How to change public policy through advocacy? How to formulate a problem to be included in the authorities’ agenda? How to set up goals and involve stakeholders? These and other issues were discussed and presented during an interactive workshop training. The training brought together participants from a score of NGOs, who presented their own experience and challenges on the given issues and learned lessons from the experience of each other and the Ukrainian chapter of Transparency International. The latter was presented by trainer Oleksii Khmara, Public Policy Expert and Executive Director of TI Ukraine.

The training provided numerous examples of both theoretical knowledge and practical application. The participants that presented civil society organizations were enabled to identify the problems of concern in a two-day training and to seek respective solutions. Problems that needed urgent solutions were revealed during panel discussions, and campaigns of public concern were planned, as well as stakeholders and work with each of them were determined.

The training was carried out within the framework of USAID supported “Engaged Citizenry for Responsible Governance” Project, implemented by Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) Public Organization in a consortium with Investigative Journalists NGO, Journalists’ Club “Asparez”, Civic Development and Partnership Foundation (CDPF), Basel Institute on Governance (BIG, Switzerland) and the European Center for Non-for-profit Law (ECNL, Hungary). The goal of the Project is to increase civic engagement in and oversight of reforms aimed at improving transparency and accountability of government actions and policies.