Seven selected interns will embark on a six-month journey to study with leading Ukrainian experts, participate in the work of various departments within the Parliamentary Research Service, and prepare analytical documents for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This initiative, organized and funded by the USAID RADA: Next Generation, also provides scholarships for the interns.
During the opening ceremony, Oleksandr Piskun, Democracy Project Management Specialist for Democracy and Governance at USAID Mission to Ukraine, encouraged the interns: “Today, new opportunities are opening up for you. You can learn a lot in the Research Service, and it will be a good step in your career. Before the pandemic, we supported the internship program in the Verkhovna Rada; among them, we have ministers, MPs, and top businessmen. The Research Service is a great place to start. Take advantage of this opportunity, and we will help you.”
USAID RADA: Next Generation aims to train professional staffers who can strengthen the Research Service institutionally and enhance its capacity to provide analytical support to the Ukrainian Parliament through these internships.
Deputy Chief of the Party Tetiana Bibik emphasized the importance of such projects in demonstrating the parliamentary institution's openness: “We know that there will be a change of generations, and this generation must be smart. The country needs intellectuals who can analyze and change public policy. That is why, in our Program, we pay a lot of attention to research and training young researchers. And I want to thank Lesia Vaolevska for agreeing to launch this internship in 2022 when everything was closed.”
Lesia Vaolevska, Head of the Research Service, and Arkadii Nyzhnyk, First Deputy Head of the Main Legal Department of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, congratulated the interns on starting their program. Ms. Vaolevska discussed the principles and approaches to the parliamentary service's work, while Mr. Nyzhnyk shared his insights on the ideal model of parliamentarism.
