Volodymyr Yalovyi, Deputy Secretary General of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and James Pettit, US Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine, handed interns i.d cards to 86 Program participants of the 2009-2010 Parliamentary Internship Program.

It was the 15^th year of the IP operation in Ukraine. Over nine months, students from various regions get internship with 28 parliamentary committees and departments, 6 ministries and the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine.

In the course of internship, they will take part in law-drafting, organize public hearings, committee meetings and round-table discussions; they will study such subjects as the public policy analysis, gender policy, legislative mechanisms and law drafting, rules of procedure. On a weekly basis, interns will meet with prominent politicians and decision-makers of Ukraine, foreign experts.

Each year, about one-third Program graduates continue their careers with public authorities of Ukraine; many have been enrolled to the staff pool of the Verkhovna Rada.

Others participating in the ceremony were Ihor Popov, the Ukrainian President’s Representative in Parliament, Yuriy Baranov, the head of the Directorate of the Cabinet of Ministers for Liaison with the Ukrainian Parliament, Kyrylo Tretyak, Head of the International Department of the Verkhovna Rada, program alumnus Kyrylo Molodyko, Advisor to the Justice of the Constitutional Court and colleagues from the USAID Mission for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. The ceremony was organized by the parliament with the assistance of the newly founded “League of Interns” which is an association of program alumni. The League of Interns secured external funding for three program participants this year. For information on becoming a sponsor of the program, please contact Maryna Rudenko at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it