Paving the Path from Innovation to Tradition: the First progress of The Social and Scientific Platform for Human Development

Today, in a context of decentralization, significant changes in the country's social infrastructure are under way. In this regard, a number of important questions arise. What will be the consequences of optimizing social expenditures, how will this affect social policy both at local and state levels? How to effectively use social investments to create new mechanisms for providing social services and interaction between industries, so that they are seamlessly embedded in the system of local self-government? How to ensure the continued operation of these mechanisms by means of local resources, so that they would not end after donor funding is over? What kind of technical assistance does Ministry of Social Policy and local authorities need to implement the social policy, which would ensure human development, not merely reducing poverty? Finding answers to these complex questions was the task of the project "Approaches to Social Reform: from Innovation to Tradition", which was implemented by the NGO "Bureau of Social and Political Developments" supported by UNICEF.

On December 16, 2016, a round table was held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Social Policy, during which an expert project team had the opportunity to present their know-hows to a wide range of stakeholders. During the meeting, the proposals on the format of the integrated social model of human development, its long-term implementation in Ukraine, as well as ensuring minimization of threats to the system of social protection during the transition period in connection with the processes of decentralization in Ukraine, were discussed.

The last week was very rich on events that have become important for the development of social dialogue in Ukraine. The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement requires changes in the approaches to the interaction of trade unions, employers, civil society organizations and the state in solving socio-economic problems of the country. The EU-Ukraine National Civil Society Platform was established on November 7, in accordance with Articles 469-470 of the Association Agreement. Within the framework of the Platform, the Working Group on "Employment, labor rights, safe and healthy working conditions, social policy" was created. About one hundred civil society organizations, including major trade unions and employers' organizations, joined the group. The competence of the working group includes: searching for the best ways to implement the Association Agreement in the social sphere and in the field of social dialogue, Ukraine's ratification of the European Social Charter and the search for new social mechanisms.
Unfortunately, in the strategic documents that are being drafted in Ukraine at the state level, and not in the Presidential Strategy 2020, and not in the Coalition Agreement, social dialogue is generally not taken into account as an instrument for solving the acute social problems of society. Therefore, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement remains the only strategic document that envisages the reform of the social dialogue. The agreement indicates how unions, employers' organizations and non-governmental organizations can unite in order to implement the European principles of social dialogue.

In the global crisis conditions, the solution of social and economic problems requires the unification of efforts of all participants in the sphere of social and labor relations, and also, requires a social dialogue. Only a balance between the economic interests of business and the social rights of citizens can become the basis for sustainable development of both an individual country and the whole world. This is also understood by the European Union, understood by the UN. That is why the issue of social dialogue development and the issue of ensuring sustainable development is also heard in decisions of the UN General Assembly, decisions of the International Labor Organization, and in the documents of the European Union. An important component of the successful European integration of the Eastern Partnership countries is also the provision of sustainable development and enhancement of the effectiveness of the social dialogue, which, in addition to traditional social partners, - trade unions and employers' organizations - should also involve civil society organizations.
Науково-достідний інститут Unicef Black sea trust for regional cooperation Civil Society Forum КМДА international renaissance foundation Карітас України