The III Lviv Human Capital Forum 2026 took place in Lviv: over 450 participants, new partnerships and solutions for developing human capital

On 30 October the III Lviv Human Capital Forum 2026 took place in Lviv — a large-scale event devoted to the development of human capital, the future of work, leadership and resilience. This year the forum brought together more than 450 participants — representatives of state authorities, local self-government, leading Ukrainian and international companies, educational institutions, the civil sector and the expert community.

The main theme of the forum was “Human Capital 2032: the city of human advantage”. The discussions centred on people, skills, responsible leadership, artificial intelligence, lifelong learning and the development of an environment in which every person can realise their potential.

The event, organised by the team of the Personnel Management Office of Lviv City Council, became for the third time a platform for exchanging experience, building partnerships and developing practical solutions for attracting, retaining and developing human capital.

This year’s forum was not only a venue for discussing global trends but also a space for taking decisions that will have a practical follow-up.

One of the key results was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between Lviv City Council and the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service (NAUCS).

The cooperation provides for the development of modern approaches to personnel management in the public sector, joint educational initiatives, professional development of managers and the exchange of effective HR practices.

In particular, it is about the possibility of scaling Lviv’s experience to the national level through joint training programmes, professional exchanges and educational opportunities.

For Lviv this is an important step in developing partnerships with state institutions and an opportunity not only to implement changes in its own HR system but also to help other communities develop modern approaches to managing people.

New partners have joined the Human Capital Resilience Charter

Another important result of the forum was the expansion of the community of signatories of the Human Capital Resilience Charter — an initiative that unites business, municipalities and civil society organisations around the principles of responsible treatment of people, talent development, inclusiveness and the creation of a resilient working environment.

This year five new organisations joined the Charter:

• the “Promprylad” charitable foundation;
• “Alterra Group”;
• the patent and legal firm ATILOG.UA;
• the public association “Art Export Cluster”;
• the Lviv Regional Union of Employers’ Organisations.

Lutsk City Council also joined the Charter, extending intermunicipal cooperation in the development of human capital.

These are not just new signatories but an expansion of a partner network that will jointly introduce modern approaches to people management, skills development, support for employee wellbeing and the creation of resilient organisations.

For Lviv this is one more step towards scaling the practices it has developed to the national level and strengthening the city’s role as a platform for developing human capital in Ukraine.

Representatives of government, business and international organisations on one platform

The opening of the forum was attended by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine Daria Marchak, representatives of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, and representatives of the Defence Forces of Ukraine.

The participation of Deputy Minister Daria Marchak was particularly important: she took part in the discussion on the development of human capital and cooperation between the state, business and municipalities. Her visit offered an additional opportunity to work out joint educational and managerial initiatives.

The discussions involved representatives of the National Bank of Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), EPAM Systems, SoftServe, DTEK, PrivatBank, Metinvest, OKKO, Kernel, Naftogaz, as well as leading Ukrainian universities and expert organisations.

The speakers of the forum included Daria Marchak, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine; Liudmyla Yeropkina, Director of the Personnel Department of the National Bank of Ukraine; Tetiana Petruk, Director for Sustainable Development and Employee Engagement of the Metinvest Group; Roman Borysenko, Head of the HR and Corporate Governance Directorate of PrivatBank; Anastasiia Frolova, Vice President and Manager of the SoftServe office in Ukraine; Natalia Shakhovska, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University.

The forum programme covered five key thematic areas: the development of the Human Capital Resilience Charter, the responsible use of artificial intelligence, lifelong learning, productivity and wellbeing of employees, and the future of leadership.

Special attention was paid to the future of work in the age of artificial intelligence. Participants discussed how technology is changing management, education and business, which competencies are becoming decisive and why people must remain at the centre of technological transformation.

An important part of the programme was the TED talk by Olesia Blazhevych — Senior Director, Head of People, Asia East & Pacific at EPAM Systems, a certified coach and wellbeing expert. The speaker presented the Japanese philosophy of ikigai as a tool for finding meaning and motivation and for creating a working environment in which people not only work but also grow.

Equally substantive were the discussions on lifelong learning as an investment in organisations’ competitiveness and on human energy as the basis of long-term productivity.

A space for partnerships and practical solutions

Besides the main programme, participants could explore the Human Capital Data Gallery and the Partner Marketplace — an interactive space that brought together business, educational institutions, civil society and veteran initiatives.

It showcased modern learning tools, simulators, educational solutions, and practices for skills development, first aid and veteran support.

This format allowed participants not only to discuss the development of human capital but also to see concrete tools that organisations, communities and employers can already use today.

More than UAH 200,000 for the defenders

An important part of the forum was a charity initiative in support of the “Lava” Unmanned Systems Regiment of the “Khartiia” Corps.

Thanks to the forum’s participants and partners, more than UAH 200,000 was raised for the unit’s needs.

Representatives of the regiment took part in the event, including Deputy Commander Andriy Romanchuk and Bohdan Mysiuha, who stressed the importance of preserving Ukraine’s human potential, responsible leadership and support for the military.

The charity component continued the key idea of the forum: human capital is, above all, about the value of human life, care, responsibility and joint action.

Lviv as a platform for developing human capital

Holding the III Lviv Human Capital Forum 2026 once again confirmed Lviv’s aspiration to be not only a city that introduces modern HR practices in municipal management but also a platform for spreading this experience to other communities in Ukraine.

Through partnerships with state institutions, business, universities and international organisations, the city is building an environment in which the development of people becomes a shared priority.

The main outcome of the forum is concrete agreements, new partnerships and joint initiatives that will continue to be implemented after the event is over.

The organiser is the Personnel Management Office of Lviv City Council.

Source: Lviv City Council (city-adm.lviv.ua), https://city-adm.lviv.ua/news/city/u-lvovi-vidbuvsia-iii-lviv-human-capital-forum-2026-ponad-450-uchasnykiv-novi-partnerstva-ta-rishennia-dlia-rozvytku-liudskoho-kapitalu/