KYIV, 8 April 2025 — The Ukrainian-Czech Chamber of Commerce was officially established following a formal vote during its inaugural meeting in Kyiv, marking a milestone in bilateral economic relations.

The initiative builds on momentum from the Czech-Ukrainian Business Forum, where Czech entrepreneurs, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), first proposed creating a mirror organization to their existing Czech-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce.

Over the past year, UNDP and partners organized comprehensive support for Ukrainian businesses seeking Czech partnerships, including specialized training sessions led by the Czech Ministry of Economy and business experts. These efforts culminated in September 2024 with the formation of the Ukrainian-Czech Business Council, which attracted 60 Ukrainian enterprises and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Czech counterparts.

With UNDP backing, the Council facilitated a delegation of 25 Ukrainian entrepreneurs to the prestigious MSV International Engineering Fair in Brno, Czech Republic, providing critical international exposure for Ukrainian businesses.

Hailing the establishment of the new chamber, Gennadiy Chyzhykov, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted: “We’re crafting right now a very interesting and useful tool – the Ukrainian-Czech Chamber of Commerce. This institution will work systematically to boost collaboration between both countries’ businesses. As we can see, the Czech Republic is a reliable economic and humanitarian partner, and our primary goal is to inject new dynamism into Ukrainian-Czech relations.”  

Vasyl Zvarych, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Czech Republic added: “The establishment of this Chamber is timely, especially following the Czech Republic President Peter Pavel’s visit, which elevated our bilateral relationship to a strategic level. The core purpose of the Ukrainian-Czech Chamber of Commerce is to further develop and amplify this crucial partnership.”

Martin Pospíšil, Director of the Department for European Countries, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, affirmed the growing cooperation: “Our collaboration is strengthening through platforms like the Business Club and the ‘Contact Ukraine’ initiative. We facilitate active exchanges between Czech and Ukrainian businesses, fostering tangible partnerships, information sharing, and joint missions, with a strong focus on the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

Maksym Boroda, Project Manager UNDP in Ukraine, highlighted the inspiration behind the initiative: “During our joint efforts at the Czech-Ukrainian Business Forum, we were impressed by the well-structured and efficient approach of the Czech side and their institutional support for international cooperation. This inspired us to help Ukrainian businesses access similar support. Today’s launch is the result of a year of dedicated work, and we anticipate that the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry may establish similar chambers with other key partners in the future.”

Background:

This event is initiated by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and supported by UNDP in Ukraine, as part of the “Support for the Private Sector and Resilience in Ukraine” project, which is funded by the Government of the Czech Republic.

Media Inquiries:

Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications at UNDP Ukraine, yuliia.samus@undp.org