The RES-POL initiative supporting Ukrainian culture has been launched in Ukraine

The RES-POL project, known as Rapid Expert Support for Culture and Media Policies in Ukraine, has successfully commenced in Ukraine. The endeavor is being implemented with the financial backing of the European Union and is scheduled to run for 15 months. RES-POL endeavor targets four key sectors: cultural heritage, arts and culture, creative industries, and media, aiming to formulate national-level policies with expert input.

This was discussed during a press conference at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. 

Per Rostyslav Karandieiev, acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy, this project will aid in meeting the criteria outlined by the European Union for Ukraine’s candidacy for membership. 

Therefore, he stressed the significance of aligning current legislative norms in cultural affairs with EU laws, in line with European values, ensuring Ukraine’s seamless integration into the European community across all sectors, including culture.

“In the next 15 months, our collaborative effort must engage all stakeholders, experts, leading scientific institutions, and seasoned practitioners to devise solutions addressing several pressing issues. These include the lack of alignment between Ukrainian cultural legislation and EU standards and lingering challenges within key Ukrainian institutions. And, most importantly, establishing a guiding narrative for state and cultural society collaboration, that is, the role, place of the state, the tasks of the state, and the procedures and regulations by which we must act,” explained Rostyslav Karandieiev.

In addition, he underscored the importance for the project team to focus not only on ensuring long-term cultural development but also on recommending tools for swift responses to current challenges. Particularly in preserving cultural heritage and engaging Ukrainian citizens in domestic and international cultural activities.”

Volodymyr Vorobey, head of the RES-POL project expert group, stressed the need for enhanced institutional capacity as a key outcome of the project. 

“We anticipate that this project will significantly enhance the institutional capacity of both the Ministry and its four subsidiary bodies: the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, the Ukrainian Book Institute, the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, and the State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education, in formulating and executing policies. Our approach involves active engagement with relevant ministry representatives and these organizations in our working groups and collaborative discussions. Essentially, we aim to foster a culture of sectoral discourse, deliberation, and solution identification, ensuring that decisions are not merely made behind closed doors but are jointly crafted by government entities alongside global stakeholders,” he elaborated.

According to the head of the RES-POL project team, they have enlisted several crucial sectoral experts. Nevertheless, they emphasize the need for additional sub-sectoral experts and team members in each sector. They encourage participation in the project by completing the relevant forms on the website and official project pages on social media. 

Overall, the project aims to engage 500 stakeholders and 100 experts directly, who will contribute in various capacities over 15 months.

In her turn, Tetiana Shulha, Sectoral Manager for Culture, Human Rights, Gender Equality, and National Minorities at the Delegation of the European Union Representation in Ukraine, expressed confidence in Ukraine’s expert capacity to elaborate essential development strategies.

“I have full faith in Ukraine’s expert prowess, and I anticipate the project will attract specialists capable of transforming practical experiences into policies and development strategies. This will leverage culture and creativity as assets in Ukraine’s recovery process, facilitating the country’s swift recovery with a crucial inclusive approach that embraces all segments of the population, irrespective of age, gender, or other characteristics,” emphasized Tetiana Shulha.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news