The inaugural meeting was dedicated to the empowerment of women and women’s leadership.

Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly welcomed the new initiative that will help to highlight Ukraine’s important role for American society, as it fights for freedom and democracy. Head of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Relations Hanna Hopko spoke at the event about Ukraine’s fight against the Russian aggression in Donbas and on the domestic front in order to eradicate corrupt legacy of the past and implement transformations.

Special feature of the event was a discussion with U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues (2009-2013), Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security Melanne Verveer and a presentation of her book “Fast Forward: How Woman Can Achieve Power and Purpose.” She shared her experience advocating for women’s rights and women’s empowerment in different parts of the world in her various capacities at the White House, the Department of State, NGOs and academia.

“You can’t even imagine how far a woman can go if she is empowered and the difference she can make for all of society,” said Melanne Verveer. She also emphasized the wide set of entrepreneurial skills that women possess: “Women’s participation is crucial to economic growth”.

The House of Ukraine project was initiated by Ukrainian-American activists Alexa Chopivsky and Ali Chalupa to raise Ukraine’s visibility in the U.S.