Jacobs Signs Ukraine Business Compact

Jacobs joins companies around the world in signing the Ukraine Business Compact 2023 – a declarative statement of international business support for Ukraine’s recovery.

The Business Compact officially launches at this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC23) in London and mobilizes the international community to help secure Ukraine’s long-term economic future, including helping it to build back better, as a more resilient, greener and more prosperous European nation. URC23 focuses on the role of the private sector and the enablers required to drive investment as essential components of Ukraine’s long-term recovery. 

The Ukraine Business Compact gives leading businesses a platform to show their support for Ukraine’s recovery and its drive to modernize, building a resilient and agile economy as it emerges from conflict. The compact focuses on sustainable development, accelerating green transition and inclusive growth in accordance with international standards, regulations and best practice corporate governance.

Both Jacobs and leading innovation and transformation consulting firm PA Consulting will be participating in URC23, where Jacobs CEO Bob Pragada will address the conference on the importance of the private sector’s role in supporting Ukraine’s recovery, some of the likely challenges international firms will face in responding to Ukraine’s needs, and what needs to be done to overcome these.

“Signing this compact re-enforces Jacobs’ support for peace in Ukraine and its successful recovery and reconstruction efforts,” says Jacobs CEO Bob Pragada. “Strategic collaboration and sharing of best practices and capabilities are key areas that business can focus on in helping Ukraine on its journey with sustainable development, inclusive growth and a green transition.

“The private sector can play a central role in driving collaboration across stakeholders to bring the best of each to innovate, build capacity and ensure we are doing this with Ukraine, not to Ukraine. It requires long-term commitment and continuity from all, working in an open and honest culture that welcomes challenge and feedback to find better ways to help deliver the best outcomes.”

Held jointly by the U.K. and Ukraine, URC 2023 continues the series of annual events first launched in 2017. Last year’s conference in Lugano laid the foundation to unite efforts for the reconstruction process for Ukraine, and since then the international community has pledged significant emergency assistance. Broader mobilization of public and private sectors is now needed to meet the scale of stabilization and recovery needs.