Ukraine

As both a global research institute and a leading international development organization, RTI combines our project implementation and technical expertise with those of our partners to co-create smart, shared solutions for a more prosperous, equitable, and resilient world.  

For 30 years, we have collaborated with clients and partners in Ukraine to advance sustainable, multi-sectoral solutions for the most difficult development challenges. We have led energy reform programs to improve the resilience of Ukraine’s energy sector, supported decentralization and financial reform efforts, strengthened the capacity of ministerial, local governments, and civil society after Ukrainian independence, and helped the Ukrainian Ministry of Health identify and address critical health issues.  

Our experience and recent project implementation include:

Energy Resilience in Ukraine

• Through the USAID Connect for Growth Project (C4G), we are helping countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia diversify their energy sources and secure a more reliable and sustainable energy supply.  
• The Municipal Energy Reform Project (MERP) helped Ukraine’s government make major legislative strides toward energy reform, introduced international energy efficiency and energy management standards, attracted investments into municipal energy efficiency, developed a renewable energy market, and promoted incentives to raise energy efficiency across the population.
• The Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) program developed the international and regional laws, regulations, and rules to realize investments and implement market-driven energy infrastructure, sustainable practices, and viable clean energy solutions to meet EU standards.

Governance and Economic Growth in Ukraine

• RTI led a study to better understand what was happening in Ukrainian civil society by directly surveying Ukrainian nationals, along with Ukrainian diaspora and supporters, about their war-time financial contributions and volunteer activities. 
• We contributed to partner-led efforts that explore Ukraine’s science, technology, and innovation (ST&I) ecosystem and its potential to support the country’s economic growth and democratization, particularly in the context of the ongoing war.
• Under USAID's Municipal Budget Reform project, we worked with national and local governments and citizens from 85 municipalities to make municipal budgets more effective, transparent, and accountable. RTI introduced new budgeting techniques to foster better planning, implementation, and monitoring; public participation in decision making; and budget autonomy.

Related: Read the op-ed from Paul Weisenfeld, Executive Vice President for International Development, on preparing for post-war reconstruction in Ukraine

Health in Ukraine  

• RTI leads technical monitoring (for example, governance, workforce development, data integration and standards, and data analytics) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’ Global Public Health Data Innovation activities to strengthen global outbreak response and pandemic preparedness through improved data availability and modernizing data systems in 10 countries, including Ukraine.
• In support of global efforts to lessen the burden of tobacco-related disease, RTI provides technical assistance for the design and implementation of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey and has supported standardizing surveillance and monitoring processes in over 30 countries, including Ukraine.
• In 2021, RTI hosted a fireside chat about Ukraine’s progress in eHealth, remaining challenges and opportunities, and lessons learned from adapting and implementing eHealth solutions and strategies.
• RTI was part of the International Consortium for Applied Radiation Research (ICARR) which included experts from the Ukrainian Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and the U.S. Department of Energy. ICARR was established to advance the knowledge, diagnostics, and treatment of exposure to ionizing radiation. RTI collected and managed a 10,000-participant registry of construction workers building a new containment system for the Chernobyl nuclear reactor to monitor the effects of radiation exposure on human health.

Education and Early Childhood Development in Ukraine

• In 2023, RTI’s Center for Thriving Children hosted a panel discussion with early childhood development experts, including the critical work of the development community in supporting the needs of young Ukrainian refugees living in Poland.  
  • Watch the event recording. 

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