On May 11-12, 2016, the annual presentation of the EBRD Civil Society Program was held at the headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London - the flagship event of the Bank's interaction with civil society in Eurasia. Traditionally, this meeting was held in parallel with the annual meeting of the EBRD Board of Governors and the business forum.

The program of this year's 25th anniversary meeting aroused wide interest and attracted a record number of participants - about 100 civil society representatives from 22 countries. Among them was the representative of the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, an expert of the Agency for the Development of Private Initiatives, Oksana Fedorovych.

The two-day event was held in the format of a series of thematic panels and sessions between civil society representatives, staff and senior management of the bank, as well as two special sessions with the Board of Directors and the President of the EBRD. The program was structured so that participants engaged in a virtual dialogue with the Bank on their investment projects, policies and strategies, and engaged in discussions among various stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including the role of civil society in transition, transparency in public procurement, youth economic inclusion skills and gender equality.

The civil society sector also featured prominently in the business forum, with a session dedicated to a group of leaders who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 as leaders of the Tunisian National Quartet of Mediators for their contribution to the country’s transition to democracy. The Tunisian transformation was seen by the forum as a model for bringing together the three sectors of society to re-establish the state in a non-revolutionary manner.

In general, the program of the forum dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Bank reflected the role of civil society in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia during the 25 years of transition period of restructuring their economic systems; the main achievements and failures that civil society organizations face, working in the space between the public and private sectors, as well as the role of the EBRD in this process, which was created to assist countries in the transition from a centrally planned economy to the development of private entrepreneurial initiative and to strengthen confidence in this new form of economy.

For reference: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) (www.ebrd.com), whose shareholders are 64 countries and two international organizations, supports the development of a market economy and democracy.

Since 2010, the EBRD has provided grant support to small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. Over five years, the bank has provided such support to more than 600 small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine for the amount of more than 8.4 million euros. Funding was provided by the European Union, the US and Swedish governments.

Project results one year after completion: 60% of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises increased their revenue by 76%; 52% increased the number of employees by 32%.