The international scope of academic presentations and professional contacts involving representatives of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy continues to expand.

Last week, for instance, Taras Romashchenko, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and International Economic Relations, delivered a keynote speech at one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the Czech Republic – Palacký University Olomouc.

“At the end of winter, I received an unexpected proposal from the Czech colleagues to take part in a roundtable discussion on the Ukrainian diaspora. It was an honour for me to deliver a keynote at one of the oldest universities in Czechia (founded in 1573), so I accepted the invitation. In my presentation, “The Ukrainian Diaspora in the Fifth Year of the War: From Socio-Economic Response to Academic Engagement”, I analysed certain distinctive features of the global Ukrainian community during these turbulent times of war, highlighting, amongst other things:

• the emergence of a fifth (victim/forced) wave of expansion of the Ukrainian diaspora worldwide, particularly in EU countries;
• a multi-level framework of Diaspora–Ukraine relations since the aggressor state’s full-scale invasion in 2022;
• core diaspora activities in response to the Russian offensive and their evolution throughout the war;
• significant challenges faced by ethnic Ukrainians abroad when interacting with Ukraine.

The distinguished audience showed particular interest in the specific illustrations I provided of how members of the Ukrainian diaspora are contributing to Ukraine’s recovery at the individual, institutional and intermediary levels. In particular, the discussion centred on specific initiatives to support and rebuild our country by diaspora organisations (Ukrainian World Congress/UWC), foreign government agencies (German Agency for International Cooperation/GIZ and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development/BMZ), the international digital platform Ukrainian Science Diaspora,” stated Taras Romashchenko.

The international Roundtable, held in a hybrid format and lasting over two hours, brought together numerous like-minded colleagues, including esteemed panel members, representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in the Czech Republic, policymakers, and a keen academic community.

The event was, in Taras Romashchenko’s view, a truly fruitful occasion, serving as a platform for the necessary exchange of expert opinions and valuable insights on the vitally important issue of Ukraine’s reconstruction, with the participation of representatives of the national diaspora.

Department of Economics and International Economic Relations