Громадська ліга Україна-НАТО

CONCEPT
NATO-Ukraine Partnership Network for Civil Society Expertise Development
General Provisions

This concept of NATO-Ukraine Partnership Network for Civil Society Expertise Development (hereinafter – Partnership Network) to be set up and operate under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine High Level Joint Working Group for Defense Reform has been developed in order to implement provisions of the Letter of Intentions in support of the Partnership Network signed on 5 October 2006 during NATO-Ukraine Defense Ministers’ consultations in Sintra, Portugal, by representatives of 13 NATO member-states: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States as well as by Ukraine.

Aims of the Partnership Network

The major aims of the Partnership Network are as follows:

• To strengthen interaction between groups of the society and security experts from Ukraine and Allied countries in the context of developing strong civil position with regards Ukraine’s national policy of Euro-Atlantic integration, which includes future NATO membership;
• To better inform Ukrainian people about the modern model of collective security and Ukraine’s role in its strengthening by means of open exchanges of views and ideas on the civil society role in development and implementation of national security and defense policy;
• To strengthen democratic civilian control over security and defense sector reform in Ukraine by means of better public involvement into the process.

The Network is an open non-governmental system of communication between Ukrainian NGOs and their counterparts in NATO member-states aimed at setting up contacts, exchange experience, dissemination of information and studying public opinion in the area of security and defense.

Principles of Partnership Network operations

Raising public awareness with regards Ukraine-NATO cooperation, in particular in defense and security area should be executed by the Partnership Network on the basis of the following principles:

• Constitutional right of Ukrainian citizens to get information, access to which is not prohibited by the current legislation;
• Timeliness, objectivity and non-biased approach to preparing and providing information;
• Openness of the Partnership Network to new members which can join it any time;
• Transparency of activities of the Partnership Network members;
• Recognition of a special role of representatives of Ukrainian Armed Forces, other security services, defense industry and ex-military in the processes of informing society;
• Direct contacts with population.

Participation of NGOs from NATO member-states in development and operations of the Network is important because they have experience in organizing and holding information activities, as well as participation of Ukrainians living in other countries.

Objectives of the Partnership Network

• To disseminate objective and non-biased information about modern European system of collective security, role and place of NATO in this system and cooperation of NATO partner-states with the Alliance.
• To inform about benefits and potential challenges related to Ukraine’s participation in Euro-Atlantic system of collective security.
• To restore relations of partnership and understanding between security institutions of the states and civil society, in particular, by means of involvement into practical cooperation of Public Colleges (Councils) set up under the auspices of Ministries and Agencies of the Ukrainian security and defense sector, and Officers’ Councils at Ukrainian Armed Forces.
• To upgrade legal and regulatory framework in the area of improving interaction between public authorities and civil society institutions, in particular, by means of cooperation with relevant Parliamentary Committees.
• To set up a system of monitoring and analysis of public opinion about Euro-Atlantic cooperation.

Main directions of Partnership Network Operations

Operations of the Network are aimed at information and educational work among various age and social groups of civil society in all Ukrainian regions with regards Euro-Atlantic integration of our state for the sake of national security and maintaining state sovereignty. These activities are based on research and analytical work, permanent monitoring of public opinion.

The Network’s operations include:

• Organizing and holding conferences, workshops, round table discussions, expert visits from NATO states on specific aspects of civil society involvement into formulation and implementation of national policy in the area of national security and defense;
• Organizing and holding large-scale civil activities like Euro-Atlantic Partnership Days, Academies and Weeks of NATO in military units, higher educational institutions of Ukrainian security sector;
• Organizing and holding regular briefings for mass-media with profound professional analysis of key problems and challenges in security area and implementation of joint media projects (Internet, TV, publications, radio);
• Support by NGOs from NATO member-states to information projects in Ukraine aimed at raising awareness of civil society of a need and usefulness of security sector reform.

Membership in the Partnership Network

Partnership Network members may be NGOs (associations of citizens) which support Euro-Atlantic/European course of Ukraine, promote democratic development of our state and help to reach the national consensus on implementation of defense and security policy.

The official contact point of the Network among Ukrainian state institutions under the aegis of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Defense Reform (JWG DR) is the National Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine (NCEAIU).

The leading NGO, which is going to play an active role in founding the Network and its operations among representatives of different social groups of civil society, is a Civic League Ukraine-NATO.

Accession of NGOs from NATO member-states to the Partnership Network and setting up cooperation with NCEAIU and Civic League Ukraine-NATO should be supported by the NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine (NIDC), NATO Liaison Office in Ukraine and Allied Embassies to Ukraine.

Civic League Ukraine-NATO together with the Contact point of the Partnership Network under the aegis of the JWG DR are responsible for organization and methodology, planning and flexible execution of planned projects, monitoring of their implementation, timely correction (if necessary) of some activities or operations of the Network as a whole and bear responsibility for full implementation of its program.

NGOs from member-states, which are partners and members of the Partnership Network should provide advisory, methodological, informational, logistical and financial support to specific activities included into the Partnership Network Action Program.

The Network operates in close cooperation with NIDC making use of the whole set of information programs on defense and security issues and civilian control over security sector.

NATO Liaison Office in Ukraine will provide information and analytical support to practical aspects of defense and security sector reforms in Ukraine on the basis of NATO member-states experience.

Implementation mechanisms

The Partnership Network operations should be coordinated by the Supervisory Board, which is composed of representatives of the Civic League Ukraine-NATO, other NGOs, including from NATO states, NIDC in Ukraine, NCEAIU, Ukrainian governmental authorities.

The action program of the Partnership Network for the next year should be developed by the Civic League Ukraine-NATO together with NCEAIU and discussed at the meeting of the Supervisory Board.

Every six months the Partnership Network’s operations are subject to a revue with the aim of evaluating progress in raising public awareness in the area of defense and security. The results of the Network operations revue for a given year and action program for the upcoming year should be studied and approved during December extended meeting of JWG DR with participation of the Supervisory Board members.

Funding of the Partnership Network operations should come from:

• Ukraine’s National Budget within the framework of the National Program of Public Information on Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, other governmental activities in the area of defense and security;
• Sponsorship money coming from Ukrainian businesses;
• Targeted financial support of foreign members of the Partnership Network or bilateral non-governmental assistance programs;
• Getting access (on competition basis) to international foundations’ grants aimed at funding information activities in security area.

In order to accumulate funds for the Partnership Network operations its members, if necessary and upon consensus, may set up a non-governmental Endowment for the Network support.

Expected results

The Partnership Network activities should make a substantial impact on development of positive attitude of people to the strategic direction of defense and security policy implementation in Ukraine.

It is also expected to:

• Increase public engagement and involvement of NGOs into discussing key issues of Ukraine’s defense and security;
• Promote active participation of public authorities in activities aimed at informing public on the current status of NATO transformation and Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic course;
• Raise awareness of the society concerning the collective security system, NATO in particular, and cooperation between Ukraine and the Alliance;
• Increase the number of supporters of the future Ukrainian membership in the Alliance, first of all among representatives of security sector, decommissioned military personnel, defense industry and military servicemen family members;
• Strengthen support of Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukraine by political parties, movements and various mass media.