The National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine (NALU) has announced the establishment of the Higher School of Lobbying—the country’s first educational platform dedicated to training a new generation of professional lobbyists.

This was announced by Oleksiy Shevchuk, a Ph.D. in law and a doctoral candidate at the Ukrainian Free University (Munich) and the V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law, during the first meeting of the NALU Board of Trustees at UNIAN, according to “Law and Business.”

“On September 1, the transparency registry went live, and the lobbying law paved the way for a new profession to emerge in Ukraine—that of a lobbyist. NALU has brought together the best specialists in the fields of advocacy and lobbying, and today we are laying the educational foundation for this profession,” noted O. Shevchuk.

According to him, the creation of the Higher School of Lobbying was a logical step in the industry’s development: “Any serious organization in Europe or the U.S. that engages in lobbying has researchers on its staff. That is why we initiated the formation of a board of trustees with an open invitation for universities—both Ukrainian and foreign—to join.”

The training program for future lobbyists was presented by Lyudmyla Kozhura, a professor at the Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University (KNEU). The course “Lobbying and Advocacy: The Art of Influencing Public Policy” will cover seven modules—ranging from the history and international practices of lobbying to ethics, strategies for influence, and oversight of lobbyists’ activities.

“We are creating a unique program that has no equivalent in Ukraine. This will help establish professional standards for transparent interaction between business, government, and civil society,” emphasized L. Kozhura.

In his address to NACP Chairman Viktor Pavlushchyk, Oleksiy Shevchuk highlighted the Association’s role as the future regulator of professional standards in the field of lobbying:

“The National Association of Lobbyists serves as a guide for this new profession. It is here that a self-regulating community is taking shape, one that will operate according to the principles of ethical lobbying.”