On September 13, the Reintegration Management Program group completed its five-month training with a touching graduation ceremony. Out of 105 selected participants, 99 were awarded their certificates, 94 of whom successfully completed the program and took an active part in the development and preparation of projects related to various aspects of public life in the Ukrainian territories after de-occupation.

It is symbolic that it was during the graduation that the news came: 49 prisoners returned to Ukraine from Russia, including Crimean Tatar Lenia Umerova. She was detained in December 2022 and illegally held first in Crimea, then in Russia in Lefortovo.

The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Kornienko, who also attended the opening of the program, came to summarize the results and congratulate the graduates.

“During our first meeting, we started the conversation with the fact that it is very important now, while our Armed Forces are doing everything possible for de-occupation, to prepare for how to build truly good governance. We are now closer to one of our dreams - joining the European Union. Ukraine has received a framework and started negotiations on all 32 chapters of European legislation. One of the areas of our commitments concerns public governance reform. Now, becoming better government officials is not only about personal development, but also a strategic task for the public administration. I am confident that together with you and with the help of such programs we will be able to build better public administration in the country,” said Oleksandr Kornienko.

The architecture and content of the program is something that MIM worked on in close cooperation with its partners—the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea. They helped to recruit for the program speakers-practitioners of public administration, current and former officials, and lawyers working to protect Ukrainians suffering from Russian aggression in the. Thanks to this cooperation, the participants were able to create a comprehensive program that, on the one hand, reveals the practical tools of a manager, and, on the other hand, is deeply saturated with contextual knowledge about where and in what conditions it will have to be used.

“On September 11, the fourth summit of the Crimean Platform took place, where one of the blocks was dedicated to reintegration. In fact, you are part of the reintegration we are talking about and working on. Because you will be the people on whom the state will rely on when it implements its reintegration policy. For us, it was a very big challenge to create a program together, to combine seemingly incompatible things from business, psychology, and public administration. And to unite people with different experiences. But we decided to do it, and I am grateful to the partners who responded to this initiative and made our plan possible,” said Olga Kuryshko, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea.

Benjamin Long, USAID/OTI Chief of Party, joined the graduation ceremony.
It was with the support of the USAID Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) project that the Reintegration Management Program was made possible.

“I am grateful to the Office of the President of Ukraine and the Mission of the President in the AR of Crimea for the support and opportunity to implement this program. It is an incredible joy for me to see so many young, motivated people who are ready to work for their country. Everyone who is here is a testament to the fact that Ukraine is a democratic country. It also shows how important good governance is to the Ukrainian system. I believe that everyone who has completed this course will be ready for the challenges that lie ahead. I am very happy and proud to be here. Thank you for your skills, motivation and willingness to work,” said Mr. Long.

In addition to receiving certificates, five mini-groups received awards for the projects they worked on and identified as the best during their defenses.

Here are the winning projects:

• Innovations in the management of general secondary education in the de-occupied territories of Ukraine: development of a pilot project for the community of Volnovakha district, Donetsk region.
• Restoration and modernization of railway communication in the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine (Scythia project).
• Improving the process of restoring administrative and social services in the de-occupied territories (on the example of Sviatohirsk city territorial community).
• Restoration and integration of medical services in the de-occupied territories of Ukraine.
• Access to healthcare services for the population of the Crimean Peninsula and creation of an algorithm for the step-by-step integration of the healthcare system of the Crimean peninsula into the program of medical guarantees of the National Health Service of Ukraine.
• Restoration of the judicial system in the liberated territories (on the example of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol).

The graduates themselves spoke about the changes that had occurred to them during their studies. For some, project development skills were valuable, for others—risk management or how a leader's personality is formed. But probably for all of them, without exception, the greatest achievement is the circle of like-minded people that was formed during the program. And this was one of the goals of the program—not only to teach the students individually, but also to form teams.

Ihor Stepurin, RMP participant, chairman of the Library Country Charitable Foundation, co-founder of the Summit Book Publishing and Trading Company: “I was asked what I liked and remembered about this program. First of all, the intensity and depth. I calculated that we had more than 100 lectures in 180 days. This is 320 hours. At the recent Forum of First Ladies and Gentlemen, it was constantly emphasized that education is now a priority. Therefore, it seems to me that the project we did together with the team is our mission. And I'm sure that it will become real and we will bring it to life. I also wish everyone to feel the joy of de-occupation, as we, Kherson residents, felt when we came to our hometown after the liberation.”

Oleksii Radchenko, RMP participant, Head of the Department for Control over Local Tax Revenues, Bilohorodka Village Council, Bucha District, Kyiv Region: “I am grateful for the presentation of the material and for the convenience of the learning process, when we could have access to the recording of all the lectures to offset power outages. I believe that this project can serve as a basis for developing more extensive, conceptual developments, as it is very important for the formation of public administration in the de-occupied territories in the context of reintegration. This should be an impetus to create similar platforms and programs to create the necessary number of civil servants, local government officials, and civil society institutions in the de-occupied territories.”