Science at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, 11-12 June 2024

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Ukraine Recovery Conference – On 11-12 June 2024 – Berlin, Germany

The URC2024 took place under the motto “United in defence. United in recovery. Stronger together.” It 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. Governments, international organisations, financial institutions, businesses, regions, municipalities and civil society came together –united by a shared commitment to strengthen the resilience of Ukraine for as long as needed. With over 3.400 participants representing the various stakeholder groups, they demonstrated our strong engagement for Ukraine’s future at the URC2024.

It was the first Ukraine Recovery Conference hosted in an EU member state and came at a critical time for Ukraine. The conference reflected the Lugano principles, including a “whole of society” approach to recovery through the meaningful participation of a broad range of stakeholders. Upholding the spirit of the Ukraine Reform Conferences that took place up until2022, the URC2024 did also showcase Ukrainian reform progress in the context of its economic resilience and the EU accession process.

On June 11 a Panel Discussion “Rebuilding Ukraine together – the role of culture and education in Ukraine’s recovery” took place. The discussion participants were:

  • Anna Bartels, Commissioner for Foreign Cultural Policy at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany
  • Johannes Ebert, Secretary General of the Goethe Institute, Germany
  • Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute
  • Robert Schlögl, President of the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung,Germany
  • Oleksandra Antoniuk, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine/ Chairwoman of the Scientific Committee of the National Council of Ukraine for Science and Technological Development
  • Johannes Nathan, Member of the Steering Committee of the UAAC
  • The discussion was moderated by James Waterhouse, BBC Ukraine correspondent

On June 12 a Round-Table Discussion “Education, Science and Innovation in Times of War and Beyond” took place:

  • Bettina Stark-Watzinger, German Federal Minister for Education and Research
  • Yevhen Kudriavets, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine
  • Antonella Bassani, Vice President of the Europe and Central Asia Region, World Bank
  • Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society
  • Andrzej Szeptycki, Head of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland
  • Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director UNICEF
  • Marcia McNutt, President, US National Academy of Science
  • Oleksandra Antoniuk, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine/ Chairwoman of the Scientific Committee of the National Council of Ukraine for Science and Technological Development
  • The discussion was moderated by Georg Schütte, Secretary General, Volkswagen Foundation (Germany)

One of the URC2024 results is the establishment of the The Skills Alliance for Ukraine. It aims to achieve results that will have a long-term and sustainable impact beyond the URC 2024. The Alliance is a joint initiative of donors, international organisations, and the business community to create the conditions for Ukrainians to rebuild their country by increasing support for uninterrupted access to education
and skills and training for Ukrainians. At URC2024, members of the Skills Alliance have newly committed a total of €700 million for
initiatives that are supporting the Alliance’s aim.