Creative Associates International joined the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building civic, commercial and cultural ties between the two countries.
Leland Kruvant, President & CEO of Creative, says he is looking forward to working with the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council and the members dedicated to rebuilding a country that have been withstanding an invasion for over seven years.
“I was recently in Kyiv and saw up close both the brutal destruction caused by the Russian invasion and the unity of the Ukrainian people as they come together to move their country forward,” Kruvant says. “When talking with leaders of Ukrainian civil society, elected officials and the private sector, I was inspired with their unwavering commitment of ‘winning the war, winning the future.’”
Creative is joining the Council as part of its commitment to a future built on partnership and collaboration with the private sector, nonprofits, civil society and educational institutions. The Council has a global membership of more than 230 organizations, including Halo Trust, the American Councils for International Education, Archer Daniels Midland, Bayer US, Cargill and CNFA.
Creative has successfully worked in conflict, post-conflict, fragile states and peacebuilding for almost 40 years by closely collaborating and partnering with local organizations and positive actors. Creative recognizes that the private sector will play a strategic role in reactivation and recovery as well as scaling long-term growth and sustainability.
“True changemakers in conflict and post-conflict environments are the people living in these communities,” Kruvant says. “Creative has and continues to work in some of the most challenging locations and we have seen time and time again that a focus on communities is key to a country’s transition from conflict to peace.”
The U.S.-Ukraine Business Council was established in October 1995 to advance U.S. companies’ trade and investment interests in Ukraine’s significant emerging market, advocate for measures to improve conditions for bilateral trade and investment and generally promote strong, friendly bilateral ties. The U.S.-Ukraine Business Council is incorporated in the District of Columbia as a 501(c)6 non-profit trade association.