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Rebuilding Ukraine

Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine Mr. Jaco Cilliers to speak at Freie Universität Berlin about Ukraine’s recovery in times of war

№ 123/2024 from Jun 10, 2024

The head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, Jaco Cilliers, will be giving a lecture at Freie Universität Berlin on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. His talk will focus on the challenges and importance of Ukraine’s reconstruction in light of the ongoing widespread devastation wrought upon the country by Russia’s invasion. The lecture, titled “Ukraine’s Recovery in Times of War,” will be followed by a Q&A session. Dr. Herbert Grieshop, the director of Freie Universität Berlin’s International Office, will present a brief overview of Freie Universität Berlin’s activities to support Ukrainians, and Professor Katharina Bluhm, vice dean for research at the Institute for East European Studies and professor of sociology, will provide an introduction to the topic. The event will be held in English and is open to members of the public. Prior registration is not required.

The talk is taking place as part of Jaco Cilliers’, the head of the UNDP in Ukraine, visit to Germany. Cilliers will be participating in the UNDP delegation, led by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, at the third Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on June 11 and 12, 2024, where he will be joined by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Cilliers will share invaluable insights from the conference as well as outline the diverse range of activities the UNDP undertakes in Ukraine. The lecture will also serve as the opening event for the “Rebuilding Ukraine – The Social Dimension” workshop organized by the Institute for East European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin in cooperation with the Virtual Ukraine Institute for Advanced Study and European University Viadrina in Frankfurt am Oder.

The aim of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is to promote sustainable development, reduce poverty, and improve living standards worldwide.

Jaco Cilliers was appointed head of the UNDP in Ukraine in 2022. Prior to this, he was manager of the Bangkok Regional Hub, served the organization as Chief Regional Policy and Programme Support for Asia and the Pacific, and was country director of the UNDP in India. With over twenty years of experience at the United Nations and an impressive record of managing roles at other international development organizations, he is also an expert in peace, conflict, and reconstruction. Cilliers holds a master’s and doctoral degree in recovery, reconstruction, and peacebuilding from George Mason University in the United States and previously obtained bachelor’s degrees at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.

Joint Press Release of Freie Universität Berlin and the UNDP Germany Representation Office

Further Information

Time and Location

  • Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
  • Lecture Hall B, Henry Ford Building, Freie Universität Berlin, Garystraße 35, 14195 Berlin

Relevant Websites

Contact and Interview Requests

Julien Katzinski, Partnership Support, Germany Representation Office, United Nations Development Programme, Email: Julien.maurice.katzinski@undp.org

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