Video Message at the Conference "A Labour Market with Potential": Ambassador Melanne Verveer Congratulates the Safavi Impact Institute
- Jun 3
- 2 min read
The conference "Arbeitsmarkt mit Potenzial" (A Labour Market with Potential), held on 1 June 2026, was both a presentation of new research findings and a celebration of three years of work by the Safavi Impact Institute in Vienna. Since 2023, the Institute has supported highly qualified Ukrainian women on their path into the Austrian labour market, providing language training, career coaching, mentoring and psychological support.
For this occasion, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Director of the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, recorded a personal video message. The message was presented on the main stage during the conference.
Ambassador Verveer is one of the world's most respected voices on the economic empowerment of women. Her message is addressed to the Institute's clients, to the Safavi founding family, and to everyone working to ensure that qualification and opportunity find each other.
Hello, I'm Ambassador Melanne Verveer, and I direct the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security. And I'm so pleased to send my congratulations to all of you gathered for the three year Impact Conference.
I want to salute the generous commitment of the Safavi family, the exceptional leaders of the Safavi Impact Institute, and the very qualified women who have been displaced from war-torn Ukraine, and who have been provided, thanks to the institute, with the training, language proficiency, mentoring, networking, and comprehensive support that each of them needs to qualify for job opportunities and to succeed in the Austrian market.
I know that some of the participants in the program have also been eager to start their own businesses, and you too have received the training to become successful entrepreneurs, and to learn what is needed in Austria, from becoming knowledgeable about business regulations and finance to growing a market and learning business practices.
You know, economic opportunity is critical, and it is fundamentally the work of this institute. None of you anticipated being displaced from Ukraine, but the terrible war and the toll it took made it impossible for you to stay, and for those of you with children to ensure their well-being and their welfare. You had professional careers. Some of you are English speakers. You have excellent educations, yet with even your talents, your experiences, and your competencies, you learned how hard it is to find a job in another country that is commensurate with your own backgrounds, your own experiences, and education levels.
Enter the Safavi Impact Institute and its response to a critical need. I remember Francesco Safavi telling me about the institute, and not long after, I met virtually with the Institute leadership and some of the Ukrainian women. It was an inspiring conversation to hear about the goals of the Institute and to learn especially about its impact from the Ukrainian women who were benefiting from the programs. They were at once innovative programs and practical and particularly responsive to the needs of women, women who today succeed in the Austrian job market.
So, felicitations and Godspeed. Congratulations and best wishes.
