In early September, a Ukrainian delegation of defense industry, medical, education, and government officials arrived in the US to participate in the prestigious Open World Program, which is implemented by the Congressional Office for International Leadership at the US Congress. The Ukrainian delegation shared personal stories about the current realities of the war in Ukraine and their mission to learn from the American experience in implementing a number of reintegration measures in Ukraine.
During their visit to the US capital, the participants took part in an orientation seminar at the Library of Congress, attended meetings in Congress, where they studied the American experience of governance, especially in the anti-corruption sphere, and also had a productive meeting with the team of the Embassy of Ukraine in the US. The delegation paid special attention to discussing drone technologies with Lisa Ellman, co-founder and director of the Commercial Drone Alliance.
“Today I had the pleasure of meeting with a Ukrainian delegation that visited Massachusetts as part of the Open World Program with the Congressional Office of International Leadership. These business leaders and professionals are here to strengthen communication with governments and political leaders, foster valuable international relationships, and strengthen mutual understanding. It was inspiring to hear their perspectives and discuss how we can continue to support Ukraine during these challenging times. These exchanges are vital to building lasting partnerships and mutual understanding between us,” shared Representative Tony Cabral of Massachusetts in the House of Representatives.
Educators, health care professionals, and government officials from Lviv, Odessa, Poltava, Rivne, and Ternopil also participated in Open World events in Wisconsin and New York.
“We spent a busy and extremely productive few days in Washington. Our Ukrainian delegation is made up of active leaders in the defense industry sector who are working on business development, new partnerships, and transformation of the Ukrainian industry… We are sincerely grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to join this program, for the warm welcome, and the incredibly useful schedule of meetings,” said Denys Svyatokum, a Program participant and Chairman of the InvestHub Investment Committee.
In particular, on September 14, the Ukrainian delegation met with the community at the Irondequoit Public Library in New York. The program included a discussion on the challenges of veterans’ return and adaptation, a presentation of the Wings of Inspiration book project, and a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the cultural exhibition at the library, as well as recognition of the sister city relations between Poltava and Irondequoit.
In La Crosse, the delegation joined the Rotary Club of La Crosse – Valley View, visited Western Technical College and the Houser YMCA, where they learned about community mental and physical health initiatives. Presentations by Wellness Warriors and local coalitions emphasized the importance of community-based partnerships.
A separate block was dedicated to a visit to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where they discussed systems for collecting and analyzing medical data, digital transformation of veterans’ registries, and the possibilities of creating a national health information system in Ukraine.
Importantly, the entire program was made possible thanks to the participation of Rotary International, the support of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, local libraries, banking institutions, and numerous volunteers.
Photo: Denis Svyatokum, Tony Cabral, Rotary Club of La Crosse – Valley View
Author: Inna Mikhno