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UNESCO Chair DRR&RE Welcomes Ukrainian Delegation to UCL East
12 May 2026
The UNESCO Chair DRR&RE and the Office of the Vice-Provost Strategy welcomed the delegation from the Ukrainian State Tax University, Building Forward Ukraine and Stantec to showcase the UCL East experience and exchange knowledge on resilient design and operations
On 30 April, the UNESCO Chair in Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Engineering (DRR&RE) and the Office of the Vice-Provost Strategy at University College London co-hosted a visit by a 23 strong delegation from the Ukrainian State Tax University, Building Forward Ukraine and Stantec to the UCL Marshgate Building at UCL East as part of a wider study tour across Great Britain held from 25 April to 2 May 2026.
The visit formed part of an international effort to support the recovery and future redevelopment of the State Tax University (STU) in Irpin, Ukraine. Located near Kyiv, STU was heavily damaged during the early stages of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the city of Irpin experienced widespread destruction. The university plays a central role in civic education and public administration in Ukraine, and its reconstruction represents an important step in the country’s broader recovery process.
The delegation visited UCL East to explore contemporary approaches to the design of higher education facilities, campus operations, and educational environments that could help inform the future redevelopment of the STU campus. Delegates met with Prof. Paola Lettieri, Vice Provost Strategy, Helen Fisher, Director of Operations, and Prof. Dina D'Ayala, UNESCO Chair, to learn about the vision behind UCL East and its delivery, the co-creation of interdisciplinary learning spaces, their operational management, and the role of resilient and inclusive educational infrastructure.
The discussions highlighted the importance of universities not only as centres of learning, but also as civic and social anchors that contribute to long-term community resilience, sustainability and recovery. The delegation also had the opportunity to tour the Marshgate Building and learn more about UCL’s approach to collaborative teaching, research, and student engagement.
The UNESCO Chair DRR&RE is honoured to contribute to initiatives supporting knowledge exchange and international collaboration for the recovery and rebuilding of educational infrastructure in Ukraine.
Below are some pictures of the visit:
