On 29 April, Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, met with Batiste Raymond, Project Manager of Generation Ukraine and founder and CEO of Tusker Club. They discussed leadership in Ukraine's public administration, particularly the transformation of leadership during the war. 

According to the Head of the NAUCS, not everyone is able to take responsibility in times of war and crisis. It is in such conditions that leadership is manifested, including in the public service. Every manager at any level has a chance (and a duty) to show leadership. Of course, managerial maturity and experience help in this. Because in wartime, responsibility for the country is elevated to the highest level, with no room for error. The price may be people's lives. Citizens' expectations of their leaders have also increased.

"The leadership of public servants has been clearly demonstrated by the war as never before. It is in these difficult times that we see how some employees of the authorities and local self-government have become leaders of public opinion not only on a regional but also on a national level. We are witnessing the formation of a new cohort of statesmen and national leaders born of war. They have demonstrated courage, heroism, and the ability to think strategically and act quickly. This is especially evident at the local government level. At the same time, the war is cleansing the public service of random people," said Nataliia Aliushyna. 

Special attention was paid to the issue of integrity in the public service. According to the Head of the National Agency, since the beginning of the full-scale war, society has demanded integrity and zero tolerance for corruption. 

"The demand for social justice has increased. People want to see two value components in public servants: "good" and "honour". Therefore, integrity is the norm and the demand of the times. We are trying to attract such candidates to the public service," said Nataliia Aliushyna.

The Head of the NAUCS also spoke about the training programmes for the professional development of civil servants implemented by the High School of Public Governance. These include effective leadership in public administration, the development of leadership competencies of civil servants and local government officials, etc. 

In addition, the project "School of Strategists" for senior civil servants (civil servants of category "A") is successfully operating. This innovative platform brings together strategically minded managers and leaders of the Ukrainian public administration. The project aims to provide expert support in building an individual educational trajectory for top public service management in the areas of strategic planning, state reconstruction and restoration, and the formation of innovative leadership in public administration. 

The meeting is organised as part of the partnership between the Association for Professional Government (Olena Chepurna) and their French partners Tembo Citizen, which focuses on the lessons of leadership that Ukrainians have provided in response to a full-scale war.

The Generation Ukraine project is led by Tembo Citizen by Tusker Club, a non-profit organisation that aims to rethink the leadership system to address social problems more effectively and inclusively. To achieve its goal, the Generation Ukraine project conducts interviews with experts and decision-makers from different leadership cultures (government, business, civil society, military, and academia) in Ukraine and abroad. In addition, a survey on changing concepts of leadership will be distributed to graduate students and young professionals in Ukraine, France and Belgium to better understand perceptions of the nature and development of leadership. The results of the Generation Ukraine project will be discussed at a high-level conference in Paris on 20 June 2024.