Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation, has joined the EBRD Civil Society Steering Committee (CSSC) – a permanent advisory body to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) that ensures strategic dialogue between the Bank and civil society.

The CSSC operates not at the level of individual projects, but at the level of the “rules of the game”: policies, strategies, consultation mechanisms, and standards of transparency and safety for civil society participation.

The Committee was established in 2024 as part of the implementation of The EBRD’s Approach to Civil Society Engagement 2024–29.

Its mandate is advisory. Committee members provide recommendations on:

• the format and substance of consultations on EBRD country and sector strategies;
• the agenda of the Civil Society Programme during the Bank’s Annual Meeting and Business Forum;
• expanding the engagement of local and grassroots organisations;
• inclusiveness, transparency, and the protection of consultation participants.

Membership is organisational and determined through an open call. For the 2026–2027 term, alongside East Europe Foundation, the Committee includes international and national organisations from across the Bank’s regions of operation, such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Bankwatch CEE, and the Romanian Business Leaders Foundation, among others. The full composition of the Committee is available in the official EBRD document.

For East Europe Foundation, participation in the CSSC provides an opportunity to bring Ukraine’s experience in digital transformation, recovery, and civil society development into a broader regional context.

“Today, Ukraine is not only a country at war, but also rebuilding and implementing large-scale reforms, including digital ones. It is also a country shaping new standards of cooperation between government, civil society, and international partners. It is important that this experience is heard,” commented Victor Liakh on his work in the Committee.