Unprecedented Wartime Support

Ukraine’s ability to survive and recover after Russia’s full-scale war depends not just on territorial integrity but also on governmental integrity.

Alongside the military battles, Ukraine continues to wage a less visible battle—a battle against corruption, which dates to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. For several years, critical donor-funded programs to promote government integrity have been helping Ukraine in this fight. Now, hard-earned, democratic gains are paying dividends as Ukraine strives to meet conditions for European Union membership.

Protecting Democratic Gains

Since 2017, Management System International (MSI), a Tetra Tech Company, has implemented the Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions (SACCI) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and builds upon previous programs it implemented for more than two decades.

This project takes place alongside other critical programs implemented by Tetra Tech in energy, humanitarian de-mining, infrastructure and monitoring of non-security assistance.

As this project comes to a close in 2024, SACCI’s efforts have been recognized by USAID and the U.S. Embassy as making significant contributions to anti-corruption efforts, in spite of the challenging war time conditions, including conscription of key staff and the challenges of hiring civil servants due to martial law.

SACCI was one of the first USAID projects to engage the newly established State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure, which is at the epicenter of effective and transparent implementation of the country’s current rapid recovery and post-war reconstruction projects. SACCI provided critical assistance to boost the capacity of its anti-corruption unit.

The project also pivoted its activities when the war started to provide assistance to the Ministry for Restoration. This assistance is also integral to establishing the systems and capacity to safeguard the transparency and integrity of reconstruction. In summer 2023, SACCI brought together leaders of the reconstruction efforts from Ukraine and international partners to support the “Winning Ukraine’s Future” Conference, sponsored by the Ministry. SACCI also supported the State Audit Service of Ukraine to establish effective procurement controls to ensure a more comprehensive approach to financial control, oversight, and anti-corruption.

Empowering Citizens & Civil Society to Lead

USAID and other donors are also supporting efforts to ensure that citizens and NGOs are further empowered to report corruption, particularly given civil society activism and the role of corruption watchdogs, which emerged more robustly after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.

SACCI finalized and completed the handover of a Whistleblower Reporting Portal, which allows anonymous reporting by any employee of select Ukrainian institutions who suspect or have witnessed corruption.

SACCI also supported NGO advocacy toward adoption of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and assisted with the drafting of the State Anti-Corruption Program, which is the implementation plan for the Strategy and will drive the anti-corruption reform agenda through 2025. SACCI engaged with a wide range civil society grantees, including the RISE coalition and the Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM) platform. The DREAM ecosystem interacts with nine systems including the registration of damaged and destroyed property and the DIIA citizen services app to contribute to a comprehensive online system to track restoration project implementation at every stage.

The SACCI project is proud to have supported the U.S. government, working side by side with Ukraine to help secure its future.