Event Date: September 20, 2023 - 2:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: FSS 4007

Presented by CIPS and GSPIA

CIPS invites you to join us for an insightful and thought-provoking roundtable discussion at the University of Ottawa, as we delve into the multifaceted dimensions of the ongoing war in Ukraine. This event will bring together an exceptional panel of prestigious experts to examine the war’s complex dynamics, wide-ranging effects and future prospects.

Event Overview: As the conflict in Ukraine continues to evolve, its global significance cannot be understated. The war, which has already led to economic, security, and humanitarian crises in the region, is causing wide-ranging spillover effects globally, and poses serious challenges and risks to the rules-based international order. This roundtable aims to foster a nuanced understanding of the conflict’s current dynamics, multifaceted effects and potential future scenarios. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with experts and fellow attendees in a thoughtful exploration of one of the most complex and dangerous conflicts of our time.

This event will take place in English.

Speakers:

Kerry Buck was, until recently, Assistant Secretary, Economic Sector at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Prior to that appointment, she was Canada’s Ambassador to the North Atlantic Council (NATO). She held senior executive positions at Global Affairs Canada: Political Director and Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security and Political Affairs; Assistant Deputy Minister portfolios for Africa and for Latin America and the Caribbean; head of the Afghanistan Task Force; Director General for the Middle East and Maghreb, for Afghanistan and for Public Diplomacy and Federal-Provincial Affairs; Director for Human Rights. Outside of GAC, Kerry served, among other positions, in the Privy Council Office as Director of Operations for Machinery of Government Secretariat responsible for Cabinet and Ministerial mandates. Kerry holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario (BA Hons, Political Science) and McGill University (LLB, BCL).

Dr. Melita Gabrič – Ambassador of the European Union to Canada. Ambassador Gabrič began her tenure at the helm of the Delegation of the European Union to Canada on 1 February 2021, after serving as Ambassador of Slovenia to Canada since 2018. Ambassador Gabrič holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and has extensive experience in both bilateral and multilateral international relations. Prior to her Canadian assignment, she served as Slovenia’s Director of Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid. Previously she served as Diplomatic Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister as well as to the President of Slovenia. Ambassador Gabrič was also the Secretary General of the Bled Strategic Forum and led the Slovenian national process on business and human rights. She held the position of Senior Advisor on Human Rights to two Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She was also the Consul General of Slovenia in New York. The Ambassador speaks Slovene, English, French, and Serbian/Croatian. She enjoys jogging, downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as skating. She has a keen appreciation of contemporary art, literature, and design, and savours the beautiful natural landscapes and the rich cultural offerings of Canada.

Yuliya Kovaliv – Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada. Ambassador Kovaliv has almost ten years of experience in executive positions in public administration and Ukraine’s investment promotion. Prior to joining the Embassy Ambassador Kovaliv held the position of the Deputy Head of Office of the President of Ukraine in charge of economic policy development and IFIs coordination. She also served as the Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board of National State-Owned oil&gas company “Naftogaz of Ukraine” (2019-2021), the Deputy Secretary of the National Investment Council of Ukraine under the President Ukraine and the Member of the National Reform Council. In 2017- 2019 Ambassador Kovaliv served as the Head of the Office of the National Investment Council of Ukraine under the President of Ukraine, advisory platform, which included global business leaders and IFIs, where she was in charge of investment promotion, policy dialog and FDI attraction. In 2015 – 2016 Ambassador Kovaliv served as the First Deputy Minister for Economic Development and Trade overseeing reforms of privatisation, corporate governance of state-owned enterprises, investment policy, liberalization of the energy sector and IP. In 2016-217 she served as a Chairwomen of a newly-launched Supervisory Board of National State-Owned oil&gas company “Naftogaz of Ukraine”, aimed to bring governance of the biggest state-owned company to the OECD standards, open access to global financial markets and strengthen Ukraine’s energy security. In 2014-2015 Ambassador Kovaliv served as the Commissioner of the National Regulatory Commission for Energy and Utilities.  She holds a Master of Economics from the National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” and a Master of Public Administration from the National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine.

Bogdan Mănoiu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Canada. Between  2011-2014, he served as Presidential Adviser for European Affairs, and from 2009 to 2011, he served as Head of the Government’s Department of European Affairs, ranking Minister. In 2011 he served as Secretary of State in the Ministry of European Affairs. In the Presidential Administration, he served as State Adviser for European Affairs from February 2009 until his appointment as head of the Government’s Department of European Affairs. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he held the positions of Deputy Director of the Directorate of Western Europe (2002-2004), Director of the Directorate of Western Europe and Central Europe (2004-2005), Director of the Directorate of the Western Balkans and Regional Cooperation (2005), Deputy Director of the Directorate of Development Assistance (2008 –2009). Between February and September 2017, he served as Secretary of State with the Minister Delegate for European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From December 2017 to October 11, 2018, he served as the Special Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Centennial of Romania’s Great Union. He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, in 1993. He obtained a master’s degree in communication from University “Titu Maiorescu” in 2008 and completed the master’s degree in European and Romanian Policy of the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Bucharest, in 2009.

Sabine Sparwasser – Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Canada. Sabine studied political science with a focus on foreign relations at the Institut d’études politiques in Paris following her studies of German, French as well as English literature and linguistics at the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz. Before embarking on her diplomatic career, Sabine Sparwasser worked as a freelance journalist for German television and was Research Assistant on European integration to Professor Joseph Rovan in Paris. She was posted to the German EC-Representation in Brussels, the German Embassies in London and San José. She also served as Consul General in Toronto. At headquarters, she held various positions in the press, public relations and political sections of the German Federal Foreign Office before assuming the role of Deputy Spokesperson at the Ministry. She later served as Director of the Middle East and Maghreb Division and as Head of the Foreign Service Academy. Before coming to Canada, she was Assistant Deputy Minister for Africa, Asia, Latin America, Near and Middle East and also Germany’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since 2017, Sabine Sparwasser is Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Canada.

Lillian Thomsen retired from Canada’s public service in 2016 as Director General and Dean of the Canadian Foreign Service Institute. She served abroad in Warsaw (Poland), in Moscow and as Consul General of Canada in Saint Petersburg (Russia), at the Canadian delegation to the United Nations, and at the Canadian High Commission in London. In Ottawa, at Global Affairs Canada, she held a number of positions, including Director of Media Relations, Corporate Secretary and Director General of Executive Services. Lillian has been actively engaged in the community with a focus on education and health, including mental health issues, serving on various boards and as an active volunteer. She completed a maximum nine years on the Board of Governors of The Ottawa Hospital in 2019, including two terms as Vice-Chair. She is the Editor-in-Chief of “bout de papier”, the Canadian Foreign Service’s magazine. She provides consulting and coaching services in the public and not-for-profit sectors. Lillian graduated from the University of Toronto with a double honours B.A. in History and Economics.

Kynan Walper is former Infantry Officer in the Canadian Forces where he completed a combat tour in Kandahar Afghanistan. He also served as a Police Officer in the greater Toronto Area for 10 years before retiring to pursue a career in the private sector. When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban August 2021, Kynan was a lead coordinator for dozens of safe house and clandestine evacuations leading to several thousand Afghans making it to safety. In February 2022, Kynan headed to Ukraine where he became involved in evacuation efforts within the country. He continues to be engaged in operations inside of Ukraine, having attended there dozens of times since the start of the Russian invasion and occupation. Kynan holds a B.A. in Psychology from York University and is presently completing a Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management at Boston University. He currently serves as the CEO of Ghost Risk Management.

Chair:

Dr. Alexandra Gheciu is the Director of CIPS and a Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.