EDGE Projects
Agriculture Sector
Expert request: Strategy for Agriculture & Rural Development
Activities:
(1) Agriculture Education, Research & Advisory Services Study
(2) Export Promotion Study
Ukrainian Partners: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ukraine must better meet the needs of small and medium sized farms and agri-businesses. Farmers need increased access to new foreign market opportunities to maximise revenues in Ukrainian produce. To address this need, EDGE commissioned agriculture industry experts to work with stakeholders in completing agricultural research and developing an action orientated strategy for expanding exportation. Guided by principles of international best practice, the experts will help Ukraine’s Ministries improve agricultural education, training, research and advisory services. Ministries will also be able to develop legal and regulatory recommendations, as well as outline follow-up technical assistance and financial assistance that could be considered by donors and International Finance Institutions.
Gas Sector
Expert request: Reform in Oil and Gas Industry
Activity: Mission on Oil and Gas Sector Reform in Ukraine including one-day workshop on effective permitting systems in unconventional gas production.
Ukrainian Partners: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources; Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry; Ukrainian private sector
Ongoing armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia in Eastern Ukraine has put the energy security of Ukraine - and by extension, Europe - in jeopardy. As such, promotion and development of domestic gas production has become one of the top priorities for the Government of Ukraine and a key platform for change. Despite the significant potential in Ukraine for oil and gas development, the current regulatory framework is unfavorable for attracting foreign investments, technologies, and companies in achieving reliable and profitable domestic oil and gas production. EDGE is contributing to addressing the shortfalls of the sector through delivering a one-day workshop on effective permitting systems in unconventional resources (shale development). The workshop provided a venue to review Ukraine’s regulatory needs, challenges and issues and, where appropriate, providing options of regulatory framework ideas, approaches and strategies. EDGE co-sponsored an expert from the Alberta Energy Regulator in completing a technical assistance scoping mission in Kyiv and delivering the workshop to Ukrainian stakeholders. The goal of this commission was increased awareness from the Ukrainian regulator of transparent regulatory needs, options, challenges and benefits associated with regulating unconventional gas production.
Financial Sector
Expert request: Organizational Development Support for the Ministry of Finance
Activities:
(1) Technical support mission for recommendations on the management of the Ministry of Finance, and public administration reform/rationalization and reorganization
Needs Assessment for the Ministry of Finance
Ukrainian Partners: Ministry of Finance
The government of Ukraine announced a new cabinet in December, 2015, including a new Minister for Finance, Ms. Natalie Jaresko. As she assumes her leadership role and responsibilities, Ms. Jaresko requested support from EDGE for organizational development assistance for the Ministry. EDGE expert advisors with qualifications in government management systems, public finance and change management conducted in-depth needs assessments for the Ministry of Finance. The experts articulated a process for addressing identified needs through an initial action plan. The result of this work identified priority areas for successful reform, growth and stability of the country as: taxation reform; budgeting and; debt and liquidity management (including identifying appropriate models/mechanisms for liquidity management).
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
Expert request: Organizational Development Support for MEDT
Activities:
(1) Chief of Staff Support
(2) Functional Review of the Ministry
Ukrainian Partners: Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT)
The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) of Ukraine has faced multiple challenges as they work to address sector-specific reforms including their ability to plan, implement and communicate reforms. Stemming from the successful work EDGE has completed with the Ministry of Finance, MEDT requested similar assistance from EDGE to improve the operational efficiencies of the Minister’s office and the Chief of Staff. The expert advisor, a former Chief of Staff, was deployed to the Ministry for a targeted one-week mission in March, 2015. The technical assistance focused on advising how to restructure the office to improve Ministry overall functionality, including capacity to lead/oversee sector-relevant reforms, as well as and assessing further need for expertise.
A follow-on activity was completed in March, 2015. The goal was to perform acomprehensive functional review of the Ministry in order to prepare suggestions for restructuring of the Ministry based on several priorities: downsize the Ministry, increase efficiency, streamline with the international best practices and Ukrainian context of reforms.
National Reform Council
Expert request: Governance Reform/Economic Growth Initiative
Activity: Proposal Development for Government Performance Assessment System for Strategy 2020
Ukrainian Partners: Presidential Administration – National Reform Council
This EDGE initiative consisted of two missions to work with the National Reform Council within the Presidential Administration of Ukraine. Ukraine’s National Reform Strategy, called Strategy 2020, is based on the openness and transparency of government, and will support better nation-wide governance, management and measurement of Ukraine’s reform initiatives. A longer-term goal is contributing to increased capacity of national level institutions to develop transitional planning and longer term policies and programs. This mission deployed an expert advisor to work with a small group of Presidential Administration personnel in developing a proposal for a government performance assessment system for Strategy 2020. The expert specifically provided a report outlining key sectorial and Results Based Management advice and described required technical expertise, training systems, hardware and software. The missions took place over a two month period ending in January, 2015.
Parliamentary Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship
Expert request: Governance Reform/Economic Growth Initiative
Activity: Bill for Public Private Partnership Policy
Ukrainian Partners: Parliamentary Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship
The government of Ukraine recognizes the need to develop clearer and more detailed legislation for Public Private Partnerships (PPP) with principles of transparency, non-discrimination, proportionality and efficiency. The Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Court) of Ukraine adopted a bill which aims to remove regulatory barriers for the development of PPPs. Due to remaining inadequacies in the Bill, Ukrainian parliamentarians appealed to Canada through its Ambassador in Kyiv for assistance in preparing this Bill for a second reading. EDGE answered this call by sending five expert advisors to work with the Parliamentary Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship in March, 2015. The advisors hailed from a specialized law firm and provided input for the Bill’s revision, including fundamental improvements to content and clauses based on international experience and lessons learned in democratic justice systems.