The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) has developed a cross-dimensional Economic-Environmental/Politico-Military Programme at the request of and in close co-operation with its Ukrainian partners in support of the country's efforts to implement OSCE commitments.

The programme focuses on several areas:

• Promotion of energy efficiency and alternative energy use
• Environmental education at primary and secondary schools
• Sustainable socio-economic development and environmental security
• Strengthening good governance through the use of digital administrative services
• Clean-up of areas contaminated with explosive remnants of war
• Disposal of the rocket fuel component mélange
• Transboundary co-operation and sustainable management of the Dniester River basin
• Capacity building for combating environmental crimes at state border
• Social adaptation of discharged military personnel
• Strengthening security of Ukrainian borders

Sustainable socio-economic development and environmental security are key elements of stability and progress. Following requests from the Government of Ukraine, the PCU has designed a series of development projects that will assist the country in reaching its overall development goals and raise citizens' environmental awareness, including the promotion of "green" behaviour and sustainable development through education.

The PCU continues its support to the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports with the introduction of environmental education into primary and secondary school curricula. An extensive training programme will be launched to continue strengthening the capacity of teachers to use innovative environmental education tools in the school setting as well as during extra-curricular activities. More detailed information about this project can be found here.

The PCU has been assisting Ukraine with the promotion of energy security, energy efficiency and the use of renewable and alternative energy sources. The PCU also works to enhance the capacity of the country's Aarhus Centres to raise public awareness on environmental issues.

While striving to achieve greater transparency and accountability towards citizens, Ukraine’s state authorities and self-government bodies enjoy PCU assistance with the introduction of e-governance tools in the implementation of economic policies. Drawing on international experience and OSCE expertise, the PCU is facilitating pilot initiatives in several regions to introduce e-governance applications and implement one-stop shop principles. The aim is to increase the efficiency of government bodies dealing with regulatory matters and minimize bureaucratic red tape.

Clean-up of areas contaminated with explosives

The PCU assists the country’s Ministry of Emergencies (MoE) in strengthening the capacity of its underwater demining units for the safe clearance of Ukraine’s sea coastal areas from Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). In co-operation with the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), assistance is provided to improve capacities to safely locate and retrieve ERW in contaminated areas by providing special equipment and training.

The PCU continues its work on assisting the Ministry with clearance of areas contaminated with ERW near the cities of Kerch and Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula, Bila Tserkva near Kyiv, and rehabilitation of the ammunition site areas near Novobohdanivka, Zaporizhya oblast, and Lozova, Kharkiv oblast.

The PCU also assists the MoE in raising public awareness about the risks and threats posed by ERW, specifically among the social group most vulnerable to the problem – school-age children – through supporting development and production of multimedia informational materials for Ukrainian schools.

Disposal of the rocket fuel component mélange

The OSCE is assisting the Ukrainian Government with the elimination of approximately 16,200 tonnes of the toxic rocket fuel component mélange by ensuring its disposal in an environmentally sound and cost-effective manner. Mélange poses a danger to Ukrainian citizens and the environment, and has to be eliminated within the next few years.

By the end of 2011, almost 7,000 tonnes of the this toxic liquid had been removed from storage sites in Vinnytsya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Kyiv regions, marking the completion of Ukraine’s western and central parts’ clearance from the hazard, within the project managed by the OSCE FSC Support Section and facilitated by the PCU.

The last phase of the project envisages disposal of the remaining quantity of mélange stored at the other two military bases near Shevchenkove in Kharkiv region and Lubashivka,  in the Odessa region.

Ahead of the European football championship that Ukraine will co-host in 2012, the OSCE and the country’s Defence Ministry committed to remove approximately 2,000 tonnes of mélange precariously stored in storage tanks located on a military base some 100 kilometres from Kharkiv – one of the Ukrainian cities hosting the international football tournament. The removal of the remaining stocks is planned to be completed by the end of 2012.

Transboundary co-operation and sustainable management of the Dniester River basin

The PCU supports the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) in facilitating the Moldovan-Ukrainian dialogue on the Dniester River basin. The aim of the dialogue is to achieve sustainable joint management of the basin. The OSCE is helping to improve current legislation and develop the new Dniester River Basin Agreement, encouraging the co-operation of health authorities and promoting the integration of biodiversity concerns into water management. A pilot basin-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) is being developed as an aid to joint decision-making based on integrated water management. To inform the public about these issues, the OSCE is conducting public awareness activities targeting the population of both countries. Reducing vulnerability to floods and climate change is another dimension of the project activities.

The principal partners in the project are the environment ministries, water management authorities, health authorities and Foreign Ministries of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the scientists and relevant non-governmental organizations in both countries. The project is implemented in close co-operation with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in the framework of the Environment and Security initiative (ENVSEC).

More information on the project is available here.

Combating environmental crimes at state borders

The PCU also helps the OCEEA to build Ukraine's capacity to combat transboundary trafficking of environmentally sensitive commodities: hazardous waste, ozone-depleting substances, obsolete pesticides, and rare and endangered animal and plant species.  This is done by supporting an intersectoral dialogue, training for authorities in charge of controlling the movement of cargo across national borders, and publication of methodological materials for trainers. The principal targets of these activities are Ukraine and Moldova's Environment Ministries, environmental inspectorates, state customs services and state border services.

Social adaptation of discharged military personnel

The PCU supports the country's military reform process by assisting the Ukrainian Government in the further elaboration of sustainable and efficient methods of military social adaptation. PCU activities focus on:

• Assisting with the retraining and employment of military personnel discharged from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF)
• Helping military personnel acquire up-to-date job-searching skills and providing them with career guidance
• Raising awareness of discharged military personnel about their rights
• Raising awareness of serving military officers about their duties regarding the fulfilment of the rights of discharged military service personnel

As part of recent administrative reform in the Government of Ukraine, responsibility for retraining of discharged and soon-to-be discharged military personnel shifted from the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of Social Policy. The PCU has been assisting with the social adaptation of discharged military personnel for several years. Retraining has been conducted in the following locations, where the most significant releases of UAF service personnel have taken place: Mykolayiv, Kherson, Zhytomyr, Okhtyrka, Bila Tserkva, Sevastopol, Yevpatoria, Inkerman, Balaklava, Saky, Vinnytsia, Berdychiv, Nerubaiske, Kanatove, Kalynivka, Pryluky, Uman, Slaviansk, Rivne, Novofedorivka, Novoozerne, Myrnyi, Sumy, Odessa, Simferopol, and other cities.

In 2012, the PCU will provide more than 700 discharged, and soon-to-be discharged, military personnel with retraining in a variety of fields. As a part of gradual hand over of this training initiative to the host country, the Social Policy Ministry committed to organize retraining for approximately 300 family members of discharged military officers (mostly spouses) – work that in the past was done within the PCU project.

Retraining is provided in selected professional fields, based on the demands of local labour markets. Graduating officers receive state diplomas and international certificates. To date, over 70 percent of the officers have found employment within three months of graduation.

Strengthening Ukrainian border security

The PCU assists the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service (USBGS) in improving the security of the country's borders and is helping to strengthen the institutional capacity of the USBGS.

The USBGS is undergoing a large-scale reform process involving its transformation from a military to a law-enforcement agency. In response to a request from the USBGS administration, the PCU facilitated the purchase of computer and biometric control equipment. Also planned are risk and criminal analysis training seminars for border guard officers, as well as the procurement of further equipment.

The PCU also developed a project to assist the USBGS with capacity building and development of a course curriculum on the detection of stolen motor vehicles at border crossing points.  

These activities are expected to improve the operational and professional capacities of the USBGS to collect and analyze data on illegal cross-border activities.