The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University is proud to announce the beginning of the second application season for the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program.

The program provides the opportunity for three mid-career professionals to spend ten months at one of the best universities in the world. The application is open to those who are actively working as policy-makers, legal experts, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders. The participants will be mentored by Francis Fukuyama, Stephen Krasner, Michael McFaul and Kathryn Stoner.

Candidates will be selected based on their achievements, contributions to their professional sphere and their proposed project idea. The goal of the program is for participants to strengthen their leadership skills, deepen their understanding and create connections that will help them contribute to the democratic, political and social development of Ukraine and the region upon their return. In fall 2018 the second cohort of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program will begin their 10-month immersion in Stanford’s academic environment. Each participant will receive a stipend for the fellowship period, which provides for academic resources, relocation expenses and living expenses in the Bay Area.

This year’s application has two stages. For the first stage interested candidates must submit a pre-screen questionnaire by January 17, 2018.

More information can be found at this link. Candidates will find out about the second part of the application process in mid-February after an initial review of their pre-screen questionnaire.

Центр демократії, розвитку та верховенства права Стенфордського університету (CDDRL) з гордістю повідомляє про початок другого набору стипендіатів практичної програми для лідерів з України “Ukrainian Emerging Leaders”.

Програма надає можливість провести 10 місяців у одному з найкращих університетів світу трьом професіоналам. До участі в конкурсі на здобуття стипендії запрошуються як представники державного сектору, так і ті, хто працює за його межами. Це насамперед люди, які активно залучені у створення політик, працюють у сфері права, підприємці, лідери громадянського суспільства. Менторами учасників стануть професори Френсіс Фукуяма, Стівен Краснер, Майкл Макфол та Кетрін Стонер.

Кандидатів відберуть на основі інформації про їх досягнення, внесок у професійну сферу та потенціалу запропонованого ними проекту. CDDRL сподівається, що завдяки цій програмі учасники зміцнять свої лідерські навички, поглиблять свої знання та зміцнять зв'язки, що допоможуть їм зробити вагомий внесок у демократичний, політичний і соціальний розвиток України та регіону після їх повернення до України. Вже восени 2018 року в межах The Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program троє стипендіатів розпочнуть 10-місячне занурення в академічний світ Стенфорду. Кожен з учасників отримає стипендію, яка покриє їхнє перебування в Стенфорді. Окрім того програма покриває транспортні та деякі інші додаткові витрати.

Відбір учасників проходитиме у два етапи. На першому етапі зацікавлені кандидати повинні подати скорочену заявку до 17 січня 2018 р за цією адресою (детальні інструкції можна прочитати за цим лінком). Про відбір до другого етапу кандидати будуть повідомлені додатково електронною поштою після аналізу їх заявки.

Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) launched the inaugural Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program to an audience of over 200 from the Stanford and local Ukrainian-American community on Oct. 3, 2017. The opening event featured the visiting practitioners - Olexandr Starodubtsev, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Dmytro Romanovych - who were joined by CDDRL’s Visiting Scholar Sviatoslav Vakarchuk in conversation with former ambassador to Russia and Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Michael McFaul.

The Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program provides a unique opportunity to three mid-career professionals from Ukraine to study at Stanford University for the 2017-18 academic year. Sponsored by the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), Tomas Fiala, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk and Astem.Foundation, the Program combines coursework, mentorship, and community engagement to support capacity-building and leadership development for emerging leaders who want to make substantial contributions to Ukraine’s political development. The end goal is for each of the practitioners to return to Ukraine with an implementable project that will support democratic development and institution-building in the country.

In his opening remarks, Francis Fukuyama, the Mosbacher Director of CDDRL, discussed the importance of the program for Ukraine’s continuing struggle for democratic values. In particular he emphasized the need to train individuals to support sustainable reforms. “I do not think that a democratic revolution in a place like Ukraine will exist without cultivating a whole generation of reformers who want a different society,” he stated.

Jaroslawa Johnson, President and CEO of WNISEF explained the importance of the work the Fund has done in the region since the fall of the Soviet Union and independence of Ukraine, and why this program is a logical extension of WNISEF’s work. Johnson emphasized the importance of leadership development and investing in a new generation of leaders in Ukraine and Moldova. She continued to underscore how critical education is to Ukraine’s development, and that she hopes these three emerging leaders will use Stanford resources to support their work, return to Ukraine and contribute to the country’s future.

The Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program received 340 applications in its pilot year, making the selection process highly competitive. Starodubtsev, Matviichuk, and Romanovych were selected for their contributions to Ukraine’s political development, their leadership potential and strong project proposals. They will take coursework, consult with academic mentors and build relationships across campus to test and refine their projects over the course of the academic year.

Starodubtsev is the founder of the electronic public procurement system, ProZorro, which many consider to be the most successful Ukrainian reform since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. During his time at Stanford, he plans to focus on expanding the ProZorro model for global use, and improving his own human resource management skills to advance public administration within the Ukrainian government.

Matviichuk is a human rights defender who created the civil initiative Euromaidan SOS, which responded to calls for help from victims on Maidan. She has continued to work on human rights issues since the Russian annexation of Crimea and the war in Eastern Ukraine. Her goal for this year is to harness the remaining energy from the Revolution of Dignity to create a network of volunteers who will work to create sustainable reforms and institutions.

Romanovych, who works at the Reform Delivery Office, discussed his own role in delivering economic reforms since the 2014 revolution. In his role he has been responsible for deregulation reform and improving the business climate in Ukraine, resulting in the abolition of hundreds of Soviet regulations. His goal is to create a roadmap for future reforms, based on the success he has already had.

Vakarchuk summarized the challenges they face, emphasizing Ukraine’s need for a strong state and rule of law to create sustainable democracy and institutions. If Ukraine is able to make progress in these areas and make them work for everyone, the country will see serious improvement in its political development.

Despite focusing on three different areas of reform, the four panelists voiced common goals for Ukraine, the most urgent of which is improving trust in political institutions. Romanovych noted the active mobilization within Ukrainian society, but that there is still a need for strong political will and organization to put this energy into effective reforms. Matviichuk continued by warning against complacency and political apathy. Around the world there has been a strong trend of democratic backsliding. Ukraine is no exception, and cannot ignore these issues in the hope that they will disappear.

Some members of the audience expressed frustration with the current political situation in Ukraine in their questions to the panelists. But despite this pessimism, the young leaders voiced their hope and optimism. When asked about the issue of corruption - one that often seems hopeless - Starodubtsev pointed to his previous successes. Before the implementation of ProZorro, the public procurement system had been symbolic of the corruption that plagued Ukraine. But with Starodubtsev’s unique and innovative idea, he and his team were completely able to rebuild the existing infrastructure, resulting in a transparent system.

For Starodubtsev, this is the attitude that reformers need to take towards all positive political change in Ukraine: “we are the ones that can do reforms, we can deliver results, and we can change the political culture through our work.”

The gravity of their roles in the future of Ukraine’s democracy was clear. As McFaul put it, “Ukraine may be the frontline state in the battle for worldwide democracy. If you fail, other democrats will face more difficulties. Remember with incredible opportunity comes incredible responsibility.”

Vakarchuk was more optimistic, not only about Ukraine’s future, but the program’s impact; “I’m convinced that these people - along with those from future cohorts of this program - will become the ones who will build a Ukraine all of us will be proud of,” he said.

With this introduction to the Stanford community Starodubtsev, Matviichuk and Romanovych have been met with high expectations in regards to their future impact on Ukraine. But this is a challenge they are all prepared, and eager, to meet.

An edited version of this piece originally appeared on the  Atlantic Council's UkraineAlert blog.  It was republished by the  KyivPost. 

Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) is pleased to welcome Sviatoslav Vakarchuk as a visiting scholar for the fall quarter. Vakarchuk is a Ukrainian civic activist, musician and the lead vocalist and founder of the band “Okean Elzy.“ He will be in residence at CDDRL this fall to attend courses and study with some of the leading intellectuals and academics at CDDRL. He holds a doctorate degree in theoretical physics from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

Vakarchuk is also the founder of a charity fund called “Lyudi Maybutnyogo” (People of the Future) and co-founder of the Center for Economic Strategy, an independent policy think tank dedicated to supporting reforms and sustainable economic growth in Ukraine. He served as a Yale World Fellow in 2015.

Vakarchuk will be interacting with the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program during his residency at CDDRL. Launched in 2016, the Program seeks to provide Ukrainian leaders with opportunities for professional growth and development, as well as the chance to work on a project over the course of a 10-month residency at Stanford.

“We look forward to welcoming Slava Vakarchuk to the CDDRL community this fall,” said Francis Fukuyama the Mosbacher director of CDDRL. “His presence will add a great deal towards our understanding of Ukraine's democratic transition.”

During his stay in the US, Vakarchuk will be offering a set of open lectures on Ukraine and participating in several events at CDDRL. More information on these public events will be forthcoming.

Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) is proud to announce the selected practitioners for the 2017-18 Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program. 

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“This inaugural program is CDDRL’s first year-long academic program aimed at mid-career professionals,” said Mosbacher Director of CDDRL Director Francis Fukuyama. “We see this as a wonderful opportunity to train Ukrainian leaders and equip them with the networks and resources to advance democratic change in a country where it is urgently needed.”

In its inaugural year, the program received an overwhelming response with 340 applications for just three positions. Starting this September, an outstanding group of Ukrainian leaders who are working to achieve and strengthen democratic reforms, civil society, transparency and economic development in their various sectors will have the opportunity to study at Stanford and to launch a project to support democratization in Ukraine. The following emerging leaders were selected for their contributions to Ukraine’s political development, their leadership potential and strong project proposals:

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a human rights defender who works on advancing democracy in Ukraine and the OSCE region. At present, she heads the human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties and also coordinates the work of the initiative group Euromaidan SOS, which aided persecuted protesters during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-14. In 2016, she received the Democracy Defender Award for "Exclusive Contribution to Promoting Democracy and Human Rights" from missions to the OSCE.

Dmytro Romanovych works at the Reform Delivery Office for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Romanovych is an advisor to the Minister of Economy, and is responsible for deregulation and improving the business climate in Ukraine. In addition, he is an economic expert in the largest NGO coalition in Ukraine, the Reanimation Package of Reforms, which is the most influential non-governmental reform advocate in the country.

Olexandr Starodubtsev is a Ukrainian reformer who is deeply involved in the creation of a new electronic public procurement system Prozorro. Starodubtsev is the head of the Public Procurement Regulation Department in The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, and is an official policymaker in the spheres of public procurement and economic development in Ukraine.

This program would not have been possible without the support of a set of generous partners and donors. We would like to thank WNISEF, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, Tomas Fiala and Astem.Foundation for their generous support of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program. We would also like to acknowledge Oleksandr and Kateryna Akymenko for their work to design and launch this program, and our Draper Hills Summer Fellows alumni Olga Aivazovska, Vasyl Marmazov, Kateryna Ryabiko, and Svitlana Zalishchuk for their assistance in the review process.

A public event to celebrate the launch of the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program will take place on October 3, 2017 at Stanford University. More information is forthcoming.

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