of work that allows it to promote and adopt important bills. This is also evidenced by the reports of our European partners, who note the high capacity and effectiveness on the European integration path,” the First Deputy Speaker said.
According to the Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratiuk, the war that russia is waging against Ukraine is also a war against the entire free world. It is a challenge to all democratic values, rights and freedoms. “Therefore, democratic countries and EU states must arm themselves. They must be ready to defend democracy with arms in hand. Defense spending should be increased to 2-3% of GDP. It is very important that our partners provide Ukraine with more air defense systems, long-range weapons, and the right to strike legitimate targets in russia,” said Olena Kondratyuk. According to her, Ukraine must win this war for independence, freedom and democracy. Otherwise, the entire democratic world will lose. The best guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a tool for strengthening Ukrainian democracy, is its membership in NATO.
During the Forum, special attention was paid to aggressive russian propaganda, which is being carried out, in particular, to destabilize and discredit democratic institutions in Ukraine.
“As both military and hybrid attacks target global democracy, legislatures, as the main pillar of democracy and the branch of government closest to the people, play a leading role in ensuring democratic order and resisting authoritarian forces,” said Dina Titus, senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Partnership for Democracy Commission, in a special video address.
Dina Titus also expressed her support for Ukrainians in the fight against russian aggression. “putin's unjustified, illegal, and vile war against Ukraine clearly demonstrates what authoritarian governments are capable of doing to advance their anti-democratic agenda around the world. The United States stands firmly behind Ukraine's successful democracy, and I pledge to push for more assistance to Ukraine until the threat of putin's aggression is destroyed,” she said.
The participants of the event discussed the possibilities of ensuring the sustainability of parliamentary democracy under martial law, as well as the observance of the principles of democratic lawmaking during a major war.
The important role of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the path of democratic development of the Ukrainian state was emphasized. “You are working in extremely difficult conditions, and your progress deserves recognition. Even in times of war, you are improving procedures, building an open, transparent and pluralistic democracy,” said Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament (2002-2004), Head of the European Parliament Needs Assessment Mission to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, President of the Jean Monnet Foundation, in his report.
He noted the enormous amount of successful work done by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for European integration. This, according to the Head of the European Parliament's Mission, demonstrated the institutional maturity of the Ukrainian Parliament and the ability to reach political consensus on strategic issues for the nation. Separately, Pat Cox stressed that russia is trying to undermine the legitimacy of democratic institutions in Ukraine through its disinformation campaigns, and therefore their development and trust-building are more important than ever.
Democracy is a solid foundation for the successful development of a society in which everyone has a voice and can be heard. The vast majority of the world's most developed countries today live by democratic principles. This is emphasized by the USAID RADA: The Next Generation Programme, which is actively involved in strengthening parliamentary democracy in Ukraine.