B4Ukraine is a global coalition of civil society organizations driven by a common goal: to block access to the economic resources behind Russian aggression. We aim to restore the peace and security of Ukraine by asking responsible businesses to respect human rights in word and in deed and #ExitRussia to #StopFundingTheWar in Ukraine.

You can find a full list of the Coalition members here

Mission and Declaration

Our coalition is driven by a common purpose outlined in our Declaration: to block access to the economic resources behind the Russian aggression.

Three years since the full-scale invasion, more than 2000 international companies continue their operations in Russia. At this stage, there are no more ambiguities. Companies who continue to trade in or with Russia are contributing to its war efforts through the taxes they pay, the supply chains they support and the technologies they provide. Those who remain risk complicity in Russia’s assault on Ukraine and its war crimes. They must act now to place themselves on the right side of history and commit to leave Russia.

We call for an accelerated and sustained exit of foreign businesses from the Russian market! We urge companies that have already suspended their business operations in Russia to stand by those commitments until the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored and accountability is imposed for war crimes and the destruction of infrastructure.

Governance

Our Coalition is an initiative with a growing list of partners and an evolving governance framework. It is effectively led by its core active members on a voluntary basis. Managed by a Steering Committee that takes decisions by consensus, we also have several working groups, responsible for business engagement, communications, and analytics, providing guidance and expertise in their respective fields and contributing to our overarching goals and objectives.

Steering Committee members

Simon Papuashvili is the Program Director at the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR). He joined the IPHR’s Brussels team in 2012, initially serving as a project coordinator responsible for managing projects with partner organizations. In 2017, he became Program Director, a role in which he now oversees program development and management alongside IPHR’s Director. Simon has actively promoted human rights in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Russia for over a decade. A practicing lawyer since 2001, he worked for the Georgian government from 2004 to 2006, coordinating prison reform initiatives and representing Georgia before the European Court of Human Rights. As a program director, Simon is responsible for programmatic development, fundraising, and partnership management in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Russia. He also oversees IPHR’s fact-finding work in conflict and crisis contexts.

Nataliia Popovych is a civic activist, international communications expert and entrepreneur, founder of One Philosophy, a communications and management consultancy, and WeAreUkraine.info, a repository of truth about Russia-Ukrainian war and a global engagement and advocacy platform for promoting the Ukrainian resilience. Natalia has been at the forefront of Ukraine’s efforts to counter the Russian hybrid warfare since 2014. She is a co-founder of Ukraine Crisis Media Center, one of the leading NGOs in Ukraine countering Russia’s disinformation established after the Revolution of Dignity.

Olena Tregub is the executive director at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO). She is a fellow at the Atlantic Council, a leading U.S. think tank on international affairs. She is also a part of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers network. Tregub is a graduate of the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy, the Central European University and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Bennett Freeman previously served as Senior Vice President for Social Research and Policy of the Calvert Group, leading the social, environmental and governance research, analysis, policy and advocacy work of the largest family of socially responsible mutual funds in the U.S. based in Bethesda MD. Bennett Freeman served in three positions as a Clinton presidential appointee in the State Department, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor from 1999 to early 2001 with responsibility for bilateral human rights diplomacy.

Valeriya Melnichuk is the Senior Vice President at Highgate. Valeriya is a strategy consultant and has advised corporate and sovereign clients on disputes, debt restructuring, ESG and special situations management. She has advised the governments of Lebanon, Ukraine and Zambia. She headed the Ukrainian Finance Ministry’s communications team in 2017-2018 and dealt with a wide range of issues, including defending the Ministry against reputational attacks, reform communications campaigns, litigation cases as well as Ukraine’s return to international financial markets. She previously worked as a BBC journalist and policy researcher based in Kyiv. She has also worked with international organisations and their economic development programs in Central Asia. She has a master’s degree in development studies from the University of Cambridge and a BA in political science with a minor in public law from Bard College, NY.

Svitlana Romanko is a founder and director of Razom We Stand. She is a prominent Ukrainian campaigner, movement strategist, and climate activist, who launched and coordinated the Stand With Ukraine campaign to ban all imports of fossil fuels from Russia, end the war in Ukraine, and hasten a clean energy transition across the globe. Dr. Romanko holds a doctorate in Environmental Law, Climate Change Law, Climate Governance, and Climate Policy. Previously, she worked for 350.org, Green Deal projects in Eastern Europe and for the Laudato Si Movement.

Eka Iakobishvili is a Senior Program Officer at the Open Society Foundations. Previously she worked as a human rights analyst at Harm Reduction International. She previously worked for Penal Reform International South Caucasus office as a regional program manager, and for the PRI International Headquarters in London. She has been involved in criminal justice reform in post- Soviet countries and has conducted research on human rights and criminal justice cross-cutting issues. Eka holds a law degree from Tbilisi State University and LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex, UK.

Join us

If you want to become a supporter or fund a particular stream of work of the coalition, please contact us at [email protected].

Organizations that wish to become endorsers of our Declaration are welcome to do so by contacting us at [email protected].

Companies that wish to make the commitments outlined in our Declaration should e-mail [email protected].