Ukraine Investment & Trade Facilitation Center (ITFC)

🇺🇦 Ukrainian woman entrepreneur Masha Yakush, YaKUSH’s founder shares for Spend With Ukraine the inspiring journey from restaurant consulting to establishing a brand that prioritizes sustainable glass production. Masha Yakush is a participant of our ✍️ Women Biz Days workshops (implemented by the Ukraine Investment & Trade Facilitation Center (ITFC) and with support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP)); her brand YaKUSH is the partner of 🔶 the хештег #Oplich initiative (administered by ITFC & One Philosophy) — the association of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs, as well as it is a member of 🎪 WomenInTrade EUA (wintrade.org.ua) — the project of connecting Ukrainian women business owners with Dutch businesses (launched by Women IN together with LifeLine Ukraine.org). 💬 "We use up to 40% recycled glass. This is glass from old production facilities that have long been closed in Ukraine, either their rejects or scraps. This glass is boiled and then used to create new products" — Masha Yakush says. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, like most brands in Ukraine, they had difficulties producing and selling goods. Since April 2022, they have received the first orders from Ukrainians who received temporary protection abroad. 💙💛 YaKUSH thanks the families of Europeans who helped them by giving them something beautiful made in Ukraine. Masha Yakush talked about which brands and designers inspire her: 💬 "SCHIAPARELLI, Maison Margiela, Prada and others. Sometimes, the texture of a fabric or cut of a garment inspires me to use similar techniques in glass. I like what IITTALA, Louise Roe, and Helle Mardahl are doing in our field. I'm generally fascinated by Scandinavian design and designers, so when I'm in Copenhagen, I'm inspired by everything from the design of a simple neighborhood bakery to the CopenHill recycling plant." 💎 Yakush offers unique and beautifully crafted tableware that brings joy and elegance to everyday moments. Their commitment to sustainability and heartfelt design ensures that each piece is aesthetically pleasing, meaningful, and environmentally conscious. 🔗 The full interview >> https://lnkd.in/dajdE8vb 🔗 Yakush on its website >> yakush.shop 🔗 Yakush on WomenInTrade EUA >> https://lnkd.in/gHV6Fzh5 🔗 The Olich catalogue >> https://lnkd.in/gixD7dqs #WomenInTrade #UkainianExport #FemaleEntrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness #UkrainianWomen

🇪🇺🚜 The EU agri-food chain Observatory starts working to restore trust and improve transparency in the food chain. The European Union agri-food chain Observatory (AFCO) held its first meeting on Wednesday 17 July. Its objective is to better understand the functioning of the supply chain and bring increased transparency on prices, structure of costs and distribution of margins and added value, while respecting confidentiality and competition rules. 🌐 Exchanging information and taking stock of the situation in the food supply chain and, in the medium-term, developing methodologies to assess and monitor the structure of costs and the distribution of margins and added value along the chain are among the Observatory’s main tasks. Members of the Observatory are representatives from the 27 EU countries’ national authorities as well as from 48 stakeholder organisations operating within the agri-food supply chain. These range from farmers, input providers, food industry, traders, to transport, logistics, retail and consumers. The European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee have an observer status. The list of the AFCO members and observers is available in the Register of Commission expert groups. >> https://lnkd.in/dmQg-AjA The second plenary meeting will be held in Autumn of this year. ♻️ Strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain is one of the key objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy. There are already several measures in place at EU level to ensure more fairness and protect farmers against unfair trading practices. Thanks Olga Trofimtseva for the information. #agrifood #supplychain #trade #retail #farmers

♻️ Every year on July 10th, Global Energy Independence Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable energy sources and the urgent need to reduce our dependence on non-renewable resources. This day coincides with the birthday of Nikola Tesla, a pioneer in electrical engineering, and serves as a reminder of the potential of renewable energy to transform our world for the better. Global Energy Independence Day is significant for several reasons: 💡 Promotes Sustainability: It highlights the importance of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. 💡 Encourages Technological Advancements: This day drives innovation in renewable energy technologies, making them more efficient and affordable. 💡 Raises Awareness: It serves as a platform to educate the public about the benefits of renewable energy and the environmental impact of fossil fuels. It is especially important to celebrate this day for our resilient Ukrainian people, who are currently suffering from a shortage of electricity due to the Russian invasion. 🇺🇦 More than 80% of Ukraine's energy generation facilities have been destroyed and damaged, but at the same time they are a symbol of our indomitability and aspiration for independence. #GlobalEnergy #EnergyIndependence #StandWithUkraine

⚡ Today, a Russian missiles have partially destroyed Ohmatdyt, Ukraine's largest children's hospital, where kids fight cancer and other diseases. 🇺🇦 The National Children's Specialized Hospital "Ohmatdyt" is Ukraine's largest pediatric hospital, providing care to over 20,000 children from all regions of the country each year. 🏥 The hospital's building is seriously damaged, there are children stuck under the rubble. People are now clearing the rubble, as children and doctors may still be under it. 🙏 Support Ohmatdyt Hospital 🚨 The "Tabletochky" fund is raising funds for monobank >> https://lnkd.in/dNEEqH2b 🚨 For charitable contributions, there is the "Okhmatdyt" fund >> https://lnkd.in/d6FGFqGi 🚨 To donate directly to hospital from abroad: Beneficiary: OHMATDYT IS HEALTHY CHILDHOOD Account#: UA073005280000026003000025114 Beneficiary’s bank: OTP BANK JSC SWIFT code: OTPVUAUK Purpose of payment: Charitable donation While the world contemplates peace negotiations, a member country of the United Nations is attacking children's hospitals. ❗ In July, Russia is presiding over the #UN Security Council, highlighting a concerning contradiction. The international community must address this serious breach of humanitarian norms. United Nations OCHA United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) UNDP European Parliament European Commission European Union NATO The White House International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC United Nations Council of Europe International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) Human Rights Foundation Global Peace Foundation International Peace Institute (IPI) Universal Peace Federation World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO #NATOSummit #russiaisaterroriststate #standwithukraine #supportukraine

Summarising the results of our 8-month Women Biz Days project, I declare with confidence: Ukrainian women-led businesses are here to stay! 💡 Implementing training workshops for Ukrainian businesswomen for the sixth year, I see not only the impressive results of our initiative but also the changes that are taking place in Ukrainian small businesses. These changes are especially relevant for women starting and scaling their own and family businesses in turbulent times: first, COVID, then full-scale war. 🇺🇦 Many Ukrainian women who faced the ordeal of war had to relocate or start their businesses from scratch. Some were forced to take over family businesses while their husbands were away fighting. Others had to rearrange production, products, and markets in accordance with the new realities of life in Ukraine. Over the past 8 months, we have held 8 workshops in 5 cities, which brought together over 160 participants — Ukrainian women entrepreneurs who sought to improve their knowledge, gain new experience, and make valuable contacts. We gathered 20+ outstanding speakers who gave sessions on marketing, finance, social media promotion, and more. 🙌 I am proud of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs who overcome dozens of obstacles every day and do not break down; they are the driving force behind the Ukrainian economy. I am happy that we are contributing to the development of Ukrainian businesses run by women and creating platforms for learning, networking, and finding new opportunities, such as Women Biz Days. A special thank you to our stable and reliable partners 🤝 USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP) Stand with Ukraine 💙💛 Ukraine Investment & Trade Facilitation Center (ITFC) Women IN #FemaleEntrepreneurship #WomenLeadership #ProjectManagement

“Ordinary people can do extraordinary things!” 🏆 At the ceremony to award the Pahl Peace Prize, human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk was honored for her courageous work on behalf of the victims of war crimes in Ukraine. She exposes the shortcomings of the international peace and security system, highlights the capabilities of ordinary people in extraordinary times, and calls on all of us to take an active role in the fight for freedom and democracy. 🇺🇦 After the start of the full-scale Russian aggression in February 2022, Oleksandra Matviichuk, together with other partners, founded the “Tribunal for Putin” initiative to document international crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in all regions of Ukraine that were the target of attacks by the Russian Federation. The number of these crimes is beyond our imagination. But for them, it's not just numbers, every fate has to be dealt with. Because justice is the prerequisite for sustainable peace. The Peace Prize, worth 100,000 euros, was awarded for the fourth time in 2024 by the Pahl Peace Prize Foundation. This prize is awarded to people who have made a special personal contribution to maintaining world peace. 💔 During the award ceremony, Oleksandra shared the painful story of 10-year-old Illya from Mariupol and his mother. #StandWithUkraine #PahlPeacePrize #Freedom #Democracy #Justice

🤩 10 Ukrainian women entrepreneurs won the Women Partnership Hackathon and received support for the development of their business! 30 participants presented their ideas for partnerships, substantiating their relevance and prospects for the modern Ukrainian economy. According to the results of the hackathon, the ten proposals that became the best in terms of partnership ideas and their implementation were selected, here they are: 🌟 1st place: Art-Hall Ceramics art-hall.store 🌟 2nd place: Zalizo Company zlz.com.ua 🌟 3rd place: Lika Comfort lika.net.ua 🌟 4th place: HUB School hubschool.com.ua & Artichoke Catering Company cateringartishok.tilda.ws 🌟 5th place: 3D Technology UTU utu.com.ua 🌟 6th place: Re:inventex reinventex.com.ua 🌟 7th place: Llyana Kramnytsya https://lnkd.in/gRDhcZAZ 🌟 8th place: Nova Kukhnya nk-food.shop 🌟 9th place: Vineya salon.vineya.com 🌟 10th place: Prima A primaletto.com The Women Partnership Hackathon took place on June 13-15. The winning women entrepreneurs will receive certificates for the funding of services necessary for the implementation of partnership offers. They cover marketing strategy development, promotion and advertising, new product creation/testing, current product/initiative improvement, branding/rebranding, market research. 🎉 We congratulate the participants and winners and wish everyone success in their businesses! 🇺🇦 Women Partnership Hackathon is implemented by Ukraine Investment & Trade Facilitation Center (ITFC) with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP). The USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP) supports startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) aiming to provide support for competitive industries and firms on Ukrainian and international markets, foster a better business enabling environment, and enabling Ukrainian companies to benefit from international trade. #WomenPartnership #FemaleEntrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness

🙌 For more than 6 months, the Women Biz Days project brought together women entrepreneurs from all over Ukraine to expanded their knowledge and experience in running a business, to promote the development of women-led SMEs and networking in Ukraine. 📝 At 7 offline and online two-day workshops, in different cities of Ukraine, female entrepreneurs learned to optimize their businesses due wartime, develop them digitally, build new partnerships and enter new levels and markets. On June 11-12, the final workshop of the current Women Biz Days project was held in Kyiv, in which representatives from various regions of Ukraine took part, i.e. business women from creative industries, fashion and design, services, trade, manufacturing industry, restaurant business, etc. 💡 A series of Women Biz Days trainings helped Ukrainian women entrepreneurs learn to improve their business processes & strategies, financial literacy, to promote personal and business brands in social media, find new connections, exchange experience with like-minded people and be inspired by new ideas. 🇺🇦 The project "Expanding the opportunities of women's entrepreneurship in Ukraine" is implemented by the Ukraine Investment & Trade Facilitation Center (ITFC) and with the strong support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP). The USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (USAID CEP) supports startups, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) aiming to provide support for competitive industries and firms on Ukrainian and international markets, foster a better business enabling environment, and enabling Ukrainian companies to benefit from international trade. #femaleentrepreneurship #womeninbusiness #ukrainianwomen

🇺🇦 Developed by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and Kyiv School of Economics Institute, the Ukraine Investment Guide was presented at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin. This guide is the result of collaborative efforts with KPMG, EY, Deloitte, BDO, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and work in sectoral groups with businesses, organised with the information and analytical support of the Kyiv School of Economics. Since July 2023, more than 1,100 projects have been assembled, with varying degrees of readiness and level of elaboration. Key highlights of the Investment Guide include:  ↳ Investment Projects: The projects in priority sectors  ↳ Strategic Opportunities: Investing in Ukraine  ↳ Sectoral Development: Emphasis on developing priority sectors  ↳ Market Potential: Ukraine offers ample investment opportunities "Ukraine Investment Guide" presents 95 projects across 9 key sectors, requiring approximately USD 27 billion of funding: 1️⃣ Agrifood Ukraine’s agrifood sector, crucial to global food security, accounted for 62% of total exports in 2023. 2️⃣ Transportation and Logistics Ukraine’s central location in Eastern Europe makes it important for the trade and travel. Significant investment is needed to repair and modernize infrastructure. 3️⃣ Energy Ukraine’s energy sector is a cornerstone of its economic growth with substantial potential for renewable energy development. Magnified by war-induced damages, the sector remains pivotal to Ukraine’s modernization. 4️⃣ Hydrogen Ukraine’s abundant renewable energy resources position it as a key hydrogen supplier to Central Europe, supported by competitive production and transportation costs. 5️⃣ Green Steel Ukraine’s ferrous metallurgy sector is significant in the global context, though the war has posed significant challenges. Investments in green steel initiatives can drive economic recovery and sustainability. 6️⃣ Critical Raw Materials Ukraine holds substantial potential for CRM extraction, essential for green energy transition and technological innovation. 7️⃣ Housing, Reconstruction, and Building Materials Significant damage to the housing sector necessitates investment in reconstruction, with a focus on sustainability and modernization.   8️⃣ Pharmaceutical and Medical Sectors Ukraine’s pharmaceutical sector has seen growth, supported by increasing public healthcare spending and significant sectoral transformation.   9️⃣ Information and Communication Technology & Digital The ICT sector is a major contributor to Ukraine’s economy, with exponential growth in IT service exports and technological proficiency. Explore the full Ukraine Investment Guide and discover investment opportunities here >> https://lnkd.in/dFYRK4gW #Investments #InvestingInUkraine #SupportUkraine #Funding #Economy

🇺🇦 Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024) | 11-12 June 2024 has started! The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2024 is a continuation of the annual series of high-level political events dedicated to the swift recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. 🇨🇭 URC 2022 took place in Lugano, Switzerland. More than 40 countries and 18 international organizations took part in it, including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. A declaration of support for Ukraine was adopted, containing seven main principles of reconstruction. 🇬🇧 URC 2023 in London marked the transition from ad hoc to structured aid, from short-term to long-term assistance, and from charity to inclusion in the Western system of planning and finance. 🇩🇪 URC 2024 is the first Ukraine Recovery Conference hosted in an 🇪🇺 EU member state and comes at a critical time for Ukraine. The conference will reflect the Lugano principles, including a “whole of society” approach to recovery through the meaningful participation of a broad range of stakeholders. #URC2024 in Berlin focuses on the following four thematic dimensions: ↳ Business Dimension – Mobilising the Private Sector for Reconstruction and Economic ↳ Human Dimension – Social Recovery and Human Capital for the Future of Ukraine ↳ Local and Regional Dimension – Recovery of Municipalities and Regions ↳ EU Dimension – EU Accession and Related Reforms ♻️ The Recovery Forum is providing an interactive, on-site platform for Ukrainian, German and international stakeholders. It includes a business fair, that enables local government representatives, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as major and international companies to interact, learn from each other, build new partnerships and seize business opportunities. More about URC2024 >> https://lnkd.in/eryfm_bH #standwithukraine #supportukraine #reconstruction #recovery #economy