The political crisis of 2006-2007 demonstrated the low level of capacity of Ukrainian politicians to implement statesmanlike policy and the serious shortcomings of the current Fundamental Law. Under such conditions, stimulating the consolidation of democracy, fostering civic political culture both among the political elite and among citizens, as well as involving the latter in active participation in the socio-political life of the country is a necessary condition for preserving stability in Ukraine. That is precisely why, and given the role of the Constitution in the life of society, reform of the Fundamental Law cannot be left outside the attention of the public (in particular, non-governmental organizations), whose opinion must be taken into account when: • determining the expediency and timeliness of constitutional changes; • determining the main directions of reform, which must necessarily take into account the interests of the population, as well as affirm the inviolability of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen; • implementing the process of introducing changes. To bring these issues to the fore and advocate for them, a public initiative called the Civil Assembly of Ukraine was created, whose Organizing Committee included more than thirty representatives of leading public organizations of Ukraine. Organizational and financial support for the activities of the Civil Assembly of Ukraine is provided by the International Renaissance Foundation. It is precisely on the initiative of the Organizing Committee of the CAU, with the aim of developing and publicly discussing documents that should record the position of civil society regarding the constitutional process, declaring demands to current politicians and political forces concerning the procedure for adopting a new Constitution, as well as proposals for the content of the new Constitution, that round tables and conferences will be held in all regions of Ukraine, and in the city of Kyiv - an all-Ukrainian forum: the Civil Assembly of Ukraine "New Constitution: Positions of Civil Society".
We invite representatives of public organizations, experts, scholars, journalists and simply active citizens to participate in the Volyn Regional Conference of the Civil Assembly of Ukraine. Within the framework of the regional event, three main framework issues will be discussed: 1. the expediency of changes to the Constitution; 2. the procedure for its adoption; 3. specific proposals for the essence and content of the Constitution. The results of the discussion will be formalized in the form of a final document of the conference. The composition of the delegation that will represent the Volyn region at the all-Ukrainian forum in Kyiv on June 21 will also be determined.
To participate in the Volyn Regional Conference of the Civil Assembly of Ukraine, one should: 1. Fill out the Registration Card of a participant in the regional event of the Civil Assembly of Ukraine (provide data about your organization and propose your organization's vision regarding the issues brought up for discussion). 2. Send by the end of May 2008 the completed Registration Card of a participant in the regional event of the Civil Assembly of Ukraine to the email address of the regional coordinator [mike.shelep@gmail.com].
For additional information, please contact the regional coordinator of the Civil Assembly of Ukraine in the Volyn region, Mykhailo Shelep, by phone [mobile (8067) 41-65-086], or by email [mike.shelep@gmail.com].
Annex No. 1 Registration Card of a participant in the Volyn Regional Conference of the CAU
1 Name of organization 2 Head of organization 3 Contact information of the organization: postal address, email, fax 4 Full name of the delegate from your organization to the regional conference of the CAU 5 Contact information of the delegate from your organization to the regional conference of the CAU: email, mobile phone 6 Please provide answers to the questions: - Is it expedient now to introduce changes to the current Constitution of Ukraine? - Which procedure for adopting possible changes is, in your opinion, the best? - What are your specific proposals for the essence and content of the Constitution?