The winners of the Partnership for Sustainability Award 2023 were announced!

19.10.2023

On October 17, the award ceremony of the campaign Partnership for Sustainability Award 2023 took place at the Osvitoria Hub.

This event is an annual international campaign in which the UN Global Compact Network Ukraine recognizes the best projects implemented in partnership between business, government and civil society to achieve the SDGs. This year, we are awarding projects of participants from Ukraine and European countries aimed at supporting Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion, as well as other best practices of sustainable development that can serve as an example for future recovery.

The ceremony began with opening remarks by Tetiana Sakharuk, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Ukraine. She acknowledged the contribution of this year’s cases in supporting Ukraine in this hard time. Tetiana also spoke about the latest UN Global Compact Ukraine’s projects aimed at attracting investment for Ukraine’s recovery:

“Our Ukraine Business Compact and Ukraine Energy Initiative projects include partnerships with the United Kingdom and Ukraine governments. More than 700 companies from 42 countries have signed the UBC, confirming their intention to consider Ukraine as a business opportunity. We have already held our first joint meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, and his team and established an initiative group. We are now preparing a plan for further work with the UBC signatories. The Ukraine Energy Initiative represents the voice of business in the G7 Energy Working Groups, which allocate funds to reconstruct Ukraine’s energy sector.”

Oleksandra Matviychuk, human rights activist, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Human Rights Ambassador of the UNGC Ukraine, prepared a video message for participants. She emphasized:

“The protection of human rights is the task of the whole society, especially business. I sincerely congratulate the winners and finalists of the Partnership for Sustainability Award. You have proved that in times of full-scale Russian aggression, when you cannot rely on legal mechanisms, you can always rely on people. It is important that the contest united companies from different countries. There are many things in the world that have no national borders. Freedom is one of them. And only the spread of freedom will make our world safe.”

Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, emphasized:

“The reconstruction of Ukraine is a very decentralized and complex process, where everything is happening at many levels at the same time. We are trying to work on digital solutions to ensure that everything is coordinated and there are no fundamental conflicts, but it is impossible to achieve results without the proactivity of the business community. That is why I would like to thank the organizers of the event, all entrepreneurs who continue to work, invest and look for solutions to not only restore the country but to make it better.”

The event was also attended by Victor Liakh, President of the East Europe Foundation, who also supported the participants and emphasized the importance of partnership:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with someone. A partnership is not only about combining efforts. It is also about combining talents. Invite people with talents you don’t have. Trust your partners. They can add value and show you a different approach to broaden your experience. We will only achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if we work together.”

The presentation of the results will be preceded by a panel discussion “Partnerships as a key driver for sustainable recovery of Ukraine”

The discussion will focus on the importance and impact of partnerships on Ukraine’s sustainable development, identifying key challenges and the importance of international support for Ukraine’s economic and social stabilization and further recovery from the war.

It was moderated by Olena Froliak, editor-in-chief of Fakty ICTV, Environmental Ambassador of the UNGC Ukraine.

Speakers:

Nadiia Petruchenko, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer, SPP Development Ukraine
Taras Panasenko, Co-founder and CEO, Aurora
Liudmyla Pyshna, Co-founder of Vidchuy, Founder of the Charitable Foundation Vidchuy, Co-founder of Art Ukraine Gallery, UNGC Ukraine’s Supervisory Board Member
Mykhailo Shelemba, CEO, Datagroup, Chairman of UNGC Ukraine’s Supervisory Board
Vitaliy Vereshchagin, General Manager, Caparol Ukraine

At the end of the discussion, the invited guests announced the winners and finalists of the competition in the following categories “Planet” “Prosperity”, “People” and “Warriors of Light”.

This year, we received 160 applications. Among the participants of this year’s competition are representatives of Ukraine, Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Croatia, Poland, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

WINNERS and FINALISTS

(Project descriptions for 2023 are published on the WEBSITE)

PLANET

(announced by Olena Froliak, editor-in-chief of Fakty ICTV, Environmental Ambassador of the UNGC Ukraine)

The winners: DTEK Renewables, Epicenter K, project of the East Europe Foundation, implemented within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP program and in cooperation with the technical partner Atmosfera.

The finalists: NPC “Ukrenergo”, Anadolu Group (Turkey), ETG.UA, KPMG Ukraine, Magic Forest “Project O2” (Croatia), MODUS X, Nod Makerspace (Romania), Orka Holding (Turkey), Octava Capital, State Enterprise “INFOTECH”, Profpererobka, DeLaMark.

PROSPERITY

(announced by Oleksandr Rodnyansky, Presidential Advisor (Ukraine), Supervisory Board Member at State Savings Bank of Ukraine, Assistant Professor of Economics (Cambridge))

The winners: FMC International Switzerland, Kyivstar, Transmission System Operator of Ukraine.

The finalists: Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ukraine, Civic, Crowe Success Ukraine, Apple Consulting, Lviv IT Cluster, Center for CSR Development, TSUM Kyiv, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group.

PEOPLE

(announced by Yevhen Dykyi, scientist, and director of the National Antarctic Research Center of Ukraine)

The winner: Tailors School of Tailoring and Design, Schneider Electric (France), MHP Charitable Foundation – Community, Datagroup.

The finalists: TECHIIA Holding, Topsens, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, MHP, Caparol Ukraine, Osvitoria, Vidchuy, Farmak, PRAVEX BANK, Vodafone (Turkey), United Nations Population Fund in Georgia, Uklon, Task Force, SoftServe, Sigma Software (Sweden), Schneider Electric (France), Logo Software (Turkey), Lidl (Bulgaria), Klitschko Foundation, S – The Sanofi Collective, ERGO Hestia Group “Integralia”, EY Ukraine, EVERLEGAL, Commu App (Finland), Carlsberg Ukraine, AC Crowe Ukraine, Initiative for Peace and Development (Georgia), Netgazeti (Georgia), Porsche AG (Germany).

WARRIORS OF LIGHT

(announced by Viktoria Apanasenko, Miss Ukraine Universe 2022, Peace Ambassador of the UNGC Ukraine)

The winners: EPAM Ukraine, Estet Group, Aequo, Hogan Lovells (United Kingdom).

The finalists: ELKO Group (Latvia), Beetroot, Intellias, Kernel, Tegeta Holding (Georgia), NGO Docudays, Foxtrot Group, Dnipro Lyceum Primus Inter Pares School, Metinvest, International Staff for Assistance to Ukrainians, SPP Development Ukraine, Nova Poshta, FUIB, Biosphere Corporation.

The projects were evaluated by an international jury:

Hitomi Sakamoto, Honored Professor at Toyo Gakuen University in Tokyo, Japan
Vanessa Hans, Head of Private Sector at the Basel Institute on Governance
Antonio Hautle, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein
Marcel Engel, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Germany
Yevheniya Afanasenko, British-Ukrainian environmentalist, ESG expert and sustainability promoter
Gauthier Vasseur, Executive Director, Fisher Center for Business Analytics, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business