Every leader has a set of values that he shares. The problem starts when you meet people with different values, outlooks and ideologies.
N. Jaresko: Ukraine has 25 years of its own new independent parliamentary experience. With each day, we gain important experience in this process and make corrections to improve it. For example, the new legislation on political party financing will help to ensure transparency and responsiveness to civil society. The parliamentary reform introduced recently by Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy is an element of addressing improvements that can be made to the protocol, rules and procedures. This is a learning process and the most important element is to keep learning lessons and applying improvements. EP: How are the objectives of your organization affected by the fact that Ukraine is a country who is trying to reform itself while at the same defending itself from a Russian invasion? Are you planning to involve Ukraine’s military leadership in your work? N. Jaresko: Aspen Institute Kyiv is more important than ever as our country works to overcome the legacy of communism, incomplete reforms, and the illegal annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas. We have challenges to resolve in areas as diverse as education, economy, military, justice and health. The challenges are great, and Aspen Institute Kyiv can be an important part of the search for solutions at this critical time. The ongoing war is not an excuse for slowing reform, but instead, an important incentive to move more rapidly to achieve success. EP: Will you be focusing on a specific direction of reform? Can we expect to see special attention paid to economic reform? N. Jaresko: Aspen Institute Kyiv will continue to expand its leadership programs and begin policy programs in the areas of Justice and Education as a first step.The ongoing war is not an excuse for slowing reform, but instead, an important incentive to move more rapidly to achieve success.
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The organization is dedicated to "fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues." The Kyiv branch's objectives are to "promotes dialogue and understanding between Ukrainian leaders on key issues and that can contribute substantively to promotion of value-based leadership, establishment of dialogue culture and formulation of public policies."
The institute is headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado (its original home) and near the shores of the Chesapeake Bay at the Wye River in Maryland. Apart from Kyiv, Aspen Institutes exist in Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Paris, Lyon, Tokyo,New Delhi, Prague and Bucharest, as well as leadership initiatives in the United States and on the African continent, India, and Central America.
