About us

Non-governmental organization Ukrainian center for social reforms (hereinafter referred to as the "UCSR") is а non-governmental organization that unites citizens of Ukraine, foreign citizens and stateless persons who are legally based in Ukraine on the basis of common interests for achievement of objectives stipulated bу these Articles of Association and does not provide for profit from its activities.

The personnel are formed by researchers, who have been working together since 1992 and have realized 140 scientific projects, including 65 projects supported by international organizations.

The UCSR activities are carried out in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, the current legislation and these Articles of Association.

The UCSR is established and operates under the following principles:

1. voluntariness;
2. self-government;
3. free choice of the territory of activity;
4. equality before the law;
5. absence of property interest of the members (participants);
6. transparency, openness and publicity.

The UCSR is free to choose the directions of its activities.

UCSR is an independent company from an ideological, political, religious and economic point of view. UCSR is not tied to any industrial or financial group as well as from any state structure, which allows its staff to perform activity with the required independence and full objectivity. UCSR only accepts missions in which it has expertise and undertakes to do everything possible to successfully complete the work that entrusted within the given time limits and in accordance with good engineering practice

Main objectives and activities

The main objectives of the UCSR activities is the satisfaction and protection of the legitimate social, economic, creative, scientific and other common interests of the members of the UCSR. The activities of the UCSR are focused on research and investigations of scholars and experts in the sphere of social policy and social protection, including reforming of social security system, pension system, privileges system, social assistance system. Scientific recommendations of the UCSR provided to the central and municipal authorities (Administration of the President of Ukraine, Government of Ukraine, Ministry of Finances, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry for Family and Youth, State Statistics Committee of Ukraine) are based on the complex investigations of living standards of the population, labour market development, regional human development and demographic situation, as well as on analysis of the state social policy and search of ways of its improvement.

The main activities of the UCSR, in the manner prescribed bу law and within the competence provided bу the current legislation, are, as follows:

• participation in implementation of fundamental and exploratory research in the field of analysis and development of social policy and reforms of modem Ukrainian society;
• assistance in monitoring social policy;
• participation in information support of scientists and specialists working in the field of social research;
• participation in conducting research in the field of social policy, demography, labour market;
• participation in preparation and holding of conferences, seminars and other scientific and organizational events in the field of social reforms;
• assistance in implementation of social, cultural, educational, economic and other projects within the Center's objectives, development of social forecasts;
• facilitating the participation of Ukrainian social scientists in conferences and other scientific and organizational events in Ukraine and abroad;
• establishment of mass media;
• participation in implementation of publishing activities, publication, production, distribution of publishing products;
• participation in international relations in the field of scientific research, exchange of work experience;
• participation in training, retraining and professional development of representatives of legislative and executive authorities, researchers, teachers of higher educational institutions, other categories of workers;
• conducting trainings and seminars for its members;
• participation in provision of various services to enterprises, organizations, citizens not prohibited bу current legislation in compliance with the objectives of the Center.

Scientific outputs

The scientific outputs of the UCSR include complex long-term demographic projections, projections of economically active populations, estimation of the demo-economic potential of the Ukraine, researches of labour migration, including non-registered one, the first Ukrainian investigation of poverty, development of methodical approaches to social stratification of the population, investigation of inequality and incomes distributions, estimation of efficiency of privileges and social benefits, modeling of the state support of the poor population with purpose of raising of efficiency of social security system, complex analysis of self-employment in the Ukraine, demographic and health study of Ukraine, Ukraine national child labour survey, school to work transition survey for young people in Ukraine, Analyzes of the impact of the conflict in eastern Ukraine on the economy and socio-economic status and viability in East Ukraine, Response to the acute humanitarian needs of most vulnerable women and adolescent girls affected by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Also, a significant scientific and practical development of the UCSR consists in: assessment of the effectiveness of social policy, including in the field of providing social services; development of a methodology for conducting representative surveys of the population on issues of social protection, including survey tools, sample design, procedures for entering, processing, evaluating indicators and determining their reliability, analysis and dissemination of survey data.
Conducting representative surveys (based on face-to-face, telephone and online interviews) of the population as a whole and of certain target groups (IDPs, youth, recipients of certain types of social assistance and subsidies, the elderly, the population of individual territories) on issues of social support and receiving social services.
Assessing the needs of local communities regarding the availability of certain types of social assistance and social services. Conducting focus group research on issues of social support, in particular regarding the provision of social assistance and services.
Generalization of international experience of implementing social policy, in particular, reforming systems of providing social services at the national and local level. Development of practical recommendations for improving the system of social support of the population, activating the potential of vulnerable population groups, increasing the effectiveness and accessibility of social support programs for families with children, developing the potential of local communities to provide social services. Introduction of mechanisms for the activation of non-working able-bodied persons from the number of recipients of assistance to low-income families and from the number of IDPs.
The main methodological achievements include: methods of assessing the effectiveness of programs of social support of the population; approaches to monitoring and evaluation of funding of social services for children from families in difficult life circumstances; monitoring and evaluation model in the social services sector at the national and regional levels; methodology for measuring the well-being of young people at the municipal level; improvement of procedures for processing the results of sample surveys of the population.
Experts of the NGO "Ukrainian Center for Social Reforms" fruitfully and closely cooperate with government and international organizations to achieve the SDGs in Ukraine. With their participation, the national reports "Sustainable Development Goals for the Children of Ukraine" (2019), "Sustainable Development Goals: Ukraine" (2017), "Sustainable Development Goals: Ukraine. National consultations" (2016). On an ongoing basis, research is conducted and consultations are provided with the aim of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Ukraine.

The main methodical innovations include: methods of poverty estimation, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, methods of the regional human development estimation, approved by the joint session of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, methods of integral estimation of unemployment; model of the mandatory pension system.

NGO UCSR, participating organization:
- Ukrainian National Platform of the Civil Society Forum of the Eastern Partnership (Working Group 5: Social and Labor Policy and Social Dialogue)
- "Equal rights and opportunities" platforms