Working Visit of Khrystyna Sayenko to the United States: From International Dialogue to Practical Cooperation

From 8 to 28 September 2026, Khrystyna Sayenko made a working and familiarization visit to the United States of America, which continued the international dialogue initiated a year earlier during the Ukraine Reconstruction Summit in Washington. Khrystyna represented the International Anti-Corruption Assembly and also participated in the visit as one of the founders of the International Charitable Help Corporation.
The twenty-day trip combined working meetings, professional networking, familiarization with American experience, and cultural and historical visits. The main areas of focus were the further development of international partnerships in the field of charitable activities, support for communities, and the development of the “Territory Without Corruption” project.

From Washington 2025 to New Working Contacts

A year earlier, in September 2025, during the Ukraine Reconstruction Summit in Washington, Khrystyna Sayenko represented the International Anti-Corruption Assembly and the “Territory Without Corruption” project. The presentation of the project at that time marked the beginning of new international contacts. Over the following year, communication, discussions on opportunities for cooperation, and information exchange took place regarding areas in which Ukrainian civil society and charitable initiatives could interact with international partners.
The invitation extended to Khrystyna Sayenko to visit the United States in September 2026 became one of the practical continuations of this dialogue. The visit was no longer solely representational in nature, but also had a working component.

First Steps – in New York

The first city on the American itinerary was New York.
For a representative of organizations whose activities are connected with the development of democracy, human freedom, civil society, and international cooperation, a visit to the Statue of Liberty was particularly symbolic. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States and a reminder of the values of freedom, human dignity, and an open society.
The visit to the Statue of Liberty was not simply a tourist episode of the trip. It naturally formed part of the overall concept of the visit – getting to know the country through its history, social values, people, and practical experience.

Working Meetings and International Partnership

During her stay in the United States, Khrystyna visited several states and cities, where working and familiarization programmes were combined. The meetings focused on opportunities for further cooperation in two interconnected areas.
The first was the development of charitable and humanitarian initiatives aimed at supporting people, communities, and social projects.
The second was the further development of the “Territory Without Corruption” project, which the International Anti-Corruption Assembly views as a practical instrument for creating a transparent environment for the development of territorial communities, attracting partners and investment.
The distinctive feature of the current stage is that the focus is no longer limited to presenting Ukrainian initiatives. It is also about direct engagement with the American environment, establishing personal contacts, exploring opportunities for interaction, and seeking practical formats for future partnership.

Ukrainian Experience in International Dialogue

For the International Anti-Corruption Assembly, it is important that Ukrainian experience should not remain solely a domestic asset. Therefore, international visits are viewed not only as an opportunity to present Ukrainian projects, but also to listen, learn, and adapt international experience.
In this context, “Territory Without Corruption” is a project that can become a subject of professional dialogue among civil society organizations, representatives of local communities, charitable organizations, businesses, and potential international partners. Its further development is connected not only with the anti-corruption agenda. The project addresses a broader issue – creating an environment in which transparency, accountability, and trust become components of the economic and social development of territories.

Charity as International Responsibility

A separate area of the visit was connected with the activities of the International Charitable Help Corporation.
The Ukrainian experience of recent years has demonstrated how important international partnerships are for supporting people and communities affected by the consequences of war. Therefore, one of the objectives of the trip was to explore opportunities for further international cooperation in the charitable sector, discuss potential areas of cooperation, and establish contacts that could develop into practical initiatives in the future.
For charitable activities, trust, openness, and personal responsibility are particularly important. It is on these principles that the Corporation’s international dialogue is being built.

America Through the Eyes of a Partner, Not Merely a Guest

Twenty days in the United States provided an opportunity to see the country not only through tourist routes. The states of New York, Kansas, Nevada, Arizona, Missouri, and other destinations along the itinerary became parts of a broader programme aimed at learning about American society, its people, culture, organizations, and approaches to civic and charitable activities.
Combining working meetings with cultural and historical visits made it possible to develop a much broader understanding of the country and the environment with which Ukrainian organizations seek to build long-term partnerships.

From Getting Acquainted to the Next Stage

The September visit of Khrystyna Sayenko to the United States was not the conclusion of a particular stage. On the contrary, it became another step in the development of international contacts that had been forming over the previous year.
From Washington in 2025 to the working visit in 2026, an entire year of communication, introductions, discussions, and exploration of opportunities for practical cooperation had passed. The next step should be to translate the contacts established into concrete forms of interaction – joint projects, partnership programmes, humanitarian initiatives, and further international presentation of Ukrainian experience.

For the International Anti-Corruption Assembly and the International Charitable Help Corporation, the principal outcome of such international visits is not simply the fact of being present abroad.
What matters most is building trust, finding like-minded partners, exchanging experience, and gradually turning international communication into real cooperation. This is how partnership is built – step by step, personal contact by personal contact, from the first introduction to joint action.

September 2026 became another such step.