Appeal to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on Opening Datasets

Effective recovery in Ukraine is impossible when open data does not work

The Open Data Association, as part of the RISE Ukraine – Coalition for Reconstruction, supports the statement to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets calling for the publication of open datasets that are a priority for a transparent and accountable reconstruction.

A key element of transparency and accountability is access to public information in the form of open data. After martial law was introduced, valuable open datasets on which Ukraine’s transparency and anti-corruption infrastructure had been built for years disappeared from public access. Access to information was restricted chaotically, without proper legal regulation or public discussion.

The unjustified concealment of public information in the form of open data:

• complicates the work of government bodies, businesses and civil society organizations;
• jeopardizes a transparent and accountable reconstruction;
• reduces the trust of international partners on whom covering the budget deficit depends.

As a Coalition dedicated to the transparent and accountable reconstruction of Ukraine, we consider this situation harmful. The amount of financial resources available to Ukraine and the efficiency of their use directly depend on transparency and accountability. Effective public oversight cannot be built without the use of open data.

The RISE Ukraine Coalition puts forward specific proposals for restoring access to priority datasets:

• Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations (USR)
• Spending – information published under the Law of Ukraine “On Openness of the Use of Public Funds”
• Unified State Register of Declarations of Persons Authorized to Perform the Functions of the State or Local Self-Government (Register of Declarations)
• Unified State Register of Persons Who Have Committed Corruption or Corruption-Related Offenses (Register of Corrupt Officials)
• The “Learn More About Your Business Partner” service (tax debts of companies)
• Financial statements of companies
• Unified State Register of Assets Seized in Criminal Proceedings (Register of Seized Assets)
• Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property (RDDP)
• Public Cadastral Map of Ukraine and the Public Cadastral Map of Ukraine for the nature reserve fund of Ukraine
• Data on subsoil plots for which the sale of a special subsoil use permit without an auction is being considered, including the catalogue of turning points
• Data on subsoil plots for which the sale of a special subsoil use permit at auction is being considered, including the catalogue of turning points

[note] The full text of the appeal is available via this link