APPEAL of representatives of environmental, legal and academic civil communities to deputies of the 7th Supreme Council of Ukraine concerning criteria of evaluating candidates to the post of the Minister of Environment of Ukraine
24 February 2014
Criteria of evaluating candidates to the post of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine
Dear deputies of the Supreme Council of Ukraine,
We, representatives of national and international civil society organizations in the sphere of environment and rational use of natural resources, realizing and sharing with the society high level of expectations related to the process of crucial changes in social-economic and ecopolitical relations in our country as well as taking into consideration importance of the process of forming the new government of Ukraine, firmly insist on the following:
The sphere of environmental policy as well as other spheres of our life require reformation. Therefore, it is especially important now to apply transparent and grounded criteria of appointing a specialist to the post of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
Only clear and understandable criteria supported and agreed by environment protecting community and the public of Ukraine as well as by representatives of legislative and executive authorities will make it possible to adopt an effective decision concerning appointment to the post and to avoid numerous mistakes that happened in the past.
We have to remember negative experience of the last decade when people appointed to the post of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine were close to the president’s circle or his family and had no professional or managerial experience. The post served as a present because the candidate “deserved” it in the eyes of a group of people or it was a part of a mechanism of appropriation of national resources. Such ministers were able to understand neither problems in the sphere of environment and inexhaustible use of natural resources, nor the challenges in these spheres and critical importance of solving environmental problems for the society, solution of which is a part of a quality of life and welfare of Ukrainian people.
In view of the above-mentioned, a candidate for the post of the Minister of Environment of Ukraine shall comply with the following criteria:
- higher education in the sphere of environment (or related to environment), command of the Ukrainian, Russian and one of European languages, preferably English or German;
- sufficient experience of professional activities in the sphere of environment, inexhaustible/rational use of natural resources, environmental protection and environmental safety as well as experience of direct participation in management of an environmental institution, programmes, long-term projects that are important for environment protecting community and local communicates;
- good knowledge of European experience of development of the sphere of environmental policy/environment and environmental safety as well as of the sphere of inexhaustible/rational use of natural resources. The experience has to be proved by relevant publications or education, practical activities, participation in projects that had positive impact on environmental protection and environmentally balanced regional and local development;
- reputation of an honest manager and trust from professional community proved by public declarations of profit for recent 2-3 years and lack of discrediting materials;
- absence of conflicting business interests, in particular in the sphere of nature use, energy and industry etc;
- absence of facts of managing state (or private) institutions or state programs that had characteristics of corruption or were unsuccessful;
- non-participation in leadership of political parties (when occupying the post);
- a candidate has to publicly declare his will to reform the branch of environment and natural resources, implement principles of democracy, transparency and civil control over functioning of the Ministry.
We call for understanding the fact that preservation of natural heritage and environmentally balanced use of natural resources of the country play the key role in forming state values of the society, directly impact the quality and level of life of citizens of Ukraine. A quality of environment has impact on life expectancy, forms aesthetic and cultural bases of development of our society and defines its future and future of Ukraine in general. Also, compliance with modern principles of environmental protection impacts our country’s image in Europe and in the world. State policy in the sphere of environmental protection and use of natural resources is directly related to the vector of our state’s development and to an answer to the question whether we aim to move towards European community or we choose the way of underdeveloped country of the third world.
Out attitude to the natural heritage is an issue of civilizational choice, and a mistake here will be unaffordable for us!
International charitable organization Environment-People-Law
All-Ukrainian civil society organization National Environmental Center of Ukraine
Wild World Fund
The Center for regional Studies
All-Ukrainian environmental civil society organization Mama-86
