Civil Network OPORA is a Ukrainian think tank with unique local, national, and international expertise. Since 2006, we have been developing a culture of political participation as a basis for a responsible society, fighting for justice, and supporting democratic processes even in crisis conditions. Over almost 20 years of its operation, OPORA has established itself as an organization with an impeccable professional reputation and a high level of trust among citizens, politicians, and international partners. OPORA remains equidistant from political forces, ensuring impartial observation and objectivity in all our actions.
Our motto: We act on the good side!
Our greatest strength is our people who have a reputation for being true experts.
Our focus areas:
Elections. We view elections as an integral part of the political process and an instrument of democracy. OPORA observes elections and advocates for reforming electoral legislation and introducing the relevant practices. We protect citizens' political rights and work on voter education.
Security. We integrate security mechanisms into democratic governance practices and analyze the conditions for political participation even in frontline communities.
Countering disinformation. We study disinformation to rely on data when developing solutions for citizens’ resilience to such influences.
Justice. We document Russian war crimes and work to create mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable to ensure sustainable peace in the future.
International advocacy. We advance Ukraine’s interests internationally, supporting democratic reforms and European integration.
What makes us unique?
For 19 years, OPORA has been a leader in the sphere of domestic non-partisan election observation. We united more than 30,000 independent observers throughout Ukraine, who can promptly respond to electoral violations and ensure transparency of the processes. We were the first in Ukraine to run parallel vote tabulation based on a statistically based sample and in 23 campaigns, have never been mistaken with the results. OPORA also conducted educational courses for the police (having trained more than 70,000 policemen), members of election commissions, and observers.
Our experts worked on the Electoral Code, which ensured the rights of internally displaced persons, gender quotas, and the right of people with disabilities to vote independently. OPORA systematically works to combat electoral violations, and has developed and successfully advocated for relevant amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses. Currently, OPORA continues to reform electoral legislation to find solutions to the challenges caused by the full-scale war.
During the elections, OPORA monitors political advertising on social media to track compliance with campaign financing rules, as well as disinformation and political influence of the Russian Federation.
We are a leading think tank. OPORA develops complex topics through the use of unique instruments and methodologies and offers data-driven decision-making. Our analytics are built on open data, Big Data analysis, and interaction with various sectors. We work on investigations and studies, showing the origins and primary sources, interconnections and impacts.
Using data from various government institutions, international organizations, and Ukrainian businesses, OPORA tracks migration trends. In particular, our report, which proves the impact of massive Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian migration, was submitted to the International Criminal Court.
Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, OPORA has been documenting Russian war crimes among Ukrainians who fled abroad due to the Russian full-scale invasion (in the Republic of Poland and the United Kingdom). We cooperate with law enforcement agencies and promote the idea of establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine among parliamentarians of different countries.