USAID Marked 15 Years of Partnership with Ukraine

The U.S.  Agency for International Development has marked its 15th anniversary of partnership with Ukraine.  Since USAID signed its first bilateral agreement with the Government of Ukraine in 1992, this cooperation has focused on three principal areas: building a free market economy, developing a democratic political system, and reforming a social safety net.  Through these years of partnership, Ukraine has received over $1.5 billion in technical assistance with no strings attached.  USAID’s 15th anniversary was celebrated at Ukrainsky Dim. This assistance has not been a loan, but a gift.  For over 15 years now, American taxpayer money has helped Ukrainians to develop private farming, combat corruption, and fight TB and AIDS.  On example of this work, according to Families for Children Program Director Alyona Gerasimova, is returning runaway Ukrainian kids from the street back into the family unit. "Children should be in families – families that are loving and stable.  They should not be brought up in institutions, and they should not be on the street.  We should do all we can to give these children a gift of their own family", says Gerasimova. The anti-trafficking program seeks to save those, who have fallen victims to "white slavery".  "In the last five years, we have helped over four thousand people – mostly women and children, but the number of men who have suffered from traffickers is also on the increase", says Trafficking in Persons program coordinator Fredric Larson. Thanks to USAID projects, dozens of independent media outlets in Ukraine have received support; thousands of political party activists have learned to work in election commissions, and millions of rural Ukrainians have received government-issued titles in their land plots. When the first USAID employees arrived in Ukraine in 1992, they found a country that was on the verge of collapse.  Today, it is one of the most democratic nations, and a leader in the reform processes in the post-Soviet region, says USAID Regional Mission Director Earl Gast. He notes that "civil society development has been one of the most important reforms that have occurred in Ukraine, and USAID has been a good partner for Ukrainians as thousands of NGOs have been formed, and received support all over the country.  Every piece of research today shows Ukraine to have the most developed civil society and media among all post-Soviet countries". In 15 years of partnership, USAID has provided $1.6 billion in technical assistance to Ukraine.  U.S.  Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor says that the U.S.  remains committed to further supporting the country as it continues to build democracy and a free market economy. "Today, Ukraine is demonstrating the advantages of the democratic and economic reforms that we have worked to achieve together in the last 15 years.  We are proud of this cooperation, and we will continue to support Ukraine as it moves towards European systems".