Business Ombudsman Council Launches “ZmiNEW” Awareness Campaign

The Business Ombudsman Council is launching an awareness campaign about the possibilities of transparent business conduct. The office is undertaking a number of public projects together with its partners – leading Ukrainian media, key business associations, business schools and universities as well as government agencies. The campaign seeks to educate the Ukrainian business community about the tools available to protect their lawful rights and promote a public service culture of openness, fairness and accountability.
“We hear from hundreds of entrepreneurs each year. Many are frustrated with the actions of ‘uncaring’ officials”, stresses Algirdas Semeta, the Business Ombudsman. “The only way to counter corruption is for business to create synergies and act. With our new project, we spread knowledge about the tools available. Entrepreneurs have the exclusive possibility to determine the path Ukraine will follow. Our new project aims to resolve issues between the business and government by providing a platform to communicate properly and thus breaking a systemic logjam. We also strive for educating our stakeholders on their rights and the ways to protect them with the Business Ombudsman Council’s help.”
The campaign will have five components. Component one is realized together with LIGA.net media partner. “Business Lessons” project involves a series of video interviews with the BOC’s complainants – famous top-managers and business owners. Together with renowned journalists, the BOC draws attention to the issues of doing business in Ukraine and showcases the human stories smashing stereotypes about palm-greasing as the only way to succeed. The first episode with Evgeny Shevchenko, CEO at Carlsberg Ukraine, can be viewed here.
Component two is aimed at cooperating with major business associations. The BOC starts in June with the American Chamber of Commerce launching a series of interactive seminars offering sound solutions to some of the acutest problems the business faces – searches, tax inspections and compliance. Other business associations, members of the BOC’s Supervisory Board, are expected to join the initiative soon.
Component three is about dealing with business schools. The BOC will hold a range of panel debates and workshops at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS) and International Institute of Management (MIM) connecting entrepreneurs with state officials and shedding light on the most topical issues the BOC has raised in its systemic reports.
Component four is about driving change among youngsters through dealing with universities and youth organizations. The focus here is to build a society of young and free individuals resilient to corruption by giving them more information on anticorruption practices. The BOC has already started with a workshop for the students of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Component five is about dealing with government agencies. The BOC is holding a range of educational events for officials on how to best cooperate with the BOC to find efficient solutions to well-worn complaints from businesses.
The project is currently expanding and welcomes like-minded partners, which are ready to shape the future of Ukrainian business, to join in our “ZmiNEW” campaign. For more information please contact Olga Seleznova (Pikulska), the BOC’s Chief Communication Officer at olga.seleznova@boi.org.ua.