Activists present ‘Toronto Principles’ to safeguard reform in Ukraine

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17.09.2019

Representatives of civil society and international experts gathered at the Reanimation Package of Reforms Forum held in Kyiv on May 22, 2019 to present the “Toronto Principles” — a strategic vision of how to ensure the longevity and tangibility of democratic reforms in Ukraine.

The forum comes ahead of the Third Reform Conference, to be held in Canada later this summer, devoted to the progress of reforms in Ukraine. 

“Reforms are never irreversible,” said Ambassador Hugues Mingarelli, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine at the forum. “And therefore, I’d suggest that you fight to ensure the sustainability of reforms instead of their irreversibility. We should do everything possible to create the right conditions for the new political leadership to build on what has been done over the last five years.” 

“The ‘Toronto Principles’ is a visionary document prepared by civil society,” said Taras Shevchenko, Co-Chair of the Board of the Reanimation Package of Reforms. “With this document we want to convey the vision of civil society to the government and our international partners. With regard to joint efforts — we had 60 NGO’s experts working on the document and month-long online discussions. We have the support of 70 national organizations. That might seem like it’s enough, but for myself I have to say – ‘no, it’s not, we have to do a lot more.’” 

The forum was organized by Reanimation Package of Reforms with financial support from UNDP Ukraine. UNDP Ukraine has been working closely with civil society partners to make sure they achieve their full potential in bringing much-needed changes at the local and national levels.