Leadership, Agency, and a New Architecture of Recovery – IV Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference
On May 22, the IV Annual Ukrainian Aid Leadership Conference took place at the Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center in Kyiv, serving as a practical space to foster equitable partnerships and advance a locally-led approach to Ukraine’s humanitarian response.
This year, the conference brought together representatives from Ukrainian civil society organizations,government, international NGOs, private sector, and the diplomatic community around a crucial conversation: how to transform localization from a mere declaration into real mechanisms of impact, trust, and shared responsibility.
It was a day filled with profound discussions, challenging questions, new partnerships, and an incredibly honest dialogue about what the humanitarian system of the future should look like—a system where Ukrainian organizations act not merely as implementers, but as full-fledged co-authors of decisions.
“Partnership over competition. This is not just a humanitarian ideal; it is the only path to our collective resilience. Our priorities for 2026 are clearly defined: financial independence, open knowledge sharing, and the “Duty of Care.” We are taking an unprecedented step—becoming the first in the world to integrate the protection of humanitarian workers into state policy. However, none of these goals can be achieved without a fundamental shift in how we interact.
True localization is forged at the heart of the crisis. Therefore, my primary call to the sector today is to make a conscious choice in favor of partnership. Choose an ecosystem where we are ready to share risks just as sincerely as we share resources. In these challenging times, we must intentionally choose humanity and equality in every single decision”, Mila Leonova, Director of the Alliance UA CSOs
We were honored to share the grand opening of the conference with our distinguished guests:
Iryna Vereshchuk — Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
Felix Baumann — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova
Fred Larsson — Director of the NGO Resource Center (NGO RC)
Jeremy Wellard — Head of Humanitarian Coordination at the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)
🎤 PANEL 1: “The National Dimension of Localization: The State as a Resilience Ecosystem for Civil Society”
True localization begins from within the country—through partnerships, legislative changes, investments in sector capacity, and deep trust between the state and civil society.
Mechanics/Moderators:
Anna Biloshapka — Development Director at the “SpivDiia” Charity Foundation
Olena Volkova — Deputy Director of the Alliance UA CSOs, Head of Government Relations
Speakers:
Oleh Bondarenko — Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Anatoliy Komirnyi — Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine
Lone Sorensen — Deputy Head of Humanitarian and Resilience, British Embassy Kyiv | Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Illia Kletskovskyi — Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society
Volodymyr Sheihus — Executive Director of “ISAR Ednannia”
Oksana Kuyantseva — Board Member of the “East SOS” Charity Foundation
Lidia Kuzmenko — Protection Officer at UNHCR Ukraine
🎤 PANEL 2: “The Reconstruction Triangle: Synergy of Government, Business, and Civil Society Organizations. Towards URC 2026”
The reconstruction of Ukraine is already happening in parallel with the war, meaning it requires a fundamentally new architecture of partnership between the state, business, civil society, and international allies.
Moderator:
Dmytro Lyvch — Managing Partner at Civitta Ukraine, Chairman of the Board of EasyBusiness NGO
Speakers:
Anastasia Bondar — Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization
Toomas Tirs — Reconstruction and Development Cooperation Advisor at the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Ukraine
Daria Kukurika — Director of the “League of the Strong” NGO
Olesia Volska-Zaluska — FCDO BLOOM Consortium Director at Mercy Corps Ukraine
Volodymyr Zabela — Director of the “MHP-Gromadi” Charity Foundation
Oksana Plakhotniuk — Strategic Partnerships and Grants Consultant at GlobalGiving and Organization Representative in Ukraine
🎤 PANEL 3: “Not an Object, But a Co-Author of the System: How the Ukrainian Voice is Rewriting Global Rules”
Today, the Ukrainian humanitarian sector does not just respond to crises; it actively shapes new global approaches to partnership, localization, and humanitarian response.
Moderators:
Despina F. Johansen — Head of Resilience and Inclusion at NORCAP
Yulia Sporysh — Director of the “Girls” NGO
Speakers:
Matthias Schmale — UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine
Jean-Luc Bernasconi — Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Ambassador Manuel Bessler — Grand Bargain Ambassador
Ross Skowronski-Filippenko — Founder and Director of “Mission Kharkiv” Charity Foundation, Chair of the Steering Committee of the Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine
Jamie Wah — Deputy Head of Delegation, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Ukraine
John Ede — President and Humanitarian Coordinator of the Ohaha Family Foundation (Nigeria) (online)
🎤 PANEL 4: “Leadership Without Instructions: Local Funds and Consortia as the New Normal”
Ukrainian organizations are no longer waiting for ready-made templates—they are designing their own institutional solutions, consortia, and trust-building mechanisms that are rapidly becoming the sector’s new normal.
Moderator:
Nicholas Noe — Senior Adviser, Refugees International
Speakers:
Marlene Breuer — Humanitarian Coordination Officer in Kyiv, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Daria Chekalova — “Pulse” Consortium Coordinator
Anna Nishnianidze — CEO and Co-Founder of “Philanthropy in Ukraine”
Yan Borodin — Director of “Dobra Fabryka” (Good Factory)
Tetiana Soloviova — Head of the Ukrainian NGO Fund
Olha Moloko — Lead Manager of the Humanitarian Aid and Recovery Cluster at “East Europe Foundation”
Olena Prykhodko — Project Manager at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
🏅 CLOSING CEREMONY AND INSIGHTS
The conference concluded with a synthesis of key insights and the presentation of the “Localization Ambassador” honorary award. This award serves as a symbol of recognition for individuals and organizations working daily to strengthen local leadership and strong, good partnership.
The final segment was moderated by Nataliia Tulinova — CEO and Founder of ZDOROVI.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all speakers, moderators, partners, participants, and teams who made this event possible. It is through encounters like this that synergy is born—helping us not only address today’s challenges but actively forge a powerful, accountable, and self-determined future for Ukraine.
Ahead lies even more collaborative work, advocacy, and breakthrough solutions.
The conference was organized by the Alliance of Ukrainian Civil Society Organizations (Alliance UA CSOs) with the generous support of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, British Red Cross,FCDO, Refugees International (RI), Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), and NORCAP.