VPF, EastOne Host Important Discussions in Davos

On January 30, Victor Pinchuk Foundation and international investment advisory group EastOne held the 5th Annual Davos Ukrainian Lunch at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This year’s conference, Crisis: In & Out, is focusing on the impact of the economic crisis and feasible strategies for dealing with its ramifications. VPF has hosted The Davos Ukrainian Lunch since 2005, gathering representatives from the global business and political circles to discuss Ukraine-related issues and prospects for the country’s development. The conference seeks to promote Ukraine among the Western elite to foster better understanding of the political and investment climate in the country. On January 29, VPF also hosted the 2nd Annual Davos Philanthropic Roundtable, From Philanthrocapitalism to Philanthrocrisis, on the effects of the global financial crisis on philanthropic activity and prospects for philanthropic development. The participants discussed to what extent the current state of the financial and economic sectors would reflect on the scale of charitable foundations’ activities, whether there would be a significant reduction of charitable contributions globally and what social ramifications could be expected as a result. Please click here to read more and watch the Davos-Ukraine project on the VPF website.

Mykolaiv Alumina Refinery Company, UK RUSAL Provides New Opportunities for Employees

On January 29, Mykolaiv Alumina Refinery Company, UK RUSAL announced that it trained 774 employees in 2008. In July 2008, the company was granted a license to conduct educational courses in 16 areas of company expertise. Forty-eight employees were selected to teach the classes and subsequently certified. The enterprise spent UAH 233,000 (about USD 30,260) on personnel training and development. It is currently developing its curriculum on worker safety.

Eco News at Eco-Ukraine www.eco-ukraine.org.ua

Center for European Initiatives Announces Eco-Sumy Program

In February, the Sumy-based NGO Center for European Initiatives (CEI) will launch Eco Sumy, a community-based public awareness and educational campaign promoting a clean environment. The goal is to educate teachers on environmental issues in order to reach students and assist them in creating environmental projects to benefit their community. CEI hopes the initiative will snowball, encouraging civic environmental activism in Sumy and Sumska Oblast. It hopes to increase the level of environmental education in Sumska Oblast by training teachers in local schools and universities and provide them with up to date, Euro Value lesson plans, teaching materials, project designs and management techniques. The organization will support selected teachers and help them design and complete community environmental awareness projects with their students. The organization plans to cooperate with Krupska Library, sanitation engineers Sumy Komuntrans, United States Peace Corps volunteers, the State Ecology Inspection Department, the local Education Department and EcoSumy, a community-based environmental advocacy organization, to implement the project. CEI is seeking informative materials and technical support for its program. Please click here to learn more or contact David Becker of the U.S. Peace Corps Ukraine at davidcharlesbecker@yahoo.com.

For further information:

Csr Ukraine