UNLA has formed a working group to develop a professional standard for GR professionals: the first meeting took place
The Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association has begun practical work on developing a professional standard titled “Professional in Government Relations.” A working group was established by an order from Oleksiy Shevchuk, chairman of the UNLA board, and it has already held its first meeting.
This is an important step for the entire field of Government Relations in Ukraine. Until recently, GR, as a management function, lacked its own professional framework: qualification requirements, ethical standards, and the scope of responsibility for government relations specialists were not formally defined anywhere, and the activity itself was often equated with lobbying, although in essence they are different things—GR is primarily about systematic, transparent, and long-term interaction between organizations and the government, rather than influencing specific regulatory decisions.
The development of a separate professional standard makes it possible to establish the profession as a distinct field, following the example of developed democracies, where such functions are regulated through legislation on lobbying, conflicts of interest, and codes of ethics, and lays the groundwork for training professionals, accreditation, and the industry’s future self-regulation.
The working group was headed by Viktor Shcherbina—Ph.D., Doctor of Sociology, professor at the Kyiv Institute of Business and Technology, and professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The group included representatives of employers and their associations—the companies “PRO EDVISERS,” “ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih,” “Rail Active Management,” and “OKKO”—as well as representatives from the labor union sector, specifically the Trade Union of Employees of State Institutions of Ukraine.
The UNLA emphasizes that the working group’s membership, as approved by order, serves as a starting point that was established during the first phase of the work.
“We view this group as a foundation from which we will build further. Of course, we expect other large companies—both domestic and multinational, including international ones—to join the effort,” said Oleksiy Shevchuk, chairman of the board of UNLA.
The order also outlines the next steps: members of the working group have been tasked with preparing proposals for the draft professional standard, after which the document will be submitted for public comment.
As a reminder, earlier this year, UNLA discussed efforts to institutionalize the profession of GR specialist and to distinguish between the concepts of “Government Relations” and “lobbying,” notably during a public discussion at “Ukrinform” attended by representatives of the business community, the academic community, and industry associations.
