Parliament and government have explored new approaches to accelerating progress with Agenda 2030

Kyiv, 22 September – Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, held high-level discussions today with the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union and the Inter-Parliamentary Union on ways to boost the legislature’s cooperation with the government on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Addressing the opening of the discussions, UNDP Resident Representative Dafina Gercheva said she appreciated the progress Ukraine has made since the adoption of the SDGs five years ago, but also noted that the COVID19 pandemic has worsened the overall situation in the world – especially for the most vulnerable. She said the SDGs are the answer to take us out of the pandemic and to reinforce the mechanisms that should prevent the world from falling back into another one.

“A world fully formed and informed by the SDGs would be far less susceptible to a pandemic such as that which we are experiencing today,” Gercheva said. “If we have learned anything from this crisis, it is that all countries need to redouble their efforts to move the needles forward on all 17 SDGs.

Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, confirmed that the EU supports Ukraine in SDG implementation specifically under the Eastern Partnership policy framework and within the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

"Our joint work on the SDG Agenda will continue in close partnership," Stefan Schleuning said. "We will focus on more sustainable and integrated economies, the green deal. We will also focus on the environmental and climate resilience, digital transformation and fair and inclusive societies."

Speakers taking part in the discussion included parliament’s First Deputy Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Oleh Nemchinov, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and representatives of line ministries and heads of the parliamentary committees.

Both Stefanchuk and Stefanishyna stressed that parliament and government both want to see Agenda 2030 implemented in Ukraine in the most effective way. “We take the SDGs very seriously in Ukraine,” said Stefanchuk. “The president signed a decree exactly one year ago to integrate the SDGs in all areas of national policy, and we are doing so.”

During the discussion, International Parliamentary Expert and consultant for the EU-UNDP Parliamentary Reform Project Julia Keutgen presented the results of her research into SDG implementation by EU national parliaments, adding Ukraine could adopt the best practices of its neighbours. She said across Europe current trends in implementing SDGs include national “parliaments taking an active role in performing various functions, such as awareness raising and mainstreaming the SDGs into the legislative process or into the oversight process.”

Keutgen suggested the parliament of Ukraine could establish a new committee on implementing the SDGs. In response, Stefanchuk suggested that parliament appoint one committee to be responsible for coordinating SDG implementation, and other committees could prepare work plans on implementing those of the SDGs that are relevant to their spheres of activity.

The First Deputy Speaker recommended that the VRU Committee on Economic Development coordinate SDG implementation activities in the parliament and start preparing for parliamentary hearings on the SDGs, which would be held annually.

Aleksandra Blagojevic, Programme Manager for International Development, Inter-Parliamentary Union presented methodology for the parliament’s self-assessment in achieving SDGs, and the First Deputy Speaker expressed great interest in applying this tool in the Verkhovna Rada.

Closing the discussion, Stefanchuk thanked the delegation of the European Union to Ukraine and UNDP for their partnership and support in enhancing the capacity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The first deputy speaker said parliament would transform today’s discussion into actions that would help Ukraine achieve equitable social development, sustainable economic growth and employment, effective governance, environmental balance, and enhanced resilience.

Media enquires: Mykola Yabchenko, EU-UNDP Parliamentary Reform Project, mykola.yabchenko@undp.org