On August 26, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and the coalition of Ukrainian and international organizations RISE Ukraine. As part of the cooperation, the Rebuild Ukraine Digital Management (RUDM) system will be launched. During an expert discussion, the speakers presented the vision for the system.
The RUDM system is a modern anti-corruption tool of public administration. It should contribute to coordinating all the parties’ efforts and support the most effective decisions. The RUDM will be linked to the Register of damaged and destroyed property and the geospatial database.
“The creation of the Register is the basis for the Digital reconstruction of the country. In the Register information about all the destruction caused by Russian military aggression, of various types of objects and various types of property will be accumulated,” commented Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
The need for such work is caused by the scale of the destruction — during six months of the full-scale invasion, the enemy caused direct damage to the infrastructure of Ukraine in the amount of 113.5 billion dollars. “Now, these are preliminary calculations that we are doing together with the Kyiv School of Economics and World Bank experts. In the register, all this information will be calculated and verified in detail.
At the next stage, with the support of donors and partners, together with the coalition of non-governmental organizations RISE Ukraine, we plan to launch the development of all the system’s modules. The system should become the one joint anti-corruption tool of state administration, ensuring transparency and efficiency of reconstruction and coordination with international partners.
I want to thank the donors, partners and colleagues from the Ministry of Digital Transformation for active joint work — we have ahead the formation of a single ecosystem of solutions for the country’s reconstruction as well,” added Oleksandr Kubrakov.
In particular, the functionality of the RUDM system should provide
- development of a plan to implement all stages of the project;
- real-time monitoring of the project’s progress;
- prompt response to delays in the implementation of projects at any stage.
It is about the efficient and transparent usage of digital tools at all stages of an infrastructure project — from data analysis and planning, design and procurement, to project implementation, quality assessment and operational maintenance.
RUDM will ensure transparency, which will become a safeguard against corruption — a variety of users, including international partners, donors, and experts from civil society will be able to monitor and analyze the progress of projects and their costs. There will be a public module with open data. It will ensure data publication, according to the international standards, specifically the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) and the Beneficial Ownership Data Standard (BODS).
There is also a plan to implement related projects as part of the cooperation of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine and individual members of the RISE Ukraine Coalition — post-medical rehabilitation of veterans and victims of war on the basis of sanatorium-resort centers, strengthening of civil defense at transport hubs, and training of specialists to participate in reconstruction.
Andrii Borovyk, CEO of Transparency International Ukraine, co-founder of the RISE Ukraine Coalition, emphasized the importance of cooperation between civil society and the state: “Reconstruction is a joint project. Back at the conference in Lugano, where we announced the creation of the RISE Ukraine Coalition, we presented our approach, which is cooperation between civil society, the state, business and international partners. This memorandum is a public commitment to such cooperation.”
RISE Ukraine has identified as its key areas of activity the creation of the institutional architecture of reconstruction, the implementation of the electronic System of digital reconstruction management, monitoring and prevention of corruption, as well as the fixation and implementation of best practices.
“For each of these areas, we offer not only expertise but also specific solutions,” added Viktor Nestulya, co-founder of the RISE Ukraine Coalition, Head of Ukraine Support at Open Contracting. The coalition plans to establish such cooperation with other state bodies, organizations, and institutions. “The memorandum is open to be joined,” Viktor Nestulya emphasized.
Oleksii Dorogan, CEO of the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) spoke about the implementation of the Rebuild Ukraine Digital Management system: “Rebuilding the country is a complex and long process. But Ukraine is a leader in digital transformation, so we have to make this process fast, efficient, and inclusive. Using the example of the Ministry of Infrastructure, we are already launching a pilot of the Digital Reconstruction Management System. After full deployment, the system will cover the full cycle of work on reconstruction projects and should ensure transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the planning of Ukraine’s recovery process.”
Over time, these collaborative developments can be easily scaled to other industries and facility types. “The pilot project is being carried out under the supervision of the public, and the Memorandum that was signed today allows us to consolidate and develop this cooperation. This is the first step on a long road,” added Oleksii Dorogan.
Recorded Stream (in Ukrainian)