We greatly appreciate the support of our partners, in particular the EU Delegation to Ukraine, the OECD/SIGMA Programme, and all international projects and programmes to improve Ukrainian legislation in the field of civil service and local self-government. This was noted by Nataliia Aliushyna, the Head of the NAUCS,  during the annual Partners' Forum.

She outlined the systemic and defining processes and public administration reform projects that affect the sustainability of the system. 

"Remuneration based on the classification of positions is a priority for the Agency. On the way to restructuring the remuneration system, we are guided, in particular, by the Principles of Public Administration prepared by the OECD/SIGMA Programme," Nataliia Aliushyna said.

"The decision taken by the Government to fix the remuneration conditions for civil servants next year in the Law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024" is based on the requirements of the times and reflects the position of the Ministry of Finance on the capacity of the state budget. This is a one-time legislative framework for 2024. It should be considered as the first, albeit very important step to introduce new approaches and change the system of remuneration of civil servants based on the classification of positions," the Head of the National Agency noted.

In her opinion, the draft law No. 8222 is extremely necessary, as it will implement the reform in full and on a permanent basis. "In 2024, the National Agency should prepare for the full implementation of the reform in 2025," Nataliia Aliushyna said.  

According to Ms. Alіushyna, cooperation with the USAID project "Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions in Ukraine" (SACCI) is a significant focus for the National Agency. "We understand the demand of the society and the corps of public servants for integrity," Nataliia Aliushyna noted.

She noted the importance of developing a holistic, mobile and flexible vocational training system. To this end, in 2023, the NAUCS Coordination Council approved the Strategy for the Development of the Professional Training System until 2027 and an action plan for its implementation. This strategic document was based on the results of periodic monitoring of the vocational training system. In particular, the National Agency has been monitoring the professional training system for three years in a row, applying the SIGMA Programme methodology.  

Nataliia Aliushyna also noted the National Agency's cooperation with EF Education First, which has enabled more than 19,000 civil servants from 890 government agencies to learn English for free.

"We put a lot of effort into organising training on European integration. We are grateful to the Natolin4Capacity Building project and the College of Europe in Natolin for creating an educational platform. 5247 civil servants are studying in 16 online courses. 3380 civil servants have completed their training, of whom 433 have taken English-language courses," Nataliia Aliushyna said.

Outlining the progress and plans in the area of professional training, the Head of the Agency pointed out that this was made possible by the effective partnership of the NACS with representatives of programmes and projects: Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, UNDP, DOBRE, GOVERLA, EU4PAR, PROSTO, EF Language Learning Solutions, Natolin4Capacity Building, College of Europe in Natolin, DECIDE, USAID, United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, UN Women in Ukraine, MATRA, GIZ, U-LEAD with Europe, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, etc.

In addition, Nataliia Aliushyna thanked the SIGMA Programme representatives for their cooperation in developing effective public administration in Ukraine: "This year, SIGMA experts have conducted an important monitoring assessment of the state of affairs in the public administration of Ukraine in six areas defined by the Principles of Public Administration. This year's assessment will help Ukraine to identify the current state of public administration and the improvements that are needed as part of the European integration process and our post-war recovery."

The Head of the NAUCS also thanked international partners for their support in developing and implementing many of these programmes: The EU Project in Ukraine "Association4You", the Hague Academy of Local Government, the Council of Europe Project "HELP (Human Rights Education for Lawyers) for Ukraine including in Time of War", the Hans Seidel Foundation in Ukraine, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Centre for the Reduction of Corruption Risks in the Defence Sector (CIDS), Knowledge Transfer Service of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, National School of Public Administration of the Republic of Poland (KSAP), National Democratic Institute (NDI), European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM), SURGe Project "Support to Government Reforms in Ukraine", OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine, Dr. Dennis Mukwege Foundation, EU for Gender Equality: Reform Assistance Service".