Ukraine: Poroshenko signs off on NGO assets-declaration requirement
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 March 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukraine: Poroshenko signs off on NGO assets-declaration requirement, 27 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a6c311.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 27, 2017
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (second from left) meets with representatives of anticorruption NGOs in Kyiv on March 27.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed into law controversial amendments to the country's anticorruption legislation requiring representatives of nongovernmental organizations to file assets declarations.
Poroshenko on March 27 signed the amendments, which also relieve military officers of the obligation to file such declarations.
Poroshenko said the measure acknowledges "the necessity of taking into account the interests of hundreds of thousands of servicemen who currently defend Ukraine from Russian aggression."
Earlier, British Ambassador to Ukraine Judith Gough described the reporting requirement for NGOs as "a serious step back" for Ukraine that could "limit NGOs' capacity" and "expose them to pressure."
The reporting requirement for NGOs takes effect in 2018, and Poroshenko agreed to create a working group with NGO representatives to discuss its implementation.
In a meeting with NGOs in Kyiv on March 27, Poroshenko expressed his support for their efforts to fight corruption and said any political pressure or restrictions on their activity was inadmissible.
Based on reporting by the Kyiv Post and UNIAN
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
