Ukraine Reform Conference
Ukraine Reform Conference is an annual international event dedicated to discussions on the progress with reforms in Ukraine. It is a conference for Ukrainian and foreign officials, including members of the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, The Group of Seven, civil society representatives, members of the private sector, and think tanks. The objectives of the conference are to present results of key reforms in Ukraine, set out the priority of Government of Ukraine's objectives for the upcoming year, encourage investment in the Ukrainian economy, and engage the international community in Ukrainian reforms. The 3rd Ukraine Reform Conference was held from 2 to 4 July 2019 in Toronto, Canada.
History
Following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, Ukraine began undertaking reforms to reinforce security and democratic accountability. In 2017, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman initiated the first Ukraine Reform Conference as a tool for active engagement and collaboration with international organizations and foreign countries to support and implement reforms in Ukraine.2019 conference
The third Ukraine Reform Conference was held on July 2-4, 2019 in Toronto, Canada.There was more than 800 in attendance, including delegations from 37 countries and 10 international organizations. Among those in attendance included President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, as well as representatives from the following countries:
as well as representatives from NATO, Council of Europe, International Monetary Fund, European Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Ukrainian World Congress, and the World Bank.
Key agenda items included:
- Irreversibility of reforms in Ukraine
- Decentralization reform, its opportunities, efficiency, and results
- Ukraine on the path of integration into the Euro-Atlantic community
- Innovations, opportunities and investing
2018 conference
The conference was attended by:
Country | Representative | Position | References |
Volodymyr Groysman | Prime Minister of Ukraine | ||
Lars Løkke Rasmussen | Prime Minister of Denmark | ||
Chrystia Freeland | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Sven Mikser | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Federica Mogherini | High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy | ||
Edgars Rinkēvičs | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Linas Antanas Linkevičius | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Margot Wallström | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu | Minister of Foreign Affairs | ||
Boris Johnson | Foreign Secretary |
As well as representatives from the United States, NATO, OECD, and other G7 and European countries.
The conference focused on affirming the international partnership with and support for a free and reformed Ukraine, and topics of good governance, economic development, and objectives for 2018–2019. Objectives included privatization of state owned enterprises, improved corporate governance, improving the business climate, land market reform, decentralization, anti-corruption, energy sector reform, infrastructure development, public administration reform and innovation and digital development.
2017 conference
The first Ukraine Reform Conference was held on July 6, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. The opening session was attended by Prime Minister Groysman and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.The themes of the conference were economic growth, good governance, human capital, rule of law and anti-corruption, and defense and security. This conference brought together Ukraine and its international partners to strengthen support for reform and transform Ukraine into a stable, transparent, prosperous democracy which can meet its citizens' aspirations and realise its full economic potential. The Government of Ukraine launched and committed itself to implement its Reform Action Plan 2017-2020.