Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future:
International Forum VI
March 7-8, 2012
Ottawa, Canada
Ukraine at the Crossroads
What: An international forum and conference to discuss issues
concerning democracy, human rights, the rule of law, economic freedom
and foreign policy in contemporary Ukraine
Where: Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel
When: 7-8 March, 2012.
Who: Under the patronage of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, organized
by the Canada Ukraine Foundation, the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at
the University of Ottawa, and the Center for US-Ukrainian Relations
(CUSUR), in cooperation with the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce,
US-Ukraine Business Council, the Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Future Forum
series and various sponsoring organizations and agencies.
Target audience: Politicians, policy makers and business leaders in
Canada, the USA, the UK, the EU, and Ukraine; the North American
media; Ukrainian community members in Canada and the US, and anyone
interested in the situation in Ukraine.
Program: The one and one-half day conference will bring together key
government representatives, leading civil society activists, business
leaders, expert scholars, media analysts and policy specialists from
across North America, Europe and Ukraine to discuss developments in
contemporary Ukraine focusing on several key areas of concern.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Day 1
6:00-7:00 pm Reception
7:00-10:00 pm Opening Forum Dinner
An Opening Dinner and panel presentation involving speakers
representing Ukraine, the European
Union, the US State Department and Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Venue: Chateau Laurier Hotel
Greetings from:
- Bob Onyschuk, Q.C., Chair, Canada Ukraine Foundation
Keynote Speakers:
- Borys Tarasyuk (Chair VR Committee on European Integration, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine)
- Tom Melia (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor, Washington D.C.)
- Marcin Swiecicki (MP Polish Sejm/Former PL Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Warsaw)
- Hon. Peter van Loan (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Canada)
Moderator:
- Chrystia Freeland (Editor, Thompson Reuters Digital)
Theme: “Quo Vadis Ukraine”
Followed by a question period involving the experts who are part of the conference programme
Day 2
Venue: Chateau Laurier Hotel
8:00-8:30 Registration (Coffee, Fruit, Muffins)
8:30-8:50 Official Opening
- Dominique Arel, Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Ottawa
- Eugene Czolij, President, Ukrainian World Congress
- Paul Grod, President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress
08:50-09:30 am Plenary Presentation and Discussion I
Opening Keynote Speaker:
- Oleh Rybachuk (New Citizen, Kyiv)
Theme: The State of Democracy in Ukraine
09:30-10:45 Session I: Democratic Governance, Rule of Law, Human Rights and Media Freedom
Moderator:
- Andrew Robinson (Former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine, retired)
Speakers:
- Mykola Riabchuk (Krytyka, Kyiv)
- Halyna Koynash (Kharkiv Human Rights Group)
- Danylo Bilak (CMS-Cameron McKenna, Kyiv)
Discussant:
- Thomas Melia (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor, Washington D.C.)
10:45-11:00 Break (Coffee, Muffins, Fruit)
11:00-12:15 Session II: The New Election Law and the 2012 Parliamentary Elections
Moderator:
- Bohdan Harasymiw (U/Calgary)
Speakers:
- Alyona Hetmanchuk (Institute of World Policy, Kyiv)
- Bohdan Futey (Federal Judge, Constitutional Expert, Washington)
- Markian Shwec (UCC-CUF Observer Mission)
Discussant:
- Nico Lange (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Ukraina, Kyiv)
12:15-2:00 Lunch and Plenary Presentation II
Luncheon Keynote Speaker:
- James Sherr (Royal Institute of International Affairs; Senior Fellow, Russian and Eurasian Programme, Chatham House, London)
Theme: Ukraine and “the Russian Question”
Moderator:
- Robert Amsterdam (Amsterdam and Peroff, Toronto)
Discussant:
- Andrei Piontkovsky (Russian Academy of Sciences, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute)
2:00-3:15 Session III: Economic Issues: Energy, Economic Freedom and Corruption
Chair:
- Morgan Williams (Chair, US Ukraine Business Council)
Speakers:
- Anders Aslund (Peterson Institute, Washington)
- Zenon Potoczny (President, Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, Toronto)
Discussant:
- Serhiy Kudelia (Post Doc Fellow, George Washington University)
3: 15-3:30 Coffee Break
3:30-5:00 Session IV: Geopolitics and National Security
Moderator:
- Derek Fraser (Former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine, retired)
Speakers:
- Valentyn Nalyvaichenko (Nasha Ukraina, Past Head Security Service of Ukraine)
- Amanda Paul (European Policy Centre, Brussels)
- Ariel Cohen (Heritage Foundation, Washington)
- Ihor Kozak (former Canadian NATO military officer/diplomat, Toronto)
Discussant:
- James Sherr (RIIA, Senior Fellow, Chatham House)
5:00-5:15 Conference Summary
- Walter Zaryckyj (Center for US-Ukrainian Relations)
5:15-5:30 Official Closing Remarks
- Dominique Arel (University of Ottawa)
- Bob Onyschuk (President, Canada Ukraine Foundation)