Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk’s Speech Will Open the 2nd Plenary Day of the 16th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting

Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk will open the 2^nd plenary day of the 16^th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting with a speech dedicated to the new Ukrainian government’s strategy for economic reforms.

On September 14, the 16th YES Annual Meeting – “Happiness Now. New Approaches for a World in Crisis” will continue to discuss the world’s challenges and opportunities, with special focus on political transformations, regional context and different visions for the future of Ukraine.

The participants will discuss anti-establishment trends in contemporary politics, corruption as an obstacle to human happiness and nations’ development, as well as the relationship between Russia and China and the UK and Ukraine.

The special sessions will present the 2019 Ukraine’s new political face of the executive authorities as well as the newcomers to the Ukrainian Parliament.

Additionally, the Annual Shimon Peres Peace lecture will be delivered by Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, President of Colombia (2010-2014; 2014-2018) and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

The summary debate will be devoted to the destiny of liberal international order.

Speakers of the 2^nd plenary day include: Daron Acemoğlu, Institute professor, MIT; Anne Applebaum, Washington Post columnist; Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute and former UK Prime Minister; Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Julian Baird Gewirtz, Harvard Academy Scholar; Andrey Illarionov, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Miroslav  Lajčák, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Chairperson-in-Office, OSCE; Bernard-Henri Lévy, Philosopher and Writer; Oleksandr Martynenko, CEO, Interfax-Ukraine News Agency, Christoph Pincher, Minister of State for Europe, United Kingdom; Vadym Prystaiko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Jeffrey Sachs, Professor, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University; Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, President of Colombia (2010-2014; 2014-2018) & 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Kurt Volker, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine.

Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Fareed Zakaria, Host of Fareed Zakaria GPS and CNN will moderate the plenary sessions.

The 16th Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting – “Happiness Now. New Approaches for a World in Crisis” – will be held on September 12-14, 2019 in Kyiv. Over 400 leading politicians, diplomats, businessmen, civil activists and experts from 26 countries will take part in the conference organised by the international forum YES in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.