Ukraine has become one of the global leaders in the openness of government data, but transparency alone does not equal trust. Trust emerges where there is quality, verification, and accountability. This was emphasized by Viktor Maziarchuk, Head of the Fiscal Policy Research Center, during the panel discussion “Transparency and Accountability in the Recovery Process: Tools for Effective Reconstruction” at the URC2025 conference.
According to him, in critical moments when public trust in state institutions declines, civil society and independent think tanks become sources of new systemic solutions.
“Our Center works exclusively with public finances. We collect, verify, analyze, and publish open, structured datasets that anyone can use. We know where to find the right information and help others see it,” the expert explained.
During his speech, he highlighted three examples of how the Fiscal Policy Research Center helps build trust through analytics. One of them is cooperation with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, at whose request the team developed a BI tool to monitor more than 600 projects implemented with the support of international financial institutions. In addition, the Center trained ministry staff to use these tools, making processes not only transparent but also understandable.
Another example is the “Cost of War” project, which the team implements to collect, verify, and openly publish data on recovery efforts. This includes expenditures from the state budget, local budgets, and international programs. According to Maziarchuk, more than 5,600 projects have already been verified, with a total value of nearly €850 million.
“Our key difference from DREAM is that we do not build a project management system — we verify how projects are implemented. We share this data with state institutions such as the Accounting Chamber, the State Audit Service, and international partners, including OLAF,” emphasized the Head of the Fiscal Policy Research Center.
He also highlighted the role of innovation. In particular, the Center developed an AI model that updates information on procurement and payments on a daily basis within a project on modernizing school canteens — an initiative of the First Lady supported by EUACI. This tool has already helped save approximately UAH 150 million even before the project’s completion.
“Trust is not a slogan. It is daily work. And we are already building this trust through data, analytics, and transparency,” concluded Viktor Maziarchuk.
