What shall we do together to accelerate Ukraine’s EU integration?

Ukraine-Baltics Leadership Forum will be held at 15.00 on Friday, May 25^th at the Embassy of Lithuania in Kyiv, Ukraine (vul. Buslivska 21).

The goal of the forum is to stimulate a vibrant discussion on Ukraine’s European integration and relations with the Baltic countries in the political, cultural and commercial areas.

The Baltic States has traditionally been strong supporters of Ukraine‘s European aspirations. We have an array of interesting speakers on our two panels:

1. How friendship between Ukraine and the Baltics can contribute Ukraine’s quicker integration into the EU?

Moderator: Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Head of LSE Alumni in Ukraine, Partner at CFC Consulting

Panel speakers:
- Mykolas Majauskas – Advisor of the Prime Minister of Lithuania
- Vsevolod Chentsov – EU Department Head, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine (TBC)
- Dr. Olena Rusyna – Institute of History of Ukraine
- Ihor Slisarenko – Advisor to the Ombudsman and International Relations Commentator
- Pavlo Gudimov – Curator, Musician, Architect; Owner of “Ya Gallery”
- Olha Bosak – Head, “Young Democracy Club” in Ukraine
- Anna Suprunenko – President, International Youth NGO “European Youth Parliament-Ukraine”

2. What are the instruments to accelerate commercial cooperation to achieve more trade and investments?

Moderator: Algirdas Kumža, ARVI Co., Ambassador of Lithuania to Ukraine (2006-2010)

Panel speakers:
- Representative of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine (TBC)
- Marius Vismantas – Regional Program Coordinator for Financial and Private Sector, World Bank
- Andre Kuusvek – Head, EBRD in Ukraine (TBC)
- Jurate Juodsnukyte – Transport Sector Manager, EU Delegation to Ukraine
- Denis Priimagi – Director, Estonia Enterprise
- Ina Ziliene – Owner, UPeCo – Ukraine Pest Control
- Tomas Giedraitis – Co-founder of “Movens” Fund, Trustee of “Baltic Vision Group”
- Dalia Venslovaite, Director, Global Lithuanian Leaders

The forum will be followed by a networking reception.

The event is free, but you have to register by sending an e-mail to Renata Kanarskaja, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania at renata.kanarskaja@urm.lt with your name, position and company/organization you represent.

Organizers: Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, LSE Alumni in Ukraine and the Baltics, Baltic Vision Group, Young Democracy Club

Working language of the forum is English.

Here is a link the Embassy whereabouts (it is around Fomin Botanical Garden): http://ua.mfa.lt/popup.php?ru=bS9tX2ltYWdlcy9hZG1pbi9mX2ltZ19wcmV2aWV3X3BvcHVwLnBocA==&show_big_img=1&img_file=i5mvxz81.gif

World Lithuanian Youth Association organise World Lithuanian Youth Summit on July, 12-15 at Society Harmony Park, Prienai, Lithuania. This is the first summit of world lithuanian youth since the declaration of independence.

World Lithuanian Youth Summit is the festival for youth which includes such topics like science, business, politics and culture. There will be tens of spaces where will be held different presentations, discussions and meetings. Every guest of the festival will be able to meet and talk with famous entrepreneurs, polititians, representatives of culture and science.

During the festival many world-famous artists will introduce their creative workshops where everybody will be able to create together. Participants will be able to watch movies, performances in the reacreation areas. There will be acoustic concerts and dance lessons, too.

More information: http://pljs2012.lt/

Seven honourees including Dr. Vladas Lasas will receive their Awards during a special ceremony on 7 May, taking place as part of the Oslo Business for Peace Summit in Oslo City Hall, Norway. Recipients were selected by The Award Giving Committee. For the 2012 Award, there were 90 nominees from 60 nations.

Dr. Vladas Lasas deserved this Award for helping drive awareness of how technology, cooperation and synergy can provide important solutions to pressing, global problems. His numerous involvements and initiatives all have as a common goal to bring together resources from a number of fields and disciplines, across established boundaries, in order to find ways to make the world a better place.

One of the best known his project of the social dialog is payment system „choose your own salary“ where each employee’s attitude and self-assessment is important.

During the evening global migration trends and their impact on Lithuania were discussed and various proposals were made like what kind of measures should be taken in response to the ongoing migration processes including the solution to the problem of dual citizenship, a more active immigration policy in Lithuania, improving local business environment and removing bureaucratic barriers, increasing the community of international English-speaking schools.

A round table discussion was moderated by the EU Special Representative in Afghanistan Vygaudas Usackas who emphasized that global migration processes have an inevitable effect in Lithuania, therefore, a way must be found to benefit from the “brain circulation” and to maintain the relations with Lithuanians who left Lithuania to seek their careers elsewhere, in effect, to compete for foreign talents and attract them to Lithuania. According to Vygaudas Usackas, it is essential for Lithuania to create the most favorable possible cultural, business and tax environment, so that “everyone would like to come and none would want to leave Lithuania”.

Nijole Kelpsaite, a Managing Partner of direct recruitment at “J. Friisberg & Partners”, expressed anxiety about the future of the labor market and the need for specialists if talent migration continues to move in the same direction. Looking at the moods of the returned Lithuanians, Nijole Kelpsaite is concerned that often the expectations of the returnees are unmet by the labor market’s needs and current opportunities provided by employers.

“The loss of educated young people today would make it more difficult to develop the future managers-leaders reserve. The United Kingdom market absorbs a significant number of potential professionals, therefore we have to respond and actively compete with this market, maintaining and recruiting young people in Lithuania and securing our resources for economic growth, “- said Nijole Kelpsaite.

Born and raised in Australia, a Lithuanian, Paulius Daugalis (Paul Daugalis) is currently working in Lithuania as a Senior Wealth Management Services Consultant at “SKF Central Eastern Europe” and he was surprised to find that Lithuania’s labor market participants perform well below average, highlighting that the expectations of those who return have to be closer to reality.

“In the international ratings of labor productivity, Lithuania takes the position near the bottom. In my opinion, the problems are the bureaucratic environment and excessive business regulation. However, the people who are determined to return to Lithuania, having acquired global experiences, good workplace practices, the “know-how” and new ideas will create a pressure for the local companies to keep up with the competition” – said Paul Daugalis.

British Ambassador to Lithuania David Hunt agreed that migration processes of countries seeking economic progress should be used as a global experience and innovation diffusion source. The ambassador emphasized that the new generation is mobile – people’s careers and lives are less and less connected to a single place. However, in rapid emigration processes it is especially important to focus on the immigration policy, which Lithuania is reluctant to address.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden Cecilia Ruthstrom-Ruin attended the event and she also agreed that Lithuania should get concerned about its immigration policy. Sweden has survived the largest emigration wave since the end of the nineteen century and is continually being supported because of the returned workforce.

Rokas Beresniovas, Vice President of HSBC Bank USA, left Lithuania 13 years ago to seek a career in the United States. Rokas underscored that Lithuanians can make a change in Lithuania even if they are abroad. However, it is important to concentrate on how to sustain a connection with the mother country.

“As one of the founders of the GLL professionals’ network, I seek to contribute to GLL as a way to develop a platform for a sustained connection. Of course political factors such as dual citizenship play a big role in maintaining the relationships with the globally living Lithuanians” – said Rokas Beresniovas.

The global migration trends and their impact on Lithuania were discussed by more than 150 guests, from successful Lithuanians working in the business, art and science fields as well as other guests from the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, India and other countries who share their interest in Lithuania.

The event was attended by foreign ambassadors residing in Lithuania and foreign leaders of international companies in Lithuania who live and work here. Event was sponsored by the law firm “Raidla Lejins & Norcous”.

Global Lithuanian Leaders | GLL (www.lithuanianleaders.org) – Lithuania’s global network that unites talented professionals and individuals affiliated to Lithuania. Our mission is to connect Lithuania with the rest of the world by building a network of global citizens who take an active interest in the future of our country.

More information:

Dalia Venslovaitė | „Global Lithuanian Leaders“ | dalia@lithuanianleaders.org | + 370 6 87 55886 | www.lithuanianleaders.org

The panelists included  Mr. Vygaudas Ušackas, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Ms. Nijolė Kelpšaitė, Managing Partner, J. Friisberg & Partners, Mr. Gintaras Steponavičius, Minister of Education of the Republic of Lithuania, H.E. Mr. David Hunt, British Ambassador to Lithuania, Mr. Paul Daugalis, Asset Management Services, Senior Consultant, SKF Central Eastern Europe, Mr. Rokas Beresniovas, HSBC Bank USA Vice President, GLL|Global Lithuanian Leaders Board Member.

The event gathered over 150 global minded professionals representing inspiring audience of international expatriates in Lithuania as well as Lithuanians that are temporary back from Cambridge, London, Washington, Brussels, Zurich and various destinations worldwide.

Photo Gallery

GLL | Global Lithuanian Leaders invites You to participate at the Spring Networking Night for global minded professionals on 5 April 2012 Thursday.
Doors open at  17.30 hours.

The event will include a panel discussion
„Global Migration of Talent. What does it mean to Lithuania?“ (starts at 18.00 hours) with
Mr. Vygaudas Ušackas, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan
Ms. Nijolė Kelpšaitė, Managing Partner, J. Friisberg & Partners
Mr. Gintaras Steponavičius, Minister of Education of the Republic of Lithuania
H.E. Mr. David Hunt, British Ambassador to Lithuania
Mr. Paul Daugalis, Asset Management Services, Senior Consultant, SKF Central Eastern Europe
Mr. Rokas Beresniovas, HSBC Bank USA Vice President, GLL|Global Lithuanian Leaders Board Member

Other inspiring audience of international expatriates in Lithuania as well as Lithuanian professionals that are temporary back from Cambridge, London, Washington, Brussels, Zurich and various destinations worldwide.

Registration is closed

Sponsored by:

Participants:

Learn about the subtleties of a dream career during an informal and personal consultation with international experts!

Over 100 mentors are ready to advise you – experts in Wall Street, London City Finance, Economics, Law, specialists in Marketing and Information Technologies from:

Organizers:

The previous night GLL Fellows had an opportunity to meet the successful author at the event organised by the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania.

Ruta was invited to join a Business Network of Global Executives and contribute to its development. Vladas Vitkauskas, leading Lithuanian mountaineer and photographer also joined the meeting to share his plans of global publishing and look for possible partnerships.

We would like to invite you to network and join the Preview of the selected Session of  TED 2012 Conference, taking place on 1 March 2012, Thursday at the restaurant “Value”, 16 Gynėjų str., Vilnius. Doors open at 18:00.

Don’t miss a chance to be the first to see what’s happening in Long Beach, mingle with GLL Fellows  and TED enthusiasts in Lithuania!

GLL and TEDx Vilnius will introduce an interaction between inspiring panelists, stories and great audience for networking.

We are very excited to offer you to follow the Preview of the selected session of the second TED 2012 day

18:30 – 20:15  Session 7: The City

This year TED celebrates the theme of Full Spectrum, which is a term adapted by the TED team and which means the rich use of multiple technologies formats and approaches for the most powerful possible impact on an audience. So be ready for blizzards of images, new uses of music, extravagant use of under-used senses, complex choreography between speaker and screen, and most importantly… people who have something remarkable to share in a remarkable way!

Entire TED conference will be held in English. Registration is available on Eventbrite. Space is limited. The timing is given according to the Lithuanian time (GMT+2).

Full program of TED 2012 is available here.

GLL and TEDxVilnius team is looking forward to see you!

TEDxLive is an extension of the TEDx program, launched by TED in 2010. TEDxLive events are TEDx events built around the live webcast of TED Conferences. TEDxLive events enable TED enthusiasts all over the world to experience live sessions of the TED Conference; events can be simple viewing events, and may also host live speakers.

You are kindly invited to meet  the best-selling American -Lithuanian author, recently rated at  Amazon’s Top 10 Best Young Adult Books 2011.

This is a  FREE event organized by the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania. The number of  participants is strictly limited.

Please register (Name, Surname, Organization, Position) via info@lithuanianianleaders.org  or + 370 687 55886 by 22 February 2012.

About

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they’ve known.

Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin’s orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously (and at great risk) documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.

Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.