Ukraine`s attainment of sovereignty and independence in 1991 ushered in both an utterly new page in its historical development and a range of issues which, if not resolved, would seriously undermine its chances for integration into the world community.
Questions appeared about upgrading the country`s overall infrastructure to conform to international standards, especially in economics, medicine, education and the social sphere, about attaining an open, democratic society, the protection of natural resources, human resource management, and the development of new information and communications technologies.
Ukraine is a state which to date has signed seven important United Nations international conventions and treaties on human rights. Ukraine is among 188 other countries which supported and obligated themselves to implement the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals approved by the UN General Assembly.
After independence was declared, the young country began to experience a significant number of economic, social and political problems which had to be solved by employing new approaches based on the principles of an open society and respect for human rights. In order to accelerate Ukraine`s integration into the world community, the people`s will was needed - and also the assistance of international organizations. The United Nations was one of the first to provide such assistance, having opened its representative office in Kyiv in 1992. In June of 1999 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, recognizing that a number of agencies are working under one roof, gave the office UN House status. The official UN House in Ukraine opening ceremony took place on 14 June 2000. The UN`s blue flag flutters above the house, located at Klovskiy Uzviz 1, today.
The UN System Resident Co-ordinator is the head of UN House. Operating on the full authority of the UN Secretary-General, the co-ordinator has full responsibility for and direction over all aspects and activities of the UN and its institutions in the country where the representative office is located. S/he works in partnership with governmental institutions, and with international and donor organizations. The Resident Co-ordinator`s main purpose is to coordinate the efforts of UN institutions and international organizations to provide Ukraine with specific assistance, in order to accelerate the country`s steady progress toward humanitarian, social and economic development, and the world`s democratic standards, and also in order to resolve current and future obstacles and to facilitate the Ukraine-world and world-Ukraine integration process.
The UN following agencies are active in Ukraine: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commisioner For Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Also active are UN related organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which works under the bank. These organizations work in different areas and with their own strategies, but are united by an overriding strategic goal: to assist the people of Ukraine in their efforts to build a better future for the country.
Visits by top UN officials to Kyiv testify to the significance of United Nations - Ukraine co-operation. UN Secretaries-General Boutros-Boutros Gali (1993) and Kofi Annan (2002), Deputy Secretaries-General Peter Hansen (1994), Sergio Vieira de Mello (1998), Nafis Sadik (1999), and Kendzo Oshima (2002), World Bank President James Wolfenson (1995, 2000), United Nations Industrial Development Organization Director-General Carlos Magarinos (2002), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata (1997), UNESCO Director-General Frederico Mayor (1997), UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy (1998, 2004), UNESCO Deputy Director-General Munir Bouchenaki (2005), UNAIDS Executive Director Piter Piot (2002) and others have all visited the UN office in Ukraine.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Olivier Adam UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine on 1 August 2009. UNDP Administrator Helen Clark simultaneously named Mr Adam UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine.
United Nations and Ukraine sign blueprint for collaboration
The United Nations Development Assistance Framework, or UNDAF signed in August 2005 spells out the relationship between Ukraine and the United Nations in Ukraine for the next five years (2006-2011).
UNDAF is a blueprint for the activities of the United Nations in Ukraine, and is the foundation for all the activities to be conducted by the organization in cooperation with the Ukrainian government. It is designed to provide support and assistance to Ukraine as it moves toward a sound democracy, full protection of human rights, and a strong economy.
The document is the result of a thorough and painstaking study of Ukraine`s most pressing challenges (Common Country Assessment). Using this study, the United Nations in Ukraine, together with the Ukrainian government, and representatives of other international and local organizations, civil society and the private sector identified four areas in which the UN will assist Ukraine: (1) institutional reforms which reach out to enable all people to fulfil their human rights; (2) strengthening Ukraine`s civil society, to empower all people to access services and enjoy their rights; (3) better-quality, accessible health care and health services; and (4) prosperity, through balanced development and entrepreneurship.
