Ukraine has made significant strides towards establishing its foundations for democracy and civil society but still has a long way to go.
Ukraine has made significant strides towards establishing its foundations for democracy and civil society but still has a long way to go, said Ukrainian and global activists attending the Fifth Assembly of World Movement for Democracy (WMD) in Kyiv between April 6 and 9.
Activists said this year’s slogan, “Making Democracy Work: From Principles to Performance,” bears particular significance for the progress Ukraine has made since the Orange Revolution, and the vast work ahead in building up strong foundations.
“Many people around the world saw the Orange Revolution and they were inspired by it,” said WMD director Art Kaufman. “They wanted to come to Ukraine and learn the democratic transition of Ukraine. So, now they can go home and have some sense of the strategy for themselves.”
Recent studies revealed Ukrainians have much work cut out for themselves before they’re as free or democratic as their European neighbors.
In the Press Freedom Index released in October, Reporters Without Borders ranked Ukraine as 93rd, far below its European counterparts.
For example, its economy was 51.1 percent free in 2007, according to the Washingtonbased Heritage Foundation’s 2008 Index of Economic Freedom.
Ukraine is severely deficient in investment freedom, property rights protection, and freedom from corruption, ranking 133rd out of 157 countries and almost qualifying for the repressed category.
While democratic values are gradually brewing, experts agreed that Ukrainians have not yet matured enough to act as a support base to implement democratic institutions and uphold institutions.
“Ukrainians think the fight is over,” said Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a sociology professor of the Arab Democracy Foundation in Egypt. “I want them to understand – to win the battle doesn’t mean to win the war.”
The waning interest of Ukrainians in politics, largely due to longstanding political rivalries among the country’s leaders, has left a void.
As a result, active participation by average citizens in politics remains low, experts said.
“For me, the main thing is that the system should be open,” Kaufman said. “The ability of the people to participate, to have their impact, to explain their own positions, their own points of view, is absolutely essential for democracy.”
Lacking a long tradition, democracy in Ukraine remains in an early development stage, experts said.
Democracy is changing every day, in every way, said First Lady of Ukraine Kateryna Yushchenko, assessing the progress made since her husband, Viktor Yushchenko, was propelled to the presidency by the Orange Revolution.
“Some people feel this change now, others will feel it later. For some the change is exhilarating, for others it is frightening and hard.”
Referring to democracy as being “messy” at times, Kaufman urged Ukrainians to understand that the democratic path can “take a very long time,” but ultimately, it provides huge dividends for individuals and society as a whole.
Kaufman also encourage Ukraine to continue backing the development of democracy in its postSoviet neighbors.
“If the people here begin to stand up for democrats in other countries, where there is no democracy, it will be a reflection on the commitment of democracy here in Ukraine,” he said. “I want Ukrainians to realize how extremely important this region of Ukraine is.”
The WMD is a global network of democracy activists, including officials, academics, and policymakers, financed mostly by Western organizations such as the National Endowment for Democracy, Amnesty International and the Andrew Mellon Foundation.
