The OECD has worked with Ukraine since independence three decades ago to support its reform agenda, and the relationship has grown steadily stronger since the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and despite the day-to-day challenges of the war, the OECD has steadily deepened its engagement and co-operation with Ukraine. This includes work across a range of policy areas from anti-corruption to tax and public administration reform. The OECD has also helped its member countries address the needs of Ukrainian refugees and supported educational continuity and access to labour-market opportunities for those displaced by the war.

Responding to Ukraine’s request for accession, the OECD’s governing Council recognised Ukraine as a prospective OECD member in October 2022 and asked the Secretary-General to launch an initial accession dialogue. To structure this dialogue and move the relationship into a new phase, the OECD invited Ukraine to engage in an OECD Country Programme, which was launched in June 2023. The Programme does not grant Ukraine any special status at the OECD, nor does it commit the OECD or Ukraine to an accession process. Nonetheless, a subsidiary objective is to help Ukraine progress toward potential accession by deepening its engagement with OECD bodies and instruments.

The OECD-Ukraine Liaison Office, which opened in Kyiv in February 2023, enables OECD experts to work closely with the Ukrainian authorities and has improved co-ordination with the international donor community. The Office's primary mission is to help implement the Ukraine Country Programme by facilitating engagement with key stakeholders on the ground. It also ensures the Programme is fully aligned with the EU’s Ukraine Plan. Being based in Kyiv allows staff to maintain direct communication with the Ukrainian government, while enabling efficient co-ordination with OECD Members and other international organisations. This maximises synergies and minimises duplications. The Office, co-financed by the governments of Poland and Lithuania, with additional support from Latvia and the Slovak Republic, is based at the Slovak Embassy in Kyiv.

The OECD provides inputs to Ukraine’s National Recovery and Development Plan and works with international partners to co-ordinate international support for Ukraine, including as part of the Multi-Agency Donor Co-ordination Platform for Ukraine co-chaired by Ukraine, the European Union and the United States.

In addition, the OECD Economics Department has established a Ukraine Desk to incorporate Ukraine into the OECD’s forecasting and indicator systems.