On August 16, 2024, government representatives met with representatives of public organizations.
Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, his teams, and leaders of public organizations participated in the conversation. Executive Director Olena Tregub joined from NAKO.
Representatives of the Ministry of Defense and OP spoke about current priorities and plans and answered questions.
During the meeting, in particular, the introduction of sanctions against Russia, international advocacy in support of Ukraine, the development of the defense industry, the introduction of new digital tools in the army, and the protection of military personnel and veterans were discussed.
“Also, we discussed the relaunch of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the MoU and the need to establish a supervisory board of the Defense Procurement Agency as soon as possible. The creation of this supervisory board is contained in the Strategic Review of Defense Procurement, adopted at the NATO summit,” Tregub noted.
In August, a series of high-level meetings took place between Ukrainian government officials and representatives of top civil society organizations in Ukraine. NAKO was invited as the leading organization in the defense and security sector advancing good governance and an organization actively engaged in public diplomacy advocating for Ukrainian victory. During these meetings, deepening coordination between government and civil society was discussed.
The government representatives included the Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak; Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko the Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov; the Minister for Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin; the Minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, the Director General of Ukrainian Defense Industry, German Smetanin, and others.
As a result of these meetings, it was agreed to create a public advisory group on sanctions policy among think tanks and civil society, which NAKO is currently coordinating. Several issues within the Ukrainian defense sector were also discussed and agreed upon. For example, appointing a supervisory board for two new procurement agencies and advancing corporate governance in other state-owned companies under the Ministry of Defense is necessary. The upcoming election of the Anti-Corruption Council for the Ministry of Defense, expected to take place in September, was also discussed.