Olga Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of Civil Network OPORA, took part in the closed expert discussion "Democratic Challenges and Opportunities for Ukraine" held in June in Kyiv. Experts discussed the following topics: parliamentary reform and the code of ethics; challenges and risks of parliamentary and presidential elections in the current conditions; the balance between decentralization and centralization of power in wartime; the importance of media pluralism (countering disinformation; strategic communication of authorities as a prerequisite for fair elections); social cohesion and involvement of vulnerable groups in reconstruction and decision-making processes; protection of human rights in times of war: countering pressure and attacks on activists and journalists; gender-based violence.

The security agreements that Ukraine has signed with several countries provide for military, humanitarian assistance, and economic stability. Still, in return, our country must implement reforms that will strengthen partner support and provide opportunities for a country seeking to join NATO.

Money is an essential resource for politics and voter outreach. However, if not effectively regulated, it can compromise the integrity of political processes and democracies. Effective state regulation of funding of political parties and election campaigns (commonly known as political finance) and their implementation are vital for promoting the integrity, transparency, and accountability of democratic systems of government.

On June 27, the first civil society summit of the OPORA Civil Network "Security Guarantees for Ukrainian Democracy in Times of War" was held in Kyiv. The summit was designed to become a professional platform for high-level political dialogue on the future of Ukrainian democracy in war conditions and effective means for achieving victory.

The United States of America will continue to support Ukraine in the implementation of reforms and strengthening its democratic institutions. This was stated by US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink on June 27 during the civil society summit "Security Guarantees for Ukrainian Democracy in Times of War", organized by OPORA.

Now Ukrainians are forced to live in a paradigm of war, but our democratic values, for which Ukrainian civil society fought during all the years of the restoration of independence, remain unchanged. This was stated by the Chair of the Board at Civil Network OPORA Olga Aivazovska during the public summit "Security guarantees for Ukrainian democracy in times of war", which was held for the first time in Kyiv on June 27. We present the full-text version of her speech below.

On June 27, the first civil society summit “Security Guarantees for Ukrainian Democracy in Times of War” was organized by Civil Network OPORA in Kyiv. It was designed to become a professional platform for high-level political dialogue about the future of Ukrainian democracy in war conditions and effective means for victory.

In the first 5 months of 2024, Ukraine concluded 17 security agreements with partner countries, designed for 10 years. All of them lead to the strategic goal of Ukraine's accession to NATO. The first state to conclude an appropriate document with Ukraine was the United Kingdom, and the most recent power to have done it is the United States. So far, the Verkhovna Rada has not ratified any of the agreements, and it remains unknown whether they will be ratified at all.