Articles
Ukraine: Optimism soars despite brutal war
19 September 2022
In August 2022, the National Democratic Institute’s research team in Ukraine designed and deployed a national telephone survey to gauge the impact of the full-scale war on the lives of everyday Ukrainians and identify opportunities and challenges on the road to Ukraine’s democratic transition. The fieldwork was conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology during August 2-9, 2022, utilizing computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) methodology, and included 2,510 completed interviews with respondents across Ukraine. NDI’s research shows that, despite the Russian invasion, optimism is at an all-time high in Ukraine. Ukraine, a young democracy, is facing the challenge posed by Russian autocracy head-on and rallying behind the Ukrainian democratic system. While the situation on the ground is highly fluid, there are good reasons to hope for the future of Ukraine and the future of the Ukrainian democratic system.
Resiliency in Ukraine
6 May 2022
Early May is always a special time in Kyiv. It is spring, the best of the seasons, and the trees are starting to flourish. The Chestnut tree is the symbol of the city, and as the trees burst into bloom across Kyiv, we cannot help but think of the future and the better times they should hold.
Beginning in early April, when the Russian Army withdrew from the region, having failed to take the city, people began to return to Kyiv. And the city is coming back to life. There is danger, of course, but people are heading out on the weekends, filling the parks and the boulevards. There are more kids on the streets. Cafes and restaurants are reopening. The public transport system is getting back to normal and all three metro lines are running. Three weeks ago, service consisted of one train an hour. Two weeks ago, there were two. Now there is a train every 10 to 15 minutes. And more than half the bus routes are operating.
Ukraine’s Inspiring Journey in the Open Government Partnership
28 April 2022
The Russian war on Ukraine is taking place at many levels. The first, on the physical battleground, is resulting in daily devastation and loss of human life and physical infrastructure at a scale that many of us cannot fathom. For others, it is more familiar and a reminder that multilateralism and global peace remain unfulfilled ideals. The second, happening online and in the media, is a battle between truth and dis- and misinformation. Underlying both of these, is a war between competing ideologies of the relationship between a state and its peoples. The contestation between autocracy and democracy, between closed and open societies.
Club de Madrid calls on President Putin to pull back from the abyss
24 February 2022
Club de Madrid strongly condemns the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by Russia as a flagrant breach of national sovereignty, international law and international treaties that will put innocent lives at risk. We defend Ukraine’s right to peace, prosperity and democracy and call on President Putin to immediately stop all military action and return to diplomatic channels.
As expressed by Club de Madrid Members already back in 2014, military occupation is not only contrary to international law and the rights of sovereign nations, as expressed in the UN Charter and numerous other documents, but also undermines the political and security architecture of Europe and threatens peace and stability across the globe.
The Club de Madrid Urgently Calls to Stop Violence in Ukraine
20 February 2022
The democratic rights of the Ukrainian citizens must be respected, including freedom of assembly and expression, as well as freedom of press. The Government of Ukraine should honor their stated policies that were requested and supported by millions of Ukrainians, and should uphold their international commitments.
The people from Ukraine, like any other citizen in the world, must have the legitimate right to choose their own future and to fulfill their aspirations, and this should be achieved through governments that represent their interests and listen to their voices.