Support for the civil society initiative “For fair and transparent customs”

Project objective: To strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to contribute to economic policymaking in Ukraine by expanding the CSO network and supporting the Civil Society Initiative “For Fair and Transparent Customs.”

The Initiative was launched in late 2018 by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) as part of the “Trade Facilitation Dialogue” project.

Today, the Initiative brings together 18 civil society organizations from across Ukraine. Its activities focus on monitoring the implementation of customs reform and fostering a constructive dialogue among public authorities, the business community, and civil society on advancing institutional reform of the customs administration.

Areas of work:

The project is implemented through five interconnected work packages designed to deliver its core objectives. These include operational support (communications and networking), analytical support (business surveys and the preparation of policy and analytical papers), support for the Initiative’s public dialogue and advocacy efforts (organization of events), strengthening the institutional and analytical capacity of participating organizations (training and regranting), and effective project management.

Products:

As part of the project, an Annual Survey of at least 1,000 exporting and importing companies from all regions of Ukraine will be conducted to assess the performance of the customs authorities and the progress of customs reforms. The survey findings will serve as the basis for analytical reports and policy recommendations aimed at further improving Ukraine’s customs policy and the effectiveness of customs reform.