How civil society in Ukraine is performing and what the West can do
In her lecture, Kaleniuk will discuss the role of civil society in wartime. For a year and a half, Ukraine has vigorously defended itself against Russia, which aims to destroy the Ukrainian state and culture. The Ukrainian armed forces are making steady progress, but a military victory does not appear to be in sight. Civil society plays an important role in defending the country against Russian aggression. At the same time, numerous civil society organizations continue to push for much-needed reforms in Ukraine. War and reform go hand in hand. The reconstruction of Ukraine cannot be postponed until after the war.
In her October lecture, Daria Kaleniuk, one of the driving forces behind Ukrainian civil society in the past decade, will not only speak about civil activism in wartime, but also call on the West to take more initiative.
After the lecture there will be a public discussion and opportunity to ask questions.
About Daria Kaleniuk
Daria Kaleniuk is co-founder and director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), an NGO that has been committed to deep reforms since 2012 to combat endemic corruption in Ukraine. Kaleniuk played an important role in Euromaidan, the protest movement that advocated rapprochement with the European Union in 2013-2014. After this so-called 'Revolution of Dignity', Kaleniuk continued to expose ongoing corruption and push for concrete legal action to curb it.
The anti-corruption movement has certainly achieved results. According to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, corruption in Ukraine has decreased significantly over the past decade. In 2013, Ukraine ranked 144th worldwide. Last year the country climbed to 116th place. By comparison, Russia has fallen from 127th to 137th on the Corruption Perception Index over the past decade.
Since the Russian invasion, Daria Kaleniuk has been mobilizing support abroad for a Ukrainian victory (https://ukrainianvictory.org/). She has long advocated tougher sanctions against corrupt Russian oligarchs who have secured their assets in Europe and the US. A week after the start of the Russian invasion, she confronted then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a press conference in Warsaw with the double standards of the United Kingdom, which spoke out strongly against the Russian invasion but was unwilling to accept a no ban. feed. fly zone and also continued to offer hospitality to Russian businessmen and their assets.
The evening will be moderated by Kysia Hekster, former NOS correspondent in Moscow. Join us and buy your ticket by using this link.
