UNIC Forum 2025: Integrity and Transparency as the Foundation of Sustainable Investment
The UNIC Forum 2025 “Integrity and Transparency: The Path to Sustainable Investment” has concluded, serving as the key event of the Month of Business Integrity. The forum focused on how reputation, responsible business practices, transparency, and accountability influence Ukraine’s investment attractiveness — particularly in times of political and economic uncertainty.
The first panel discussion, “Political Risk Insurance: A Tool for Attracting Investment into Transparent Business,” addressed how political risk insurance helps Ukrainian companies recover and grow during wartime, reducing financial risks and opening new opportunities for investment. A central theme was the role of business integrity in ensuring the resilience of this mechanism, building partner and investor trust, and delivering long-term economic impact.
The second panel, “Energy Transparency: Accountability as a Key to Investment in Extraction and Energy,” focused on strategically important sectors. In the context of war and post-war recovery, transparency and accountability in energy and extractive industries are critical for sustainable economic growth and Ukraine’s European integration. Panelists discussed the main challenges and necessary steps to establish an open and competitive market.
"Ukraine faces two paths: either a return to post-Soviet business models — with corruption schemes, conflicts of interest, and high reputational risks — or moving forward as a modern European country where integrity and transparency are the new norm," emphasized Antonina Prudko, Head of the UNIC Secretariat.
A highlight of the forum was the UNIC Award for Business Reputation and Integrity ceremony — the first recognition in Ukraine of corporate projects that systematically implement transparency, accountability, and compliance standards beyond declarative commitments. This represents a new reputational signal for the market and a call to Ukrainian businesses to replicate such best practices.
The winners of the UNIC Award 2025 were:
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AB InBev Efes Ukraine — Development of Integrity-Driven Teams
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Kyivstar — Resilient Integrity
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Avrora Multimarket — Promotion of Business Integrity
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Ukrzaliznytsia — Special Jury Recognition, Grand Prix of the Award
While the external narrative about Ukraine too often still focuses on corruption, it is concrete examples of transparent decision-making, ethical governance, and responsible business that have the power to change this perception.
More on the panel conclusions, key insights, and award-winning projects of the UNIC Forum 2025 will be shared in our upcoming publications.
The event was made possible with the financial support of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) — the leading anti-corruption program in Ukraine, funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
