UNDP's Blue Ribbon Analytical and Advisory Centre urges adoption of overdue reforms. A new report from Blue Ribbon Analytical and Advisory Centre highlights the urgency for high-priority economic and institutional reforms; argues that economic crisis could open windows of opportunity for state reforms in Ukraine. A new report issued by the Blue Ribbon Analytical and Advisory Centre, an independent body of renowned national and international experts that operates with support from the Delegation of European Commission and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, has identified high-priority reforms that the Government and Parliament need urgently to enact to weather economic recession and promote growth and better living standards in Ukraine. While saluting the country's high rankings for political freedoms and development of democratic institutions, which are higher than those of other countries in the CIS, the report warns that in many areas time has been wasted and reforms are long overdue.

OECD published report “Agricultural Policies in Emerging Economies: Monitoring and Evaluation 2009”, which looked at the measures taken by developing economies, including Ukraine, to ease the burden on consumers and to ensure food supplies within the context of higher and more volatile prices over recent years. In the course of preparation of the report BRAAC experts consulted OECD team and provided important analytical inputs.

Kyiv, 26 February 2009 – Mr. Marcin Swiecicki, BRAAC Director, participated in a high profile International Conference on Pension System Reform in Ukraine arranged by a leading Ukrainian business news-paper “Kommersant - Ukraine”. The aim of the Conference was to support the debate on state-of-art of Ukraine’s pension system and discuss the perspectives for its further reform. Mr. Swiecicki took the floor to address the issue of the retirement age in Ukraine, and explain why is it necessary to raise the retirement age.