As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
June 12, 2014
The United States warmly welcomes Ambassador Jarbussynova back to the Permanent Council. Ambassador, at the outset, allow me to thank you and your devoted team for your dedication and commitment to this Organization and to the people of Ukraine. The eyes of the world continue to be on Ukraine as the nation strives to consolidate a prosperous and stable future for its people. As such, the Project Coordinator Office in Ukraine remains a focus of our attention.
The Project Coordinator Office in Ukraine (PCU) has undertaken numerous projects that provide real value to the government and people of Ukraine. The PCU has an opportunity now to continue its successful programs across all three dimensions and to seek strengthened engagement with the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to keep project development and implementation moving at a steady pace. Similarly, we encourage the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to approve projects promptly so that the PCU can support and help facilitate Ukraine’s progress towards a democratic and united future.
The United States welcomes the PCU’s ongoing activities related to judicial reform, legal education programs, and rule of law projects. The United States commends the PCU’s work in training Ukraine’s Central Election Commission and the further development of the On-Line Training Tool that provided the necessary preparation for election commissioners. Without a doubt, your team’s assistance directly contributed to the successful presidential elections held last month. We also appreciate your hard work in combatting trafficking in human beings by assisting the Ukrainian government to expand the National Referral Mechanism for victims of trafficking. These examples reflect only a small sampling of the important and relevant projects your Office conducts. In addition to your own project work, we recognize the significant effort your office has devoted to supporting the unprecedented stream of senior OSCE officials, Chairmanship representatives, and OSCE missions that have visited Ukraine in recent months. All of them have relied on you and your staff to provide a foundation for their own work, and we commend you for the support you have given them.
As the Office plans for the future, the United States would like to see it continue substantive engagement with the Ukrainian government and people on projects related to democratization and good governance. We welcome the PCU’s support for the sustainable development of civil society organizations and would appreciate further efforts to establish an institutionalized framework for cooperation among these groups with all levels of government. We also encourage continued efforts to ensure the safety of media professionals and increased cooperation between journalists and law enforcement officers.
Ambassador, the United States fully supports the Project Coordinator Office in Ukraine and appreciates the work conducted in full exercise of your mandate. As the PCU addresses the rapid, significant, and ongoing changes in Ukraine, the Office should have the necessary resources, staffing, and funding in place to meet these new demands. Ambassador Jarbussynova, we recognize that the PCU, as currently structured, may be unable to meet the demands for additional and needed projects; therefore, we very much support a strengthened PCU that is able to respond fully to Ukraine’s call for assistance
The United States applauds the work and ongoing efforts of the Project Office in Ukraine and we look forward to hearing reports of additional success in the future.
Thank you again for your personal work and many thanks to your team.
