The Agricultural Policy For Human Development Project (APHD) has been designed to support and facilitate the development and implementation of effective agri-food and rural development policies through provision of advice and technical support to the Government of Ukraine, as well as to facilitate independent thinking through ongoing consultation and dialogue with major stakeholders and the international donor community.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION?
Ukraine’s agricultural sector has been the focus of donor involvement since Independence in 1991. The international assistance has sought to reverse the negative impacts that the remnants of the Soviet command and control economy have had on the organisation, profitability, and incentives operating in the Ukrainian agri-food sector. This involvement has had numerous positive impacts. For instance, the donor effort, organised under the auspices of the Ukraine Agricultural Policy Project (APHD’s predecessor), was successful in ensuring that the collective farming was reformed through the Presidential Decree of December 3, 1999.
In response to the changing requirements for reform in the agricultural sector and rural areas, and in partnership with the Government of Ukraine, UNDP established the Agricultural Policy for Human Development Project, effective January 1, 2001. The project has been recognised by the Government of Ukraine as supporting structure (permanent secretariat) of the Government Agrarian Policy Co-ordination Council (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1605 of November 29, 2001). As a result of this position, the project has been playing an essential role in creating and utilising the expanded opportunities for the reform of agri-food policy in Ukraine which have been possible since 1999. With the encouragement and support of UNDP Ukraine and its partners, the project has become the principal activity of the international assistance dealing with the Ukrainian agri-food and rural development policy on the national level.
WHAT IS OUR OBJECTIVE?
The overall objective of the project is to improve Ukraine’s agri-food and rural development policy in order to systematically and consistently develop the contribution that agriculture and food processing can play, thereby alleviating poverty in rural areas, and more generally, stimulating growth in the Ukrainian economy for the benefit of all.
HOW DO WE CARRY OUT OUR MISSION?
The project supports the development and implementation of efficient policy through:
- Day-to-day assistance to the Government and other policy stakeholders in policy analysis, formulation and implementation.
- Independent ‘think tank’ function through staff analysis and in-depth research.
- Dialogue with the donor community to maximise effectiveness of policy advisory service.
- Promotion of sound governance through greater public consultation and engagement with stakeholders.
In its activities, the APHD concentrates on developing six key strategic areas, notably:
- Agriculture: primary production, agricultural inputs, finance
- Food: food processing, marketing, quality and safety standards, value-added issues
- Rural Development: rural livelihoods, social sphere issues, non-farm activity, regional government
- WTO and EU Integration international requirements, harmonisation of laws/standards, compliance issues
- Land Reform: next phase of reforms, land market development
- Budget & Taxation: budgetary allocations/support, taxation policy, national/regional funding
- Market Reforms: liberalisation, market/price supports, market chain issues, indicators/trends
HOW WILL UKRAINE BENEFIT?
In all its activities, the APHD utilises the participatory approach, with a wide majority of partners involved in each exercise.
The primary beneficiaries of the project are the Government Agrarian Policy Coordination Council, through the project’s capacity as its Secretariat, Cabinet of Ministers’ Secretariat, in particular the Office of Deputy Prime Minister, Presidential Secretariat, Parliamentary Standing Committees and the Ministries of Agrarian Policy and Economy.
Other beneficiaries include civil society organizations and the private sector to maintain permanent consultation and feedback.
To find more detailed information on our project activities, please visit our web-page: http://www.undp.org.ua/agro |
