We were excited to host a virtual discussion with H.E. Andriy Shevchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada on June 30th at 2 PM ET! Watch it on YouTube here.
The focused on Canada-Ukraine relations, security interests, transatlantic relations and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also touched upon many other interesting subjects!
Prior to the diplomatic appointment, Mr. Shevchenko had accomplished an outstanding career in politics and media. He is also well known in Ukraine as a civil activist and a human rights defender.
At the beginning of his media career in the 1990s, Mr. Shevchenko worked as a Kyiv-based correspondent for the Edmonton-based newspaper ‘The Ukrainian News’. A seasoned journalist, he was one of the founders of Ukrainian 5th Channel, the first 24/7 news channel in Ukraine, and in 2004 he was a face of the Orange Revolution for TV audience. Prior to that, Andriy Shevchenko was a leader of the journalists’ movement against censorship. In 2002 he became the first chairman of Kyiv Independent Media Union. In 2005 he received the Press Freedom Award from ‘Reporters Without Borders’ (Vienna).
Mr. Shevchenko started a successful political career after that. He won seats in the Ukrainian Parliament 3 times (in 2006, 2007, 2012). In 2006-12 he served as the Chairman of the Free Speech Committee, the youngest ever Committee Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament. In 2012-14 he served as the 1st Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Committee.
Mr. Shevchenko is a sponsor of 60 legislative acts, adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament. That includes the Law on Access to Information – a cornerstone of the Ukrainian anti-corruption legislature.
In 2013-14 Mr. Shevchenko was an active participant of the EuroMaidan protests. He was deeply involved in organizing peaceful demonstrations and protection of the protesters from the brutal violence by the police and legal repressions by the authorities.
Prior to the appointment to Canada Andriy Shevchenko served as the Chief of the Party of the USAID-financed RADA Program.
He graduated from Kyiv Shevchenko University (1999). He was a Yale World Fellow (2008), a Draper Hills Fellow at Stanford (2009), and a John Smith Fellow in the UK (2013).
Mr. Shevchenko and his wife Hanna Homonai have two daughters.
