Evaluation of Think Tank Development Initiative in Ukraine (TTDI) and Environmental Policy and Advocacy Initiative for Ukraine (EPAIU)

Since 2014, Sida has supported two projects: Think Tank Development Initiative (TTDI) for Ukraine and Environmental Policy and Advocacy Initiative for Ukraine (EPAIU). Both projects are implemented through International Renaissance Foundation (IRF), a Ukrainian non-governmental organisation (NGO) and part of the Open Society Foundations. TTDI has focused on strengthening independent public policy think tanks in the wake of the Maidan Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014), thus supporting the rapidly growing role of civil society in reforming the country in a context marked by economic and social crises, and by Russia’s occupation and annexation of the Crimea in 2014. Building on the perceived success of TTDI, EPAIU has focused on developing a cohort of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the field of environmental policy, to support advocacy for more systematic and inclusive environmental policymaking and implementation, making use of the reform process enabled by the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (2014). 

The purpose of the evaluation is to provide evidence for decision-making on the 3^rd phase of TTDI and on potential adjustments to EPAIU against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022 and its devastating effect on the political, economic and social context. More specifically, the evaluation is going to (i) identify impediments in programme implementation and potential ways of overcoming these challenges, and (ii) examine both programmes’ relevance in the country context and reflect on mid-to-long-term directions for the initiatives.