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Annual World Economic Forum in Davos began today with Ukrainian issue

The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, which officially opens its work on Monday, 15 January, on Sunday announced the fourth meeting of national security and foreign policy advisers to discuss the Ukrainian Formula for Peace.

According to the forum’s official programme, a press conference on Switzerland’s role as co-organiser of the meeting and its continued support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine will be held in the afternoon, and in the evening key members of the Ukrainian delegation will share the results of the discussion.

The day before, Justice Minister Denys Malyska said on Facebook that the work of the delegation in Davos, where representatives of more than 80 countries gathered, would last about a day and a half.

According to the official programme, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a special address at the WEF on Tuesday, 16 January.

On the same day, later in the day, there will be a session on “Ukraine’s Horizons” on how Ukraine can intensify its reconstruction efforts to support its economic and political ambitions to join the EU and NATO after nearly two years of devastating war. It will be attended by, among others, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, US Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker, Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office (OP) Andriy Yermak, Foreign Ministers of Spain and the Netherlands Jose Manuel Albarez Bueno and Hanke Bruins Slot, and Yale University history professor Timothy Snyder.

The following day, Wednesday, 17 January, at the session “Ukraine at War: Year Three”, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will discuss strengthening international unity in support of the country’s defence and economy, which will continue to come under pressure, and what approaches and goals Ukraine and its international partners should agree on for the coming year.

In addition, on 15 January Davos will host the Ukrainian House, co-organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Horizon Capital and Western NIS Enterprise Fund, followed the next day by an exhibition and discussion area Deciding Your Tomorrow/”691 Days Deciding Your Future”, organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, PinchukArtCentre in cooperation with the Office of the President.

The programme of Ukrainian House events up to and including 18 January includes, among others, Demonstration of the vision of Ukraine’s digital transformation – Diya, Mriya and Win-Win with Mikhail Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Digital Economy, a discussion on the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine with Deputy Head of the OP Rostislav Shurma, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management William Browder, Senior Sovereign Strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management Timothy Ash, and another discussion with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba.

In addition, the topic of Ukraine’s sustainability in 2024 will be discussed by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko, investor and advisor to General Catalyst Teresa Carlson, founding partner of Argentem Creek Partners John Patton, CEO of Datagroup-Vol Mikhail Shelemba, while Shurma from OP, CEO of Marsh McLennan John Doyle, Managing Director for Europe and the Caucasus of EBRD Matteo Patrone and Citigroup representative Julie Monaco will talk about Ukraine’s investment opportunities and risk insurance.

Among the speakers of the Deciding Your Tomorrow discussion programme on 16-18 November are, among others, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bilström, musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Harvard University Professor of Economic Development Ricardo Gausman, President of the Board of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Wolfgang Ischinger, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, historian Serhiy Plokhiy, Executive Director of Roubini Macro Associates Nouriel Roubini; Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry; and Niall Ferguson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Finally, on 18 January, the Ukrainian Breakfast, a traditional private event organised by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and EastOne, will be held on the margins of the WEF.

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