Civil Network OPORA held a facilitated dialogue in the Irish capital, Dublin, to systematize the experiences of Ukrainian communities abroad, develop strategies for their interaction with Ukraine's democratic institutions and civil society, and ultimately establish a shared understanding of the problems, needs, and methods for involving Ukrainian citizens abroad in policy-making within Ukraine. 30 people participated in the dialogue. OPORA identified what connects Ukrainians abroad with Ukraine, their motivations for engaging in socio-political life, and the tools they know and use for this purpose. Furthermore, we explored the challenges Ukrainians face abroad and the factors deterring them from returning to Ukraine.

Representatives of the government and the civic sector state that the response to these risks must begin now. During the OPORA forum on March 23, they outlined the necessary steps, ranging from ensuring voting accessibility to regulating the information space and countering foreign interference. Experts discussed these issues during the public panel: “Political rights must be protected, and all categories of citizens must receive equal mechanisms for realizing the principles and standards of free elections. How to avoid politicizing the human rights agenda in the first post-war elections.”

There will be enough votes in Parliament for the law on the first post-war elections in Ukraine once all seven working subgroups reach a consensus on a range of issues: residency requirement, the article defining the right to run for office, voting for Ukrainians abroad, and others. This opinion was expressed by Olena Shuliak, MP and Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning, during the panel discussion “System Resilience and the Resilience System for Organizing Protected and Fair Elections” at the OPORA’s forum “Challenges of Electoral Democracy Caused by the Great War” on March 23.

How to ensure that servicemen and servicewomen can fully exercise their right to vote and be elected, as well as how to protect the electoral process from Russian interference—these were the topics discussed during a public debate at the forum “Key Challenges of Electoral Democracy Caused by the Great War,” held by the Civil Network OPORA on March 23 in Kyiv.

Civil Network OPORA held a forum titled “Key Challenges of Electoral Democracy after the Great War” on March 23. The opening remarks were delivered by Andrew Ockenden, Development Director and Head of the Programmes Team at the UK Government at the British Embassy in Ukraine; Gediminas Navickas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine; and Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Keynote speech address by Olha Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, at the Forum “Challenges to Electoral Democracy After the Great War,” held in Kyiv on March 23.

PROGRAM of the FORUM of the Civil Network OPORA “Key Challenges of Electoral Democracy after the Great War”

Civil Network OPORA organized a facilitated dialogue in Rome to strengthen civic engagement and integrate citizens’ perspectives into public policymaking, ensuring their implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Among the key objectives OPORA pursued through dialogues with Ukrainian communities abroad were systematizing their experiences, developing a strategy for their interaction with Ukraine’s democratic institutions and civil society, and fostering a shared understanding of the challenges, needs, and ways to engage Ukrainians living abroad in the development of public policies within Ukraine.