Our colleague from Women Plus NGO, Irina Fomenko, participated in the Seventh National SME Forum “Innovation, Development, and International Cooperation”, held on November 8 in Kyiv.
The event was organized by UNDP in Ukraine in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, within the project “Transformational Recovery for People’s Safety in Ukraine”, financially supported by the Government of Japan, and the project “Strengthening Business Associations of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Ukraine” with support from Switzerland.
The forum served as a platform for discussing strategies, exchanging experiences, and exploring new opportunities for cooperation and business development during wartime, including in the context of women’s leadership at local, national, and international levels.
The forum was opened by MP Olena Shuliak. A meaningful encounter took place with Natalia Karpenchuk-Konopatska, President of the Ukrainian Women’s Business Chamber, the largest organization in Ukraine focused on women’s entrepreneurship. For seven years, it has united women leaders to foster productive collaboration, growth, and joint social activity.
Dina Sidash, Vice-President of the Dnipro Chamber of Commerce and Industry, introduced participants to Alina Sevastyuk from VisionFund Ukraine. It was also a pleasure to meet Natalia Isayeva, head of FORMAT A+! Ms. Sevastyuk shared information about loans for small businesses led by women, while Natalia Isayeva spoke about balancing leadership of a business, defending a dissertation, and raising an infant.
This is what Ukrainian women are like!
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