Maxim Timchenko: UN SDGs - Guidelines for the Development of Ukrainian Business

Academy DTEK hosted the first meeting of the UN Global Compact in Ukraine’s Supervisory Board. The Board aims to highlight organisations and companies that are guided by sustainable development in their activities, in order to inspire other Ukrainian businesses. During the meeting, an overview of the work undertaken in the preceding twelve months was presented, while the lack of progress in achieving the UN SDGs in Ukraine was also discussed.

Our future depends on understanding the values promoted by the UN Global Compact in Ukraine. That is why it is critical that a wider range of Ukrainian companies join this movement in order to jointly achieve the SDGs.

“The world is changing and the responsibility for the future lies not only with the state or politicians, but also with business. The UN SDGs should become a valuable and practical guideline for the further development of companies in Ukraine”, stressed Maxim Timchenko, DTEK CEO and member of the UN Global Compact in Ukraine’s Supervisory Board. He added, “DTEK is ready to provide its expertise in matters related to sustainable development and share its own experience. We will only achieve or global climate goals if we work as a collective”.

In 2007, DTEK was one of the first companies in Ukraine to join the UN Global Compact and integrate the 12 UN Sustainable Development Goals into its ESG strategy. The company strives to meet the broader interests of society. Accordingly, DTEK, with regards to sustainable development, aims to reduce the environmental impact, promote a more rational use of resources, improve industrial safety and maintain the health of personnel, ethical business conduct and compliance with anti-corruption standards, as well as an open dialogue with society and employees. DTEK regularly reports on the progress it makes on its commitments under each of its four main ESG pillars: environment, human rights, anti-corruption and labor relations.

“It is possible to promote sustainable development through individual companies, but it is a cumbersome job. It is much easier to work in a collaborative environment, in a sustainable ecosystem. The Supervisory Board of the UN Global Compact in Ukraine helps create the needed conditions to communicate the commercial importance for adopting SDGs, which in turn has allowed our network to grow”, said Tatiana Sakharuk, Director General of the UN Global Compact Network in Ukraine.

The UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate social responsibility initiative. The Ukrainian chapter is the official representative of the UN Global Compact network in the country and it serves as a platform for dialogue between businesses, investors, the public, local councils and the national government.