Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Yulia Sokolovska opened the first Human Capital UA forum and spoke about the priority directions for preserving and developing human capital in Ukraine.
For the first time, government officials, representatives of the business community, civil activists, and demographers gathered to discuss the development of human capital in Ukraine. Ministers, leaders of nongovernmental organizations, diplomats, and business leaders examined the most pressing issues related to human capital and its global development strategy.
The event was organized by the Centre for Economic Recovery, EasyBusiness non-profit organization, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with funding from the German government. UNDP supports strategic initiatives aimed at developing potential to promote comprehensive growth and sustainable human development.
During her speech, Yulia Sokolovska expressed gratitude for the leadership and coordination role of the UNDP team, which was one of the first to start assessing the damage inflicted on our country by Russian aggression, including in the field of human capital. Ms. Sokolovska said that a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the war on various areas, including the living conditions of citizens, education, healthcare, gender equality, and social integration, was conducted collaboratively.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine also said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the Human Development Strategy in 2021. However, the full-scale war with Russia significantly deepened the problems in this sphere, as over 6 million Ukrainian citizens left the country, and more than 5 million obtained the status of internally displaced persons. People suffer injuries and wounds daily, with over 270,000 Ukrainians recognized as disabled due to the war within 1.5 years. Additionally, in the occupied territories, Russia abducts Ukrainian children, illegally deports them, and forcibly moves them to its territory.
Yulia Sokolovska spoke about the priority directions already supported in Ukraine for preserving and developing human capital. These include:
1. Physical and psychological recovery of individuals, facilitated by the introduction of a new rehabilitation system in line with global standards and the development of psychological support. In this direction, Yulia Sokolovska acknowledged the important role of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
2. The development of the healthcare system, including providing equipment, technology, highly qualified professionals, and fostering partnerships to establish a network of capable hospitals.
3. Digitization and simplification of citizens' access to all social benefits and pensions.
4. Building a market for social services in which civil organizations, private and municipal enterprises could professionally provide services, freeing up family members' time for careers and professional development. This would promote gender equality in the professional sphere.
5. Creating new active employment and entrepreneurship programs, training and retraining, especially for women, veterans, and people with disabilities.
6. Transformative changes in education and innovation.
"All of these efforts give life to the Human Development Strategy and offer hope for the return, preservation, and development of Ukraine's human capital," Yulia Sokolovska said.
First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, along with Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych and the Minister of Health Viktor Liashko also participated in the forum.