Sybiha approved the new structure of the MFA

Sybiha approved the new structure of the MFA

A new structure has been introduced in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine that aligns with the realities of war and the best European and global diplomatic practices.

This was announced by the head of the department, Andriy Sybiha, on Facebook on Tuesday, July 8.

He reminded that last year President Volodymyr Zelensky identified reforming the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updating and strengthening diplomacy as one of the priorities.

"We are implementing these changes step by step, from simplifying access to consular services to digitization and transformation of internal processes, encouraging youth and enhancing motivation. Today I am pleased to announce that after prolonged preparatory work, we have resumed the practice of holding the Board and at its first meeting, approved the new structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine," the minister wrote.

Sybiha assured, "This is the structure of a modern, strong, and progressive foreign policy agency of a European state. But it is also the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a country at war. A country fighting for its life, freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."

Thus, according to him, the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will now include the Department of International Security and Defense of Ukraine.

Among the regional departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there will now be the first and second European departments, departments of Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, Africa and regional African organizations.

"This will bring the structure of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs in line with European standards and practices," the minister noted.

The Directorate for the USA and Canada will be separated from the Department of Latin America and the Caribbean because this is "a separate area of work that cannot be ’mixed’ with Latin American affairs."

A functional distribution of deputies is introduced. From now on, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have a First Deputy, who will oversee the most responsible areas, a Deputy Minister for European Policy, a Deputy Minister for International Security, a Deputy Minister for Global Issues and Public Diplomacy, and a Deputy Minister - CDTO for Digitalization.

"Importantly, there will now be a Special Representative solely for Africa. The Middle East and North Africa (the so-called MENA region) will ’detach’ into a separate department. This is correct both in terms of workload (together these two groups comprise over 70 countries) and in terms of the correct division between Arab and African countries," Sybiha emphasized.

He also mentioned that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will now have some new separate directorates, including a Directorate for Unfriendly Countries.

"This will include not only Russia but also its accomplices like North Korea or Belarus. This is not about bilateral relations, but about countering threats. Ukraine defends itself against full-scale aggression, and our policy must prioritize the neutralization of threats. This directorate will be overseen by the First Deputy," Sybiha reported.

Central Asia will be highlighted in a separate directorate, indicating special attention.

"A separate department for sanction policy is also being created. This decision was long overdue. The issue of sanctions was ’scattered’ among various departments. The creation of a separate structural unit will allow for the consolidation of processes and improve the effectiveness of sanction work. There are currently many tasks both in strengthening pressure and coordinating elements of different packages, synchronizing, analyzing compliance with sanctions regimes, closing bypass routes, etc. A critically important function for a country at war," the minister explained.

According to him, the Directorate for Economic Diplomacy and Recovery will not only deal with opening new markets and promoting Ukrainian exporters and attracting investments, but also with processes of attracting international support for the recovery of Ukraine.

"In our realities, these are inseparable processes," Sybiha highlighted.

"We are also creating a separate NATO division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This testifies to the priority of our path to joining the Alliance. Previously, European Union and NATO integration was combined in one department, the so-called ’DEN’. Now we will have a European Union Department and a NATO Division. The Department will already work on Ukraine’s direct membership in the EU. The NATO Division will add new impetus to our integration on the path to full membership in the Alliance," the minister reported.

Sybiha specifically addressed the issue of Ukrainians abroad.

"Whereas the Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously had a Directorate of Diaspora Ukrainians, we are now creating a separate Directorate for Global Ukrainians and Humanitarian Cooperation. This testifies to the important role and priority of developing connections and interaction with the global Ukrainian community," he wrote.

According to the minister, the Department for International Law and International Legal Counteraction to Aggression will specifically deal with bringing Russia and Russians to accountability for committed atrocities. The HR service will be called the Personnel Department and will focus primarily on recruiting new personnel and creating motivation.

"The Ukrainian Institute and the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine named after H. Udovenko will receive a new role and weight in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs system, which we plan to transform into a full-fledged higher education institution. Such separate units as the Cyber Diplomacy Department and the Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Sector will also appear," the minister reported.

"The division into territorial departments designated by numbers has been canceled. Everyone who has worked or is working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows the sacred meaning of the ’codes’ 1TD, 2TD, 3TD, 4TD, 5TD… They are close to the heart of everyone ’in the know’, but in reality, this division was inherited from Soviet times. They exist in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In European foreign policy agencies, departments are named substantively, according to the names of regions. Now it will be the same with us - we are transitioning to the European tradition," Sybiha noted.

The minister emphasized that all these decisions result from careful and systematic work.

"They are dictated by the needs of wartime. It’s about an effective distribution of functions, clear allocation of resources, correct priorities, and bringing the structure in line with the best European and global practices. I am grateful to my team for preparing these important transformations. Ukrainian wartime diplomacy will rely on a new and efficient structure and work quality to achieve results for the country," the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded.