A New Program to Support Parliamentarism Launches in Ukraine. Among its Goals Will Be to Promote Digital Innovation in the Verkhovna Rada

The interactive panel discussion Parliament in Action: Digital Future and Innovations in the Work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took place at Ukraine’s Parliament on February 8. It marked the official launch of the RADA: Next Generation Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has supported parliamentarism in Ukraine for 30 years.

The discussion consisted of two parts. The first was dedicated to plans for the digital transformation of deputies' work and communication with their constituents.

"Parliamentary reform is underway, and  a lot has already been done. My dream is to get this work at least 70 percent complete. But there are subsequent steps we need to take as a parliament to give society more opportunities to be informed about the Rada’s activities. And thanks to our inner digital transformation, the parliament will be more dynamic, flexible, modern, and innovative," First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Kornienko said.

"USAID aims to remain an important assistant in implementing Ukrainian reforms. We had excellent cooperation with the RADA Program and hope that the updated RADA: Next Generation Program will help establish the Ukrainian Parliament as an accountable institution for the state's democratic development," said Mark Ellingstad, Director of the Office of Democracy and Governance at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Mission in Ukraine and Belarus.

Participants also discussed the roadmap for the Rada’s digital transformation.

"We must work on everything that will improve the work of our people in and out of parliament. At the beginning of the pandemic, we reacted very quickly and moved