UNDP in Ukraine

In 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit in New York, world leaders of 189 UN member-states adopted a global programme committing themselves to improving the level of life of world's population by 2015. It includes joint actions aimed at reducing extreme poverty and hunger, protecting motherhood and childhood, fighting HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, and many more. All these commitments became later knows as the Millennium Development Goals.

Back in 2003 in Ukraine these Goals were adapted with a number of concrete indicators, allowing their achievement monitoring.

At present, when it remains less than 5 years before 2015, on 23 July, the Economy Ministry together with the UN Development Programme launched a mid-term revision process looking at the progress of MDGs achievement in Ukraine. 

Today (11 November) a series of 'round-table' meetings were launched at the Ministry in Kyiv. Their participants will look at the progress and challenges towards 2015 within each of Ukrainian goals. At the end of the mid-term review process, the Government with UNDP’s support, will revise and re-define the development indicators within the six development goals.

Roundtable dedicated to the first Ukrainian MDG "Poverty Reduction" attracted attention of a number of leading Ukrainian specialists and international experts.

At the opening, Deputy Minister of Economy Iryna Kruchkova noted that in previous years Ukraine has made some positive changes in this area, in particular, increased salaries, pensions, social charges, etc. However poverty problem remains urgent and requires effective measures to overcome it.

According to the Deputy Director of the Institute of Demography and Social Research of Ukraine Elena Makarova, poverty is multidimensional. Therefore, one should speak not only about the relative poverty, but also about a large income difference between certain segments of the population. We should remember that in many cases Ukrainian families with two children and working parents are on the brink of survival. “The goal should be - to reduce the poverty rate for families with two children, - said Elena Makarova. - Today it exceeds 40%”.

Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine Sergiy Kondratyuk also considers poverty as one of the most urgent issues among working people in Ukraine. To solve it, he proposes introducing the minimum wage at worthy cost of living.

“If we do not change this situation, - he said - all other efforts aimed at reducing poverty would be meaningless. Very soon not only disabled, retired, and children will need social assistance, but people in full employment”.

UNDP Project Manager “Millennium Development Goals – Ukraine” Natalia Sitnikova pointed out that poverty was defined not only by public income levels but also by the opportunities people have.

“Poor people have limited access to health services and education in comparing to the more well-to-do compatriots,” she added.

According to the Director of Inspection Department of Households at the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine Inna Osypova, poverty has also infrastructural side. Thus, people in rural areas have limited access to health and social services, education, etc.

"However, should we set too ambitious goals now during the current review process, it will be complicated to achieve them later…  I would not like seeing the discussed issues turn into yet another declaration. It is better to define several key goals now and gradually achieve them,"- summed up Inna Osypova.

The roundtable participants agreed that further development and implementation of poverty reduction indicators will revitalize public interest to this topic and will call upon government institutions to accelerate work aimed at living standards improving of the Ukrainian citizens.

For more information on Ukrainian MDGs progress or to take part in the mid-term review process, please, contact Natalia Sytnikova at +380 44 253  43 70.