As part of the Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce's "Young Entrepreneurs 2026" program, held this year under the theme "Build Back Better," Ambassador Oleksiy Gavrysh delivered an online lecture titled "From Resilience to Growth: Entrepreneurship in Times of War and Recovery".

The session brought together a diverse group of young entrepreneurs and professionals from Ukraine and Norway working across sectors that are central to Ukraine's recovery and long-term resilience.

Drawing on Ukraine's experience of keeping its economy running under full-scale war, Ambassador Gavrysh's key message was that resilience is a shared responsibility. "It is a big mistake to expect that the army alone can defend a country," he said, pointing instead to the agility of small business, reduced bureaucracy, digitalisation and, above all, trust built between businesses, authorities and teams before a crisis hits.

The Ambassador urged Ukrainian and Norwegian companies to treat contingency planning as seriously as military exercise, and to invest in their people as the true foundation of any business. "Factories can be rebuilt, machinery can be purchased, but people make the business," he noted.

Closing the lecture, the Ambassador invited Norwegian businesses to see Ukraine as a long-term partner: "Ukraine today is not just a battlefield. It is the future largest construction site in Europe - and the best time to build connections with Ukrainian businesses is now."