Ukraine and Colombia have a good space for cooperation and cultural exchanges to develop educational programs and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“Ukraine and Colombia have a good space for cooperation and cultural exchanges. And these are projects to preserve cultural heritage, protect the rights of indigenous peoples, develop educational programs and ideas of cultural tolerance,” Zelensky said while communicating with students and teachers of higher education institutions in Colombia.
“Together with Colombia, we want to show that diversity makes us stronger, that the uniqueness of each nation is our common treasure worth preserving and defending in order to restore justice and lasting peace,” the president said.
He added that Colombia, as one of the most multicultural countries in Latin America, is an example of the ability to defend its culture and diversity.
Ukraine also has a multicultural heritage, with “more than a hundred different nationalities and indigenous peoples, including Crimean Tatars.” However, now in the occupied territories “they face numerous persecutions by Russia, arrests, imprisonment, captivity, regular restrictions of rights.”
In addition, in Crimea and the rest of Ukraine, Russia is destroying not only physical objects, but also the foundations of culture and identity.
The VI International TyphloForum “Development, Education and Rehabilitation of People with Visual Impairments: Current Challenges and Innovations” is an event that will bring together representatives of educational and rehabilitation centers, scientists, typhlopedagogues, specialists of special educational institutions, rehabilitation specialists, NGOs, charitable foundations and everyone who works with children and adults with visual impairments.
It is a platform for discussing current needs, sharing experiences and innovative tools for the rehabilitation, adaptation and socialization of adults and children, military and civilians who have lost their sight as a result of military operations in Ukraine.
November 12, 2024
Location: Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture
Address: 31, Air Force Avenue, Kyiv, Ukraine
Forum program:
Training, rehabilitation, adaptation of military personnel who have suffered visual impairment as a result of hostilities.
Psychological and pedagogical support and assistance for children with visual impairments and their parents.
Assistive technologies and innovations for people with visual impairments.
Leisure and employment of visually impaired people in Ukraine: problems and prospects.
November 13, 2024
Location: Educational and rehabilitation center “Trinity Hub”
Address: 25 Kyoto Street, Kyiv, Ukraine
Forum program:
Activation of opportunities: challenges and innovations in the education and rehabilitation of people with visual impairments in Ukraine and the world.
Innovative approaches to working with children with visual impairments.
Educational strategies for children with visual impairments in the context of today’s challenges.
Strategic directions of development of the NGO “Association of Typhlopedagogues of Ukraine”.
Round table “Experience and innovations in the rehabilitation of people with visual impairments”:
Discussion of the experience of problems, achievements and innovations in the rehabilitation of civilians and military with visual impairment;
presentation of didactic tools in this area;
Presentation of the “Primer for Adults” project – a book and didactic material in a universal design that combines Braille and flat-printed enlarged font.
Forum organizers: Association of Action Psychologists of Ukraine; Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture; Trinity Hub Educational and Rehabilitation Center; International Charitable Foundation “Health of the Future”.
Partners:
Ukrainian Association of Typhlopedagogues of Ukraine
Faculty of Special and Inclusive Education of the Mykhailo Drahomanov Ukrainian State University
Department of Psychology of the Educational and Research Institute of Law and Psychology of the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
Veteran Cluster of Ukraine
Institute of Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Professional Development of Veterans “Architecture of Resilience” of KNUBA
Application for participation – https://docs.google.com/file/d/1VxgTpCWsaVwrA_8fuquQtr5UmE7Q69f4/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword
Charitable contribution from participants
Expo zone with innovative products
Collection of abstracts and reports
Organizing committee: 066 252 82 77 Antony
On November 7, the 10th Kyiv International Economic Forum was held in Kyiv. The main theme of the Forum was “The Power of Challenge. What will shape the future of Ukraine and the world?”.
This year’s event was attended by over 1000 guests. More than 100 speakers took part in 16 panel discussions: entrepreneurs, top managers, representatives of international organizations, analysts, and government officials. They shared their vision of Ukraine’s role in the global economy, attracting investment in the face of ongoing armed aggression, developing defense technologies, and the future of the energy system.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Forum. In his video address, he said that business would be involved in the economic part of the internal victory plan.
“We have invited businesses to join the development of the internal plan of economic direction. First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko is leading this work. And the strategic vision of entrepreneurs will be taken into account. Just as one of our key geopolitical needs will be in Europe. This is the foundation,” the President said.
The Kyiv International Economic Forum was opened by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. He shared his vision of the future prospects and challenges of the present. In his speech, he spoke about the economy, financial stability, energy, logistics, booking and business support. The Prime Minister noted that the country will have the funds to finance the army and all priority budget expenditures.
“For 2025, we have an absolute understanding of how we will close the budget deficit. We are continuing the Ukraine Facility program with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. The $50 billion (note: confiscated Russian assets) that we will receive from the G7 countries and the European Union will be our reserve, our airbag for the next year and even the years after that. This is what we agreed with the IMF and our partners. This means that we will not resort to emission financing of the budget,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
The first discussion panel “The Common Future of Ukraine and Europe” was attended by Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Vyacheslavs Dombrovskis, Minister of Economy and Energy of Latvia (2014), Vyacheslavs Dombrovskis, Minister of Education and Science of Latvia (2013-2014) and John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
“Ukraine’s integration into the EU will create added value not only for Ukraine but also for Europe. We have deposits of critical materials that the EU lacks and a growing defense industry. We have the potential and ambition to replace part of the EU’s imports with goods produced in Ukraine, strengthening European strategic autonomy. To this end, we are implementing a number of policies, including the Made in Ukraine program, to stimulate production, attract investment in the real sector and strengthen non-resource exports,” said Yulia Svyrydenko.
During the discussion, Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, noted the rapid development of defense technologies.
“We are now seeing how technologies are developing during a full-scale war. Let’s take defense tech: at the beginning, we had 7 companies that created drones, and now there are 500 of them. And we see their number growing every week. But they do not appear by themselves, their appearance depends on incentives, on conditions,” said Mikhail Fedorov.
“The jubilee KIEF has demonstrated that we are able to cope with our challenge of bringing together different groups for the development of Ukraine. The KIEF is a platform that brings business, government and the civil sector together to develop ideas. This year’s discussions were heated, often emotional, but highly productive. We already have a vision of the key areas of work and approaches to them. I have a great hope that they will be implemented, and next year we will gather at the same venue and discuss the results,” said Yuriy Pyvovarov, CEO of the Kyiv International Economic Forum.
During one of the discussion panels, KIEF initiator and founder of the UFuture holding company Vasyl Khmelnytsky noted that the country’s success lies primarily in the unification of government and business.
“For us to catch up with Poland or China quickly, we need to unite business and government. I know that not everyone likes this idea, but if we need to build 10,000 factories or enterprises, it is impossible without cooperation with the government. The challenge is very big – the government and business must work as a team. We need more entrepreneurs, we need to teach entrepreneurship in schools. If we want to make an economic breakthrough, the government must develop education and create attractive conditions for business and investors,” summarized Vasyl Khmelnytsky.
Vasyl Khmelnytsky also emphasized the importance of making decisions in difficult situations: “If a business has no economy, sell it, even at a loss, and move forward. I had LvivTech.City, a very good project. But two years after the war started, I sold it at a loss, covered the loans, invested in UNIT.City, and continue to develop.”
This year, KIEF has raised UAH 1.1 million to help the Armed Forces and psychological rehabilitation of children. The funds will go to the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss”, which is fighting the aggressor in the East, and the NGO Gen.Ukrainian, which provides psychological rehabilitation for children in Gen.Camp camps.
The Kyiv International Economic Forum is one of the largest
international forums that brings together representatives of business, government and society to
to discuss key economic issues and global trends.
Recordings of the forum’s discussion panels are available on the KIEF YouTube channel.
Download photos from the event here.
Interfax-Ukraine is a long-term media partner of the Forum.
Title partners: UFuture, Mastercard, Nova Poshta, AEQUO, Germany, Naftogaz Group
Partners: Biopharma, Interpipe, FUIB, MHP, Epicenter, PrivatBank, Lamel,
Ajax Systems, Biosphere Corporation, Sense Bank, Kernel, Vodafone, OKKO, Metinvest
Program partners: ACC (American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine), Center for
Center for Social Change and Behavioral Economics, GLOBSEC
Business expert: Forbes Ukraine
Title media partners: Starlight Media, 1+1 media
Media partners: New Voice, LIGA.net, Interfax-Ukraine, TAVR Media, RBC-Ukraine, Kyiv Post, Mind.ua, Delo.ua, The Kyiv Independent, Huxley, Tvoje Misto
Almost every Ukrainian employer recognizes the importance of employees’ mental health, but not all of them act systematically to support their teams. A new survey conducted by the Ukrainian Psychotherapeutic League in cooperation with HURMA System and the European Business Association covered more than 120 companies of various sizes and industries to find out how they support the psychological well-being of their employees.
The survey was conducted using questionnaires and in-depth interviews with HR professionals and managers of organizations ranging from NGOs and consulting companies to pharmaceutical production and retailers. This approach made it possible to see the situation from two polar sides – from the side of change initiators and key decision makers.
The results are thought-provoking:
98% of employers are aware of the importance of mental health, but only 68% of them are implementing appropriate measures.
The main barriers to systematic care for the psycho-emotional state of teams in every fifth company are budget shortages and lack of support from owners.
The most popular tools are educational events, professional psychological assistance, creating a supportive atmosphere, and measures to maintain work-life balance.
In 51% of companies, employees can get psychological help from both internal psychologists and external specialists.
About 70% of organizations have adapted their support programs since the outbreak of war, focusing on stress resistance, burnout and the development of self-regulation skills.
“The survey has shown that most Ukrainian companies understand the importance of caring for the well-being of employees and are ready to invest in this process. But so far, they are implementing tools and measures on a spotty, ad hoc basis, and therefore cannot fully assess their effectiveness. In order to increase productivity and have a motivated team, comprehensive actions are needed: monitoring the emotional state of employees, preventive and edutainment measures, formalizing procedures and implementing them in all business processes. And only then – psychological counseling,” explains Khrystyna Kudriavtseva, the initiator of the survey, vice president of the Ukrainian Psychotherapeutic League, founder of the mental health service Mozhna.space.
This survey shows the real picture of how Ukrainian businesses are responding to new challenges in the area of mental health of their teams.
Companies still have a long way to go to create a healthy work environment and implement comprehensive policies, but they are already taking the first steps in the right direction.
More details and detailed findings of the survey can be found in the full version of the report.
Optima Distance Learning School announced on its Facebook page that it has joined the European Business Association (EBA), one of the largest and most influential business communities in Ukraine.
According to the school’s founder, Maria Miletska, this step is intended to accelerate the further development of the educational institution and improve educational programs based on innovative approaches and methods.
“EBA membership opens up new opportunities for Optima to cooperate with leading companies and experts, which will help improve the quality of educational services and allow the school to invest more effectively in educational projects using modern technologies and approaches to learning. Students and their parents will have access to even more innovative and high-quality curricula that meet international standards,” Miletska said.
She also emphasizes that membership in the European Business Association is a recognition of its reliability and professional level. This confirms that Optima continues to move towards providing high-quality education for its students, helping them prepare for a successful future.
Thus, joining the EBA is an important step in strengthening Optima’s position in the educational services market, providing additional opportunities for its students, their parents and teaching staff.
Earlier, at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine, Optima School Director Olga Bilodid announced that Optima School had received a permit to conduct educational activities in Poland and had started teaching high school students (grades 10-11) in this country.
Optima School was established and licensed in 2015. Currently, the school has 20 thousand students and is the largest online school in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in New York for a meeting of world officials at the United Nations, held talks with the leaders of Germany, India and Japan on Monday in an attempt to win support for Kiev’s military action, Reuters reported.
“We talked about how to bring a just peace closer,” Zelensky said on his messaging app Telegram after his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “The main thing is to keep unity,” he said.
“We talked about how to bring a just peace closer,” Zelensky said on his Telegram messaging app after his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Zelensky said he also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Germany has been one of the most significant European supporters of Kiev’s defensive struggle against Russia”.
Following the UN General Assembly sessions, Zelensky will travel to Washington later this week to present his “victory plan” to influence White House policy on the war regardless of who wins the Nov. 5 U.S. election. “We are dynamically developing our relations”, he said in Telegram after the meeting.
Reuters reported earlier this month that artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers were diverted by European customers to Ukraine and New Delhi did not intervene to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow, India enjoys warm relations with Russia, its main arms supplier for decades, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to join a Western-led sanctions regime against Moscow.
Zelensky also held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over Japan’s energy aid to Kiev.
“Restoring power supply after Russian shelling and preparing for winter are the tasks we are now actively working on,” Zelensky said in a message on messaging app Telegram.
“Together with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, we discussed the situation in the energy sector.”
Japan was one of several countries sending aid, including $4.5 billion this year, according to the Japanese foreign ministry’s website.
