# Governance, Guardrails, and Anti-Propaganda Rules

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# Governance, Guardrails, and Anti-Propaganda Rules

The Cultural Bridge Track only works if it is visibly protected from capture and politicization. This chapter defines the minimum guardrails that keep the program:
- pro-human dignity,
- anti-propaganda,
- transparent,
- and safe for participants.

## Core Stance

- **Human dignity is not endorsement.** Valuing people and culture is compatible with condemning state violence and pursuing accountability.
- **No propaganda distribution.** This track is not a channel for state narratives.
- **Pluralism over purity tests.** The curation goal is cultural depth and humanism, not ideological uniformity.

## Governance Model (Minimum Viable)

### 1. Independent Steering Board
**Composition:**
- Librarians and educators
- Scholars of literature/history
- Translation experts
- Civil society representatives
- Diaspora voices (Ukrainian and Russian-speaking communities), with safeguards

**Rules:**
- Publish membership and terms
- Conflict-of-interest disclosures
- Rotating terms
- Transparent decision criteria

### 2. Two Separate Sub-Committees
To reduce cross-contamination, separate the operational oversight:
- **Collection & Curation Committee** (Libraries/Schools)
- **Language Program Committee** (Curriculum/Teacher Pipeline)

Both report to the steering board but operate with clear boundaries.

### 3. Red-Team Review (Anti-Capture)
- Periodic review of selections and partnerships.
- Flags influence attempts, suspicious procurement, or politicization.
- Publishes a short integrity report (redacted for safety where needed).

## Anti-Propaganda Rule Set

### A. Exclusion Criteria (Hard Line)
Exclude materials that are:
- Produced or distributed as official state propaganda.
- Explicitly designed to justify violence or dehumanize target groups.
- Part of coordinated influence operations (as identified by credible assessments).
- Paired with compulsory political messaging in classrooms/libraries.

### B. Inclusion Criteria (Positive Tests)
Prefer materials that are:
- Canonical works with established scholarly recognition.
- High-quality translations or critical editions.
- Pluralistic (includes moral witnesses and dissident voices where possible).
- Suitable for educational contexts with non-partisan framing.

### C. Context Requirement (Where Needed)
For sensitive authors or periods:
- Include short neutral context notes.
- Avoid editorializing in ways that turn the program into political instruction.
- Ensure Ukrainian cultural material is visible elsewhere in the branch (especially via the language pillar).

## Transparency Policy

**Publish (Public):**
- Selection criteria and governance rules.
- Grant recipients (institutions) and funding totals.
- High-level title lists (where safe).
- Annual integrity report (short).

**Restrict:**
- Personal data of teachers/participants.
- Sensitive security details (e.g., harassment cases).
- Procurement details that enable theft/extortion (if applicable).

## Safeguarding and Safety

**Minimum policies for the Ukrainian Language Program:**
- Code of conduct for learners and teachers.
- Anti-harassment enforcement and escalation.
- Privacy rules (no recording without consent).
- Doxxing prevention procedures.
- Secure reporting channels.

**For the Library Program:**
- Event security guidance (if public talks occur).
- Moderation rules for discussions.
- Refusal policy for politicized coercion attempts.

## Procurement and Grant Integrity

- Competitive procurement wherever feasible.
- Transparent grant criteria.
- Audit trail for spending.
- Debarment policy for abusive or fraudulent vendors/partners.

## Failure Triggers (When to Pause)

Pause or suspend funding if:
- Verified propaganda capture attempts succeed.
- Repeated harassment is not controlled.
- Governance is captured or decision-making is hidden.
- The program is used to launder influence operations.

## Links

- **Russian Literature Pillar (/initiatives/ukraine-peace-plan/cultural-bridge/russian-literature)**
- **Ukrainian Language Pillar (/initiatives/ukraine-peace-plan/cultural-bridge/ukrainian-language)**
- **Implementation & Funding (/initiatives/ukraine-peace-plan/cultural-bridge/funding-partnerships)**
- **Risks & Critiques (/initiatives/ukraine-peace-plan/cultural-bridge/risks)**