The Annual Conference of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum UNP has started.
The second day of the Conference was opened by a public discussion “Human Capital as the Main Key to Ukraine’s Recovery”.
The pressing challenge of preserving and rebuilding human capital, which has moved to the top of Ukraine’s agenda as the war drags on, was the focus of a public discussion hosted by the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (UNP EaP CSF). The conversation ranged across many facets of the human capital question, not least the part that civil society organisations play in supporting vulnerable groups, helping refugees and displaced people return, and reintegrating Ukrainians who have left the country.
Speakers looked at challenges such as creating the conditions for sustainable return, meeting the needs of different groups, veterans and young people among them, and crafting strategies that go beyond simply urging people to come home and instead build genuinely competitive economic opportunities in Ukraine. They underlined that European integration is the bedrock for developing human capital and, against the harsh realities of population displacement, that what is needed is a joined-up policy striking a balance between security, economic opportunity and social inclusion. The meeting was moderated by Igor Burakovsky, Head of the Board, IER.
The event took place during the Annual Conference of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, building on the Platform’s long-running work on human capital.
Key takeaways
Human capital has struck a chord in Ukraine in recent months, especially given the risks of labour migration into the country. Yet, it deserves to be viewed far more broadly, as the Platform pointed out in its Position Paper published at the end of 2025. It stressed how important it is for Ukraine and its European partners to work side by side in creating the kind of conditions that would encourage Ukrainians to return and, in doing so, help strengthen and rebuild the country.
Opening the discussion, UNP National Coordinator Ruslan Havryliuk stressed that human capital lies at the very heart of Ukraine’s European integration and reconstruction. It has been a priority for the Platform for several years now, and in recent months it has captured wide public attention.
In his welcoming address, Director of the Liberal Academy Tbilisi Foundation and Chair of the EaP CSF Steering Committee Lasha Tughushi observed that Ukraine’s cooperation with European countries is the foundation for both reform and future development. Reform in Ukraine moves forward only with international cooperation and support, which is why the Forum makes it a priority to bring international partners together behind Ukraine. Ukraine is part of the European story, and its development must unfold within a shared space of values. Andrea Raimondi, Director of the EaP CSF Secretariat, stressed that human capital is Ukraine’s most valuable asset. European integration is about more than policies; it is also about building institutions and professional capacity.
Ukraine has a great deal to learn from countries like the Baltic states when it comes to developing human capital, shaping legislation and protecting it, particularly for vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, noted Cintija Bernava, Head of the Board of the civil society organisation ‘Donum Animus’ (Latvia) and the EaP CSF’s EU representative on the Ukraine-EU Civil Society Platform. On their road to EU membership, the Baltic states had to push through a great many reforms in the field of human capital. That makes it all the more important to deepen cooperation and share experience on these matters. Latvia is already helping Ukraine adapt its labour market to the needs of people with disabilities.
In her remarks, Yana Brovdiy, Head of Public Policy and Advocacy at the EaP CSF Secretariat, stressed how important it is to champion Ukraine’s interests in Brussels, and she shared the success the team has had in promoting the Ukrainian National Platform’s position paper on human capital development among EU institutions and member states. Thanks to joint effort and effective partnership, European stakeholders made it clear that they understand that Ukraine’s recovery is not just about rebuilding infrastructure, but first and foremost about investing in people. The discussions paid particular attention to the unique expertise Ukrainian civil society brings to the reintegration and rehabilitation of veterans, and to creating the conditions for Ukrainian refugees to return from abroad voluntarily and permanently. Wrapping up, the speaker stressed that Ukraine’s future success will hinge directly on its ability to develop human potential and build an inclusive society, and she warmly thanked Ukrainian organisations for their resilience and remarkable work in such difficult times.
Iryna Kuropas, Project Manager at the Local Economic Development Agency of Yavoriv Region and Coordinator of WG2 of the UNP EaP CSF, stressed that rebuilding human capital in Ukraine is not just a social issue but a key element of the country’s national security and competitiveness, because without holding on to people, their skills and their motivation, physically rebuilding infrastructure loses all meaning. In this context, civil society organisations have outgrown their traditional role as humanitarian aid providers, becoming agile institutions that safeguard human potential and act as the main producers of ‘social capital’ and trust within communities. Acting as social communicators, testing grounds for innovative skills and architects of systemic partnership between government, business and residents, civil society organisations help people move from being aid recipients to becoming agents of change, and they create the conditions to keep talent at home. She urged that funding for the non-governmental sector be seen not as backing for one-off projects but as a strategic investment in a national system for renewing human capital, since Ukraine’s future will be measured not by the number of buildings rebuilt but by its ability to retain, develop and engage people in driving change.
Whether Ukrainians decide to come home will depend in large part on environmental quality of life and the prospects for ‘green’ reconstruction, stressed Nataliya Andrusevych of the Resource and Analytical Centre ‘Society and Environment’, Coordinator of WG3 of the UNP EaP CSF. Millions of refugees have already grown accustomed to the EU’s high environmental standards, clean air, safe water and waste sorting, so a healthy environment will be a key condition for a safe future for their children, and they themselves will return to their communities as agents of European change. She also dispelled the myth that environmental requirements simply cost money, pointing out that green modernisation is a powerful engine for creating more than 4 million new, decently paid jobs at the local level. In closing, she called for the environment to be seen not as an extra burden but as a strategic opportunity to improve people’s quality of life, give them jobs and speed up Ukraine’s integration into the EU, all at once.
Ukraine’s recovery must put people first, with investment in human capital being the most long-term and the most valuable of all, noted Inna Pidluska, Deputy Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation. She stressed how important it is to align with the EU and gradually open up European cohesion policy instruments, among them the European Social Fund Plus and regional development funding, to ready communities for future membership. Just how significant a role civil society organisations play is clear from the ‘catalogue of solutions’ they are taking to the Recovery Conference in Gdańsk: ready-to-scale development models in education, social services and veteran support. It is essential to secure cross-sectoral cooperation and to set up a dedicated pre-accession fund for developing Ukraine’s human capital. She gave her assurance that the International Renaissance Foundation stands ready to keep supporting this process, both financially and with its expertise.
Iryna Ippolitova, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Economic Strategy, stressed that the state must stop treating refugees as one homogeneous group and instead design tailored programmes, because the survey data point to a critical challenge: people under 35 are far less likely to return than older generations. Another danger is that, once the borders open, one in five young people still in Ukraine today is ready to leave, raising the spectre of a critically ageing nation. Ukraine needs to switch to a proactive mindset and face the fact that it is already competing fiercely with other European countries for its own people.
Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties, set out four particular groups of Ukrainians whose rights the state is duty-bound to protect: residents of the occupied territories, citizens in government-controlled areas who are in urgent need of justice, refugees abroad and demobilised veterans. With no state rehabilitation plans in place, many weary defenders may, once the restrictions are lifted, leave to be reunited with their families in the EU. She took the current human rights strategy through to 2035 to task for ignoring the occupied territories altogether and called on civil society to work together in putting integration concepts to the state to preserve the nation.
In a world competing for talent, Ukraine must move beyond patriotic appeals and build a competitive ecosystem, because people only come back to places that offer security, justice and a sense of a future, stressed Olga Pyshchulina, Lead Expert on Social and Gender Programmes at the Razumkov Centre. The fragmentation of state policy must be overcome by launching a digital ‘return office’ offering personalised reintegration pathways and by introducing a circular mobility policy, which would let Ukraine tap the potential of its people abroad as a transnational resource for innovation and investment.
The biggest obstacle to reconstruction and to running a business in Ukraine is an acute staff shortage; overcoming it means harmonising professional standards with the EU to attract European talent and funding adult education rather than a ‘national cashback’, noted Oleksandra Betliy, Senior Researcher / Project Coordinator at IER. We need a radical shift in the culture of accessibility and in how employers regard veterans and women, creating not just the odd job here and there but full inclusive pathways, safe schools and kindergartens. Above all, we need to deliver on the vision of ‘Ukraine — a country worth living in’, where security, a quality environment and real opportunities for self-fulfilment can stem the brain drain, especially among the talented young people now leaving the country en masse.
Developing human capital in Ukraine should start from the local needs of small communities and from giving people a real economic choice, from self-employment to craft entrepreneurship, believes Tetiana Tymoshenko, President of the All-Ukrainian Federation of Employers in the Tourism of Ukraine. Although nearly half of community residents are weighing up migration, around 70% of them would be willing to stay if their problems were addressed. This reveals an enormous, untapped potential among economically inactive women, young people and older people who are ready to work or start a business of their own, provided the state helps close skills gaps and backs local cluster models of regional development.
Oleksii Pozniak, Head of the Migration Department at the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Quality of Life Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, stressed that the war has cost Ukraine dearly in the quality of its human capital, since most of those who left are highly skilled women and members of the middle class. In his view, the conditions for their lasting return, such as language support and business incentives, must be put in place now, but these people should not receive privileges or benefits at the state’s expense over those who stayed behind, so as to avoid sowing division in society. It is worth working closely with the diaspora through opinion leaders and officials, drawing the investment and ‘migration capital’ of those who choose to remain abroad into projects in their home communities, and making sure, without fail, that Ukrainian citizens can exercise their electoral rights in other countries the moment martial law is lifted.
In lieu of a conclusion
The overall takeaway from the discussion can be summed up in a single idea: human capital is the key resource for Ukraine’s recovery, and developing it calls for a systematic, long-term and comprehensive policy. Ukraine is entering a phase where the competition is no longer over resources, but over people. Victory and recovery will depend directly on the ability to create an attractive, safe and forward-looking ecosystem of life for citizens.
Among the recommendations the discussion produced for strengthening civil society’s role in preserving our country’s human capital, several stand out: stepping up advocacy at the European and national levels, building partnerships, strengthening trust and scaling up solutions, keeping the focus on human needs, especially those of veterans, young people and IDPs, and advancing European integration alongside a green, innovative economy.
The information was prepared by Ruslan Havrylyuk, UNP National Coordinator
Video discussion
The event was held within the project “Supporting the Activities of the Ukrainian National Platform of the EaP CSF in 2025–2026,” implemented by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting with financial support from the European Union. Individual opinions expressed at the event are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.
