EPD Network’s Support for Ukraine | European Partnership for Democracy

Three years after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are still at a critical juncture for the future of the European Union and democracy globally. The Russian regime’s war of aggression shows that authoritarian consolidation is a global security problem affecting all spheres of life, with derivative effects all over the world.

As the EU opened accession negotiations with Ukraine in December 2023, Ukraine remains engaged in structural reforms consolidating democracy despite the war. However, more steps need to be taken in the areas of combating corruption, increasing transparency and press freedom, to both make advancements towards EU accession and to strengthen its democratic resilience.

The EPD Network remains committed to supporting these processes.

Below we provide an overview of the tireless efforts of our members to advance democracy, peace and recovery in Ukraine for the past two years.

ALDA

Raised 134,000€ for humanitarian relief and emergency support:
- Supported to YA Mariupol IDP centres (Provision of food and hygiene kits EUR 19.000) Fons Pitiús de Cooperació and Fons Menorqui.
- Supported the Project for LDA Dnipro – Equipping Shelters EUR 12.000; Funding Source: Fons Pitiús de Cooperació.
- Supported the Project for the Vinnytsia region. Funding Source: Fons menorquí de cooperació. Expenditure: Acquisition of two ultrasound machines for Bar hospitals (€9,754.00) and electricity generators (10 units at €824.60 each, totalling €8,246.00). Total Expenditure: €18,000.00.
- Supported the Dnipro and Odesa Project. Funding Source: Fons Mallorqui. Dnipro: Renovation of an 80-square-meter communal apartment for temporary IDP social housing; Social and Psychological Adaptation Activities for IDPs in Dnipropetrovsk Region.
- Services: Psychological and legal counselling for IDPs, Conducting training for IDPs on self-development, adaptation, leadership potential, and employment opportunities, Organising round tables and meetings with stakeholders on IDP integration.
- In Odesa, a centre for children and adolescents aged 7-14 years (100 sq. m.) was furnished with furniture, carpeting, and equipment (notebook, TV, multimedia projector, screen, microwave oven, cooker, washing vacuum cleaner, heater), consumables for children’s activities and creativity.
- ALDA also provided support for the Early Development Centre for children aged 3-6 years old (120 sq. m.) and a shelter for temporary accommodation of women with IDP children (100 sq. m.). Expenditure: €45,000.00.
- Supported the Project for LDA Dnipro – Equipment of the Shelter. Funding Source: NRW region Germany. Total Expenditure: €20,000.00 for the refurbishment of the shelter.
- Supported the Veteran’s Hub in Poltava, a centre for veterans’ initiatives and reintegration. Funding Source: Council of Europe. Total Expenditure: €20,000.00.
Organised a conference in Brussels in June 2022 to identify potential partners for opening new Democracy Agencies in Ukraine in Bucha, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Vinnytsia;
Organised a conference in Wroclaw (Poland) in November 2022 to showcase its best practices in supporting Ukraine and mobilise more stakeholders for future actions;
Participates in the Committee of the Regions’ ‘European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the reconstruction of Ukraine‘, and several other EU-level bodies such as the CoR’s working group on Ukraine;
Organized a visit in Kyiv between 14-17 of February 2023 to meet local stakeholders, assess their needs and plan future support actions together;
Organised a gathering of Local Democracy Agencies and their partners in Brussels on the 6th of June 2023;
Cooperated with Innovation in Politics on making the Act Now Conference 2023 a success, by bringing the expertise of Local Democracy Agencies as a meaningful tool to rebuild trust in Ukrainian society and support local governance;
Held a partner meeting to establish a Local Democracy Agency in Odessa on 17 November 2023;
Organized an International Conference on decentralised support for Ukrainian Communities in Vicenza, 23-24 November 2023;
Contributed to the ELARD Congress by promoting the sharing of good practices between EU and Ukrainian Local Action Groups as a good tool for rural development and inclusive governance;
ALDA successfully completed a project in cooperation with U-LEAD with Europe as part of the Bridges of Trust initiative, aimed at strengthening local democracy and fostering partnerships between Ukrainian and European municipalities;
Established LDA in the Kharkiv region – More details here;
Strengthened cooperation of LDA Dnipro with partners, including the municipalities of Zelenodolsk and Samar;
Held ALDA General Assembly in Kyiv – More details here;
Signed the Memorandum of Understanding for LDA Vinnytsia – More details here;
Organized series of webinar on Green Reconstruction of Ukraine ALDA Talks;
ALDA will continue to support the development of LDAs in Ukraine and engage international partners in local governance initiatives, particularly in preparation for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome, where local democracy will be a key theme in Ukraine’s reconstruction process.

Club de Madrid

Strongly condemned the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine and called on President Putin to pull back from the abyss;
Published an article supporting China’s position in facilitating the dialogue between Russia and Ukraine;
Published a statement urging dialogue and diplomacy to solve the conflict and ensure peace and security in the region;
Together with EPD members, presented 10 recommendations for a European response to the invasion of Ukraine with a democracy-focused approach;
Released a podcast with the reflections of Alexander Stubb – former Prime Minister of Finland and Mircea Geoanã – Deputy Secretary-General of NATO – on the effects on topics such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022;
Published a statement condemning the Russian Decision on the annexation of Ukrainian territory; and
Divulged a video calling on the end of the war in Ukraine and the restoration of its territorial integrity, while enabling its economic and social reconstruction;
Published a statement reiterating its call for an end to the war in Ukraine;
Launched a video message with former President of Ukraine and Club de Madrid Member Viktor Yushchenko to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

elbarlament

Implemented a project to educate Ukrainian refugee women living in Germany on the German political system and provided knowledge and skills on political participation opportunities;
Coordinated internships in the German parliament for Ukrainian women and organised networking events to exchange ideas and plan joint initiatives between Germany and Ukraine beyond the duration of the project mentioned above;
Currently implementing a modular workshop series that aims for politically engaged refugee women from Ukraine to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge about German democracy and the related political and civil society structures.

Netherlands Helsinki Committee

Continued its work with well-established NGOs and grassroots initiatives working on the protection and promotion of human rights in Ukraine. By 2024 emergency support disbursed by the NHC to the CSOs across Ukraine reached 315K EUR. In total, 29 organisations working on the protection and promotion of human rights benefited from this support. This support aimed to help these organisations become more resilient and adapt better to the evolving needs of those affected by the ongoing war. The grants also supported initiatives of local CSOs in documenting war crimes on the ground. See more about the project here. In addition to the emergency support, we offered our local partners the following:

- Tailored capacity strengthening in risk management for CSOs during the war.
- Advocacy Accelerator for Ukrainian CSOs: customized expert advice on advocacy planning, including M&E strategies and an external communications audit and two online events to facilitate experience-sharing among grantees at different advocacy level.
- Advocacy trip of the Ukrainian CSOs to The Hague and Brussels, 20-24 May 2024: At the culmination of the Advocacy Accelerator, the NHC hosted representatives from eight funded organizations, who expressed interest in enhancing their international advocacy skills in The Hague and Brussels. During the week the team engaged with various stakeholders to advocate for accountability and justice for Ukraine.

Continued documenting the “intent” of war crimes committed supporting an initiative focused on documenting the subjective element (intent) of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of genocide committed in Ukraine since February 2022, and published a report: Towards Justice for Victims: A Case of Deportation and Forcible Transfer Against the Russian Authorities;
Continued to support the Ukrainian penitentiary system within the Justice and Accountability for Ukraine project by:
- Ensuring psychological support for prisoners and prison staff through the expansion of the online platform Samopomich, developed by the Federation Global Initiative on Psychiatry (FGIP).
- Developing next steps and raising awareness of resocialisation in Ukrainian prisons as a means to strengthen the penitentiary system.
- Facilitating accountability and victim-centred approach via implementing and expanding the systems of restorative justice.
- Enhancing the feasibility of alternative sanctions and increasing support for probation among the general public.
Is currently contributing to strengthening institutional capacity in the field of rule of law within government organisations in Ukraine by offering hybrid training courses for civil servants as part of the Matra Rule of Law Training programme, together with Leiden Law School and The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

Kofi Annan Foundation

Co-organised an open discussion on “The Role of Youth in Ukraine’s Peacebuilding, Recovery and Reconstruction” with the European External Action Service (EEAS) on 6 June 2023 in Brussels;
Participated in the Global Cities Hub’s “What Reconstruction for Ukraine?” conference on 5 June 2023 in Geneva. As a speaker in the panel discussion on the engagement of the international community, the Kofi Annan Foundation shared youth needs and perspectives that emerged from a series of consultations led by young Ukrainians in the fall of 2022 on new priorities for the country’s National Youth Plan, in which the Foundation also participated;
Participated in consultations and key-policy discussions on Ukraine, including as a speaker at the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction and Modernization of Ukraine, convened by the EU and the G7, in the ‘‘Institutional Transformation, Good Governance and Inclusiveness’’ session.

CFI Media Development

Provided shelter to 25 Ukrainian journalists exiled in Romania with their families within the framework of the project Yak Vdoma since the beginning of the project in September 2022. The project offers them material, financial, logistical and psychosocial support, as well as training and an environment in which these journalists can work. The residency Yak Vdoma in Bucharest also aims at facilitating exchanges and cooperation between journalists from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to debunk disinformation. The residency launches a quarterly call for projects to support regional editorial productions, up to 5,000 euros;
Currently implementing the project MediaFit, which aims to improve information integrity in Ukraine and the resilience of the Ukrainian media in this context, especially in the southern and eastern regions. CFI supports the UA:PBC, the national public broadcaster of Ukraine, so that it can continue producing independent high-quality programmes providing Ukrainians with better access to relevant and reliable information; Has a specific Facebook page in Ukrainian language to ensure quality content for the Ukrainian audience;

Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD)

Published a statement condemning the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people’s fight for democracy;
Signed the #GlobalDemocracyCoalition statement in solidarity with Ukraine and its people;
Hosted an event for Ukrainian and Danish politicians to discuss the country’s democratic future, marking one year since the full-scale invasion;
Supported financially the Danish party Red-Green Alliance and The Alternative in partnering with the Ukrainian organisation Social Movement to strengthen the organisation’s position as a political actor through capacity building;
Co-organised events supporting a democratic Ukraine at the Danish democracy festival, ‘The People’s Meeting’, for the past three years;
Facilitating an upcoming multi-party collaboration among Danish political parties to support democracy in Ukraine;
Marking the two-year date for the brutal full-scale invasion with an event focusing on the consequences of Western fatigue;
Bringing Danish and Ukrainian politicians and stakeholders together to share perspectives on future collaboration between Denmark and Ukraine.

DD Foundation

Donated 20,000€ to Ukrainian aid organisations;
Implemented a cooperation project on hybrid discussion events with Ukrainian democracy organisations, strengthening the involvement of non-native speakers in public discussions by involving Ukrainian organisations and local communities.

Democracy Reporting International

Solidarity actions – Helped evacuate contacts, resettled our staff, and travelled to Kyiv to meet with partners (including a field visit to Bucha at the request of Parliamentary leadership);
Fostered discussions on democracy during war, including a conference in Kyiv with local partners: ‘’Preserving and Developing Ukraine’s Democracy: Current and the Future Challenges of Democratic Transformation’’;
Numerous op-eds and social media commentaries giving further profile to the Ukrainian cause and bringing to light the less obvious critical issues related to the invasion, negotiations, the rule of law in Ukraine, Russia’s sanctions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8;
Comprehensive analysis of Ukrainian and Russian war-related discourse on social media;
A week-long symposium with Verfassungsblog on the impact of the war on the rule of law in both Ukraine and the EU;
Published a paper on how Russian disinformation efforts on Ukraine fit into the overall global picture of cutting-edge disinformation tools, tactics and narratives;
Co-organised with local partners and media a high-level public discussion in Kyiv on preserving and developing Ukrainian democracy during wartime, timed with the Ukrainian Constitution Day;
Hosted an international roundtable to discuss concrete proposals for better integrating democracy into national-level security strategies, and published international recommendations on the issue;
Supported an event on Ukraine’s security challenges and religious freedom, focusing on the sensitive issue of regulating religious organisations (particularly Russian Orthodox Church);
Reopened office in Kyiv to further support democracy under war conditions, assist the Ukrainian government in the EU accession process, and promote youth participation and the integration of internally displaced persons in the regions;
Supported the conference ‘Building Internal Resilience: Corruption Prevention in Ukraine’s Recovery’ in Berlin, dedicated to Ukraine’s efforts to fighting corruption during the war and its path to EU integration;
Organised the forum “Through Reforms to the Stars: Parliament, Government, and Civil Society” in cooperation with the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition and the Center for Political and Legal Reforms, bringing together stakeholders crucial for Ukraine’s European integration;
Implemented the “Democracy School for Youth“, equipping young leaders with the tools to turn democratic ideas into action;
Launched a youth internship program within central and local government bodies, facilitating young people’s understanding of government operations and helping Ukrainian authorities build a reserve of personnel during wartime;
Delivered the “Democracy in Action” mini-grants program, supporting grassroots democratic initiatives by graduates of DRI’s training programs;
Introduced the “Mobile Youth Work” initiative, bringing democratic education and civic engagement opportunities to youth in Ukraine’s most remote and frontline areasLaunched the project “ACCESS – Ukraine (Achieving Compliance and Cooperation for EU Justice Standards in Ukraine)”, with the support of Finnish Rule of Law Center, aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s legal capacity to meet EU rule of law standards;
Organised a public discussion and a series of workshops in Berlin on the resilience of Ukrainian democracy;

European Exchange

Held the panel discussion series “Shorten the war through sanctions?” in Munich, Stuttgart, and Berlin since December 2023 addressing Western sanctions, their impact, and solutions for effectively curbing Russia’s capacity for a full-scale war against Ukraine;
Continued to support local partners in five regions of Ukraine in promoting social integration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and providing mentoring for volunteer organisations and activists; a mini-grant competition was conducted which supported 14 hyper-local projects and initiatives focusing on social integration of IDPs and social cohesion;
Hosted a round table series on the financial architecture of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine in the run-up to the 2024 Ukraine Recovery Conference;
Published two Policy Alerts on “Ukrainian authorities’ legitimacy when elections are impossible”, part I explaining the legal aspects of why elections during the war are not feasible, part II looking into maintaining (political) legitimacy amidst the ongoing war;
Organizes German-Ukrainian annual conferences in Berlin, dedicated to Decentralized Democracy and Local Resilience highlighting the need to maintain the successes of decentralization reform which proved crucial during the war and in recovery efforts;
Published the Policy Paper “How to strengthen decentralized democracy and local resilience in Ukraine”, “Local democracy and social integration of IDPs in Ukraine during the Russian full-scale invasion” and “Tensions, expectations and ways to strengthen German-Ukrainian relations”;
November 2024: Launched the monthly newsletter “Monitor Luftkrieg Ukraine” (Air raid monitor Ukraine) which analyzes Russian air raid capacities and strategy against Ukraine’s cities and civil infrastructure based on a database of all 20.000+ air raids since September 2022. Based on the analysis, recommendations are prepared for Ukraine’s Western allies on how to support Ukraine’s defence effectively, taking into account empirical evidence of trends and needs.

People in Need

Direct humanitarian aid as a response to the war;
Provided immediate support to three Ukrainian coalitions documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity with the aim of bringing their perpetrators to justice. This trio monitors violations of humanitarian law and human rights with a special focus on vulnerable groups (children, seniors, minorities, women, etc.). In addition to collecting witness and victim testimonies, they focus on securing forensic evidence, producing expertly documented material for national and international institutions, and providing legal and psychological support to victims;
Financially supported 10 Ukrainian media outlets, including four well-known independent news and investigative portals and six smaller regional media outlets. These actors are providing crucial practical information through a variety of formats, including print, to key local audiences.They face a multitude of issues including the collapse of the advertising market, the need for alternative sources of electricity and heating, in some cases the need to relocate to more secure premises and replace lost or damaged equipment, and the psychological strain of working under war conditions or directly in the war zones;
Organised 14 psychosocial rehabilitation stays in safe locations in Ukraine for civil society organisations and media, benefiting more than 300 beneficiaries. In addition, we supported two organisations providing free psychological support to affected communities to train psychologists in the area of war trauma, and two LGBTQ+ organisations to support those in need;
Provided individual psychological support to more than sixty journalists and human rights defenders, each of whom has received an average of 10 hours of counseling;

Provided emergency financial support to individual human rights activists, journalists, bloggers and lawyers to be able to continue their work;
Assisted with relocation of several dozen foreign activists who had fled to Ukraine to escape the oppression in their own countries and would be at risk of ill treatment if captured by the occupying forces.

Westminster Foundation for Democracy

Supported Ukrainian MPs to improve how they engage with their constituencies, address the needs of their constituents and work on policy issues. A group of Ukrainian MPs partnered with UK MPs to exchange experiences in constituency outreach and build linkages between their constituencies;
Enhanced the oversight capacity of the parliament by promoting post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) practices and supporting four PLS inquiries of the parliamentary committees;
Enhanced the parliament’s engagement with the public in conducting oversight and piloted a new citizen engagement instrument in decision-making: Participatory Action Research (PAR);
Assisted Ukraine’s EU accession process by providing expert support to parliamentary committees on aligning draft national legislation with EU acquis, and by delivering a training programme on EU accession for VRU members and staff to better prepare them to work on the EU agenda and cope with related challenges;
Drafted an assessment of the Parliamentary Research Service (PRS) identifying key areas for potential operational improvements of the PRS;
Helped the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to improve its Cyber Security Strategy by providing expert advice and connecting the VRU with the cyber security network community;
Provided institutional support for political actors of Ukraine through:
- Study visits to the UK as observers and participants at the Labour and Conservative political parties’ conferences.
- Conducting polling research to assess the level of trust in political actors in Ukraine and expectation of citizens regarding recovery priorities.
- Trainings, analytical support, focus groups and strategic sessions for political parties, focused on their activities in the context of recovery.
- Organising a conference for political parties and civil society on democratic resilience to improve unity between different stakeholders.

Leading pilot initiatives to support municipalities on inclusive recovery and development of local democracy in three de-occupied communities of Kyiv region;
Assistance was provided by the Association of Ukrainian Cities in assessing the current situation and identifying top-priority recovery projects through analytical work and public discussions, which engaged approximately 150 participants;
Provided institutional support for municipalities on project management, fundraising, and feasibility studies;
Organised a study visit to the UK for experience exchange and development of international cooperation for three pilot municipalities and other representatives of self-local governance.