Policy advice in times of war: a conversation with Ukrainian thinktankers

Hosted by Think Tank Lab and the German-Ukrainian Researchers Network, Germany

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is Europe’s first major war in decades. Normal life has been put on hold, cities have been destroyed and millions of people have had to flee their homes or take up arms. In this session we ask leading Ukrainian thinktankers: What does the war mean for think tanks in Ukraine? How do they work under these circumstances? What role do they play in the domestic and international political response to the war, and in documenting war crimes? And what kind of support do they need from the international think tank community?

Speakers:

• Claire Luzia Leifert, DGAP’s Impact & Innovation Lab, Germany
• Ivan Verbytskyi, CEDOS, Ukraine
• Laura Christoph, German-Ukrainian Researchers Network, Germany
• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Human Rights Defender, Ukraine
• Yuriy Yakymenko, Razumkov Centre, Ukraine

Key takeaways:

• The role of Ukrainian think tanks in the war so far has been: working with refugees, supporting the relationship between the Ukrainian government and civil society, and facilitating cooperation with international justice actors.
• Ukrainian thinktankers have resumed work, and one of their most important tasks now is to be an advocate for the observance of human rights during the crisis and to ensure the involvement of international justice.