Social Democracy

Social Democracy in Ukraine’s public discourse is still far too often confused with socialism and thus associated with the Soviet past. The situation is paradoxical as time and again, Ukrainians show in opinion polls great sympathy for social democratic policy concepts and the values of freedom, justice and solidarity. Yet to date, a political force that combines a social democratic value set with a European integration perspective is lacking.

Advocating for the values of social democracy and a modern understanding of progressive politics is thus one of the focal points of political education projects implemented by FES Ukraine and our partner organizations from civil society. Another is to involve Ukrainian stakeholders in the debate on shaping the future of European Social Democracy.

The inclusion of all parts of society into the public policy process and the prevention of discrimination is paramount to the social democratic understanding of democracy. FES Ukraine is therefore actively working on fields such as the prevention of gender-based discrimination, the inclusion of people with disabilities, and the integration of internally displaced persons. Supporting civil society in documenting human rights violations and seeking justice for victims of war is a key priority of our work, which has taken on even greater urgency since the Russian full-scale invasion of 2022.