The British Ukrainian Society
3rd Quarter 2015 Report
ABOUT BUS
The British Ukrainian Society [BUS] is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to
strengthen the ties between Ukraine and the United Kingdom at all levels. To fulfil its
mission, the BUS aims to provide a platform for closer contact and cooperation between
Ukraine and the United Kingdom in the fields of politics, business, culture, education and
science. Since its establishment in 2007, the primary focus of the BUS has been on
promoting Ukraine among the British and international public. The Chairman of the BUS
is Lord Risby. Visit our website: http://www.britishukrainiansociety.org/
BUS NEWS
Lord Risby and Sir Gerald Howarth MP attended the YES Annual Meeting in Kyiv
Lord Risby, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine Sir
Gerald Howarth MP and a number of BUS Advisory Board members,
including the Earl of Oxford, attended the 12th Yalta European Strategy
Annual Meeting held in Kyiv on 10-12 September 2015. Sir Gerald
delivered a message from British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on
the occasion of the conference that was read out by the new British
Ambassador to Ukraine, Ms Judith Gough.
“Russia’s blatant aggression and destabilisation of Ukraine represents one
of the biggest security challenges for Europe since the end of the Cold War. The UK will continue to support
Ukraine to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity and reform its institutions. Specifically, we will
continue to help Ukraine’s armed forces to modernise and provide technical assistance to support reform in
the fight against corruption, public financial management, the ease of doing business and asset recovery. We
have also provided over 16 mln pounds to help the humanitarian effort. We will continue to work with EU
partners to maintain pressure on Russia through sanctions until Russia implements its Minsk obligations and
withdraws from Crimea. In return, we urge Ukraine to continue to build momentum on reform, especially
tackling corruption, and continue to do all possible to implement its Minsk commitments,” read Philip
Hammond’s statement. Read the full story
Lord Risby and Sir Gerald Howarth MP met with four Ukrainian MPs in London
Ukrainian MPs Svitlana Zalishchuk, Alex Ryabchyn, Nataliya KatserBuchkovska and Oleksiy Skrypnyk held a working visit to London on 8-9
September 2015. They met with Lord Risby and Sir Gerald Howarth MP, as
well as with British Minister for Europe David Lidington MP and other
British Government officials and MPs. They discussed ways to promote
inter-parliamentary dialogue, as well as British support of Ukraine in the
face of Russian aggression. Implementation of the Minsk Agreements and
constitutional reform in Ukraine were other key topics of discussions. The
four Ukrainian MPs thanked the UK for its support in reforming Ukraine’s
defence sector and providing trainings for Ukraine’s military units. Read the full story
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The British Ukrainian Society
3rd Quarter 2015 Report
Lord Risby welcomed new British Ambassador to Ukraine, Ms Judith Gough
Lord Risby extended a welcoming letter to Ms Judith Gough, who arrived to Kyiv on 7
September, to congratulate the new British Ambassador on her appointment. “It is really
a sign of the commitment of the UK to Ukraine that the new Ambassador is somebody of
such immense experience and quality, who has for some time had a very real professional
and personal interest in Ukraine,” said Lord Risby, adding that the BUS greatly looks
forward to working closely with Ms Gough. “It was at the YES conference that the new
Ambassador was able to meet key government and business figures in Ukraine, as well
as many of the friends of Ukraine who were at the conference.”
Ms Judith Gough has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Ukraine in succession to Mr Simon Smith.
She joined the FCO in 2001 and was most recently Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Ms Gough has
been engaged with this region for over 20 years and previously served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Tbilisi.
Commenting on her appointment on 26 March 2015, Ms Gough said: “Ukraine continues to face an
unprecedented period of challenge and upheaval, which will shape the long-term future for all Ukrainians and
have an impact on the wider region. The United Kingdom has been strong in support of Ukraine’s democratic,
prosperous and secure future, and determined in its efforts to help promote reform, peace and stability
throughout Ukraine. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to play my part in continuing this
work, in leading our Embassy in Ukraine at this critical time.” Read the full story
Lord Risby welcomed new Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Ms Natalia Galibarenko
In his welcoming letter to Ms Natalia Galibarenko, Lord Risby expressed his sincerest
hope that the Ukrainian Embassy and the BUS will continue to cooperate in order to
strengthen the ties between the two countries and increase the profile of Ukraine in the
UK. “The British Government is very aware of the importance of the bilateral
relantionship with Ukraine, and the British Ukrainian Society remains fully committed
to building ties at every level,” said Lord Risby. Attending Ukraine's National Day
Reception at the Ukrainian Embassy on 17 September, Lord Risby also communicated to
Chargé d'Affaires, Mr Ihor Kyzym, that the BUS looks forward to working closely with the
Ukrainian Parliament, and especially with the Verkhovna Rada MP Group for InterParliamentary Relations with the UK, and the Verkhovna Rada All-Party “Euro Optimist” Group. Having
entered the diplomatic service in 2000, Ms Galibarenko was Deputy Head of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine
to the International Organisations in Vienna in October 2012 – March 2014. Read the full story
Lord Risby welcomed new Director of the Ukrainian Institute in London, Ms Marina Pesenti
“On behalf of the British Ukrainian Society, may I extend our warmest congratulations on
your appointment as Director of the Ukrainian Institute in London. It is an important role
given how central the Institute’s activities are in representing the vibrancy of the
Ukrainian community in the UK. I hope our organisations can continue to cooperate in
order to strengthen the ties between our two countries and increase the profile of
Ukraine in the UK. The British Government is very aware of the importance of the
bilateral relationship with Ukraine, and the British Ukrainian Society remains fully
committed to building ties at every level,” read Lord Risby’s letter to Ms Pesenti, also
known as Ms Denysenko. Read the full story
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The British Ukrainian Society
3rd Quarter 2015 Report
BUS PROJECTS
The Cultural Arsenal: a Concept for social and cultural development of Ukraine presented in Kyiv
The Cultural Arsenal project is a comprehensive proposal to reform
Ukraine’s cultural sphere, developed on the initiative by Natalia Zabolotna,
Director General of the Art Arsenal. One of its key features is the
establishment of a national fund that will accumulate proceeds from
socially-harmful businesses such as gambling, tobacco and alcohol, and use
these funds to finance cultural projects. The reform proposal comes after
two years of research and study of best European practices, which
included a fact-finding trip to the UK in November 2014 that was
financially supported by the BUS. The Concept for social and cultural
development of Ukraine and the draft Law were presented on 2 September 2015 in Kyiv. Read the full story
A short-list of ten MUHi 2015 finalists selected by an international expert commission
MUHi is the first independent nationwide competition for young Ukrainian
artists under the age of 35 focused on discovering new names on Ukraine’s
contemporary art scene. The project was launched in 2009 on the initiative
of Marina Shcherbenko, the founder and curator of Bottega Gallery and
Shcherbenko Art Centre. The BUS contributed to this project by consulting
the project director and helping to engage two foreign curators as part of
MUHi’s international expert commission. This expert commission has now
short-listed 10 project finalists whose works will be displayed at the final
exhibition, which will be held in Kiev at the Modern Art Research Institute
on 25 November – 5 December 2015. The MUHi 2015 competition winners will be announced on 2 December
2015. Read the full story
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
BUS to launch a new Lecture Series in the Houses of Parliament in London
Since its inception in 2007, the BUS has held an annual lecture on BritishUkrainian relations called the Yalta Memorial Speech, which was delivered
by various British MPs and Ambassadors. Looking to expand on this wellattended and highly regarded event, the BUS launches a new series of
lectures in the spheres of politics and culture in partnership with the AllParty Parliamentary Group on Ukraine. The aim of the series is to give
anyone interested in Ukrainian affairs an opportunity to hear from British
politicians from across the political spectrum, as well as from other
persons of interest who are in some way involved in noteworthy work
relating to Ukraine. This may include visiting politicians from Ukraine, officials, diplomats, authors, artists,
and experts from various professions from either country. The lectures will be held approximately every two
months. The inaugural lecture will be delivered by Sir Gerald Howarth MP, Chairman of the APPG on Ukraine,
in the Macmillan Room in Portcullis House on 26 October 2015. Read the full story
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The British Ukrainian Society
3rd Quarter 2015 Report
A Crimean Tatar evening in London on 4 November 2015
Dash Arts will host a Crimean Tatar-themed event at Rich Mix on 4 November 2015. The
evening will feature a conversation with British journalist and writer Lily Hyde, who
spent a decade working in Ukraine and took dozens of interviews about the deportation
and repatriation of Crimean Tatars. Based on those interviews, she wrote a novel called
‘Dream Land’ that was presented in Kyiv in May 2014 with support from the BUS. The 4
November event will also feature a screening of Haytarma, a movie about deportation of
the Crimean Tatar people, in partnership with the BUS.
Lord Risby to attend the unveiling of the Holodomor Memorial in Washington on 7 November 2015
Representatives of the Ukrainian community in the USA have been
working on raising awareness within the American society about one of
the least known tragedies in the world – the 1932-1933 Famine in Ukraine,
or Holodomor. For the past several years, their most ambitious and
significant project has been to erect a memorial dedicated to the victims of
the Holodomor in Washington, D.C. Following the U.S. Holodomor
Committee obtaining federal approval of land allocation and a
construction permit in 2013, the monument has finally been erected in the
U.S. capital on 4 August 2015. The official Dedication Ceremony for the
Field of Wheat memorial will be held over 3 days on 6-8 November 2015, and is expected to be attended by 510 thousand people. Lord Risby will attend the main unveiling ceremony on 7 November.
10th Ukrainian Investment Summit to be held on 7-8 December 2015 in London
Adam Smith Conferences’ 10th Anniversary Ukrainian Investment Summit
will be held on 7-8 December 2015 at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in London
in partnership with the BUS. This year’s Summit will provide an
opportunity to hear directly from Ukrainian Government representatives
on the first results of their reforms, while the international investor
community will discuss existing barriers and provide an update on their
investment plans. Senior executives and shareholders of major Ukrainian
companies will give their feedback about the reform process and on other
necessary steps to improve the business climate. Leading Ukrainian and
international economists and analysts will give their macroeconomic outlook, discuss key trends in Ukraine’s
core industries, and talk about risk management and opportunities for businesses created by the FTA. Read
the full story
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