On 25-27 September, the XVI Richelieu Public Service Forum ‘Civil Service in Times of War: Rethinking Identity’ took place in Kyiv.

The event united public administration stakeholders who discussed the need to rethink the national administrative identity on the path to European integration.

Opening the Richelieu Forum, Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, noted that the Ukrainian public administration system experienced post-Soviet inertia - restraint to internal changes and external influences in the first years of independence. This slowed down the formation of a national administrative identity and formed an incorrect perception of the concepts of ‘civil service’ and ‘civil servant’ in society. As a result, there is a public habit of calling civil servants the Russian-origin term ‘chynovnyk’ and an unwillingness to acknowledge obvious positive changes in the state: systemic resilience or adaptability to change. At the same time, according to the Head of the NAUCS, the architecture of the Ukrainian public service has come closer to the requirements and needs of an independent state over the years. 

‘The shock of a full-scale war made people look at their own country with different eyes. The incredible level of resilience and flexibility of the public service came as a complete surprise to citizens. Public servants proved to be responsible and capable of ensuring the vital activity of communities and the entire country in critical conditions. There has been an awakening of people's faith in their own country. They are also ready to rethink the importance of state institutions in their own lives and the state's life,’ said the Head of the NAUCS at the opening of the Richelieu Forum.

Nataliia Aliushyna noted that the number of people who highly appreciate the capacity of the civil service in Ukraine has almost quadrupled from 2021 to 2023 (from 7% to 30%). 

The first day of the Richelieu Forum was dedicated to international cooperation, partnership, and exchange of experience in public administration reform. During several panels, participants discussed the importance of institutional capacity in the context of Ukraine's European integration processes, the role of public servants, international technical assistance and expert support on the path of Ukraine's integration into the EU, professional competencies of public servants involved in the negotiation process, implementation of international best practices, etc.

The second day of the Richelieu Forum was devoted to the topic of integrity in public service - the Integrity Forum for civil servants and local government officials 

Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency, noted that today integrity is not just a requirement of time, but also a requirement of society, which is dictated by the desire for fair, transparent, and responsible governance.

‘The integrity issue is particularly relevant in times of war and reconstruction of the country when trust in public authorities becomes the basis for recovery and further development. Our task today is to motivate every head of state and local government, every public servant to rethink their role in the process of ensuring integrity at all levels of public service. We need to discuss the level of responsibility of each of us and jointly outline concrete steps to implement the principles of integrity in the daily work of public authorities,' Nataliia Aliushyna said.

Thematic panels at the Integrity Forum discussed integrity as a response to modern challenges, the importance of building trust between the government, civil society, and the media, promoting integrity through responsible leadership, etc.

The third day of the Richelieu Forum was dedicated to gender-responsible and inclusive public service - the International Seminar ‘Gender Responsible and Inclusive Public Service’.

Opening the event, Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the NAUCS, noted that the Government of Ukraine is committed to achieving gender equality in the civil service. It is aimed at ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men and overcoming all forms of gender discrimination.

According to the Head of the NAUCS, the war has become a factor in overcoming gender inequality, in particular in the civil service and the Armed Forces. 

‘Women are motivated to give up their legal ‘privilege’ of being free from mobilization. The proportion of women in the Ukrainian army is one of the highest in the world - about 15%. About 48,000 women serve in the Armed Forces. In general, over the past three years, the number of women in the Armed Forces has increased by 23%,’ Nataliia Aliushyna said.

As part of the three discussion panels, the participants of the International Seminar discussed gender equality in state policies and programs, the adaptation of female and male veterans to civilian life at the request of society and the state, and barrier-free public service. 

In addition, during all three days of the Richelieu Forum 2024, participants had the opportunity to talk to the Special Guests of the event. In particular, a prominent Ukrainian scientist in the field of psychiatry, medical psychology, and psychotherapy, professor, and academician Oleg Chaban, delivered a training lecture ‘Can we afford happiness in times of war? Or the nine axioms of happiness’. Other special guests were: Simon Madden, Director of Integrity and Ethics at the Cabinet Office, part of the UK Government, and Head of the OECD Working Group on Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption, who shared key strategies for building integrity in the UK, and - Head of Academic Programmes at EF Language Learning Solutions Ltd, Dr David Bish, who is implementing the Eng4PublicService project in Ukraine to provide free English language training for public servants on the EF (Education First) multimedia online platform.

More information: Richelieu Forum for Public Service is a platform for international expert dialogue, exchange of experience, practices, and trends on topical issues of improving the efficiency of public administration and public service. The event is organized annually by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the Centre for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union, and the High School of Public Administration with the support of international technical assistance projects and programs and international organizations.