World Economic Forum Expert Group Assists Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Agenda Council on Ukraine was launched at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East, North Africa and Eurasia (Istanbul, Turkey, June 4-6, 2012). The Council was initiated as a result of the meeting between Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, and Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine. The WEF Council will generate ideas to further social, political, and economic progress in Ukraine.

Among other topics, the Council will concentrate on democracy, human rights and energy security issues as well as Ukraine's position in Europe. The experts will also examine the progress of the state's economic reforms and its social sector.

The Council will include government, business, academia and civil society experts who will address global, political, economic and social positioning of the country. The Executive Chairman of the WEF will personally appoint all the members of the expert group on Ukraine. It is planned that the Council will operate within the Network of Global Agenda Councils (an expert body of over 1,200 members, who monitor key trends and develop recommendations for problem-solving).

The President of Ukraine visited the WEF following the invitation of the head of the Turkish government Prime Minister Erdoğan. Viktor Yanukovych participated in the Future of European Integration summit session dedicated to political and economic aspects of the EU development. The president addressed an issue of European perspective of Ukraine and noted that both Europe and Russia would benefit from cooperation with Ukraine. He also discussed the possibility of holding the next Regional Summit of the World Economic Forum in Ukraine.

The heads of state and government of Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, heads of international organizations, among them - the IMF, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, EBRD, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), NATO, OSCE participated in the Summit.

The World Economic Forum on the Middle East, North Africa and Eurasia opened on June 4 under the theme Bridging Regions in Transformation. The Summit brought together more than 1,000 leaders from business, government, academia and civil society representing over 70 nations. Eurozone crisis, Syria, youth unemployment and the aftermath of the Arab Spring topped the agenda.