First Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of Finland, Nobel laureates, scholars, and thinkers from more than 10 countries – Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Tunisia, and Poland – delivered lectures and held meetings in Ukrainian educational and cultural institutions as part of the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, initiated by First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
“This year our Summit is dedicated to education that changes the world. And therefore to the question of how to change education itself: in addition to new technologies, it must also include humanity, skills of empathy, and dialogue,” said Olena Zelenska.
The program spanned five Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Ostroh, and Dnipro – and 18 locations, including 12 universities, the National Art Museum, the National Academy of Sciences, two schools, and two kindergartens. Altogether, more than 2,000 students, educators, and researchers attended lectures and meetings.
Among other institutions, lectures were also held at the temporarily relocated Mariupol State University and Kherson State University.
Denmark’s First Gentleman Bo Tengberg spoke at Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television on the impact of film education on a culture of peace. Estonia’s First Lady Sirje Karis delivered a lecture at the National Art Museum of Ukraine on educational initiatives in museums. Lithuania’s First Lady Diana Nausėdienė spoke at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv on access to quality education for all.
Summit participants also visited institutions rebuilt with the support of their countries: Austria’s First Lady Doris Schmidauer visited the “Znayko” Kindergarten in Irpin; Germany’s First Lady Elke Büdenbender visited Specialized School No. 40 with advanced study of German and Kindergarten No. 334; and Finland’s First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb visited Kyiv School No. 96.
President of Finland Alexander Stubb delivered an open lecture at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv titled “On the Path to a New World Order: Values, Interests, and Power in Foreign Policy.”
Three Nobel Prize laureates also joined the educational program. Sir Paul Nurse (United Kingdom) spoke at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute; Shirin Ebadi (Iran) spoke at the National University of Ostroh Academy; and Ouided Bouchamaoui (Tunisia) spoke at Dnipro University of Technology.
Other participants included professors of leading world universities, historians, and researchers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the United States, and France. The lecture topics covered current issues in science, human rights, history, innovation, and inclusive education.
“I am grateful to the Summit’s experts, Nobel laureates, scholars, and thinkers who, through their work, shape both knowledge and a culture of dialogue. It is precisely such a culture that builds durable peace and recovery. We can all contribute to education. And we can all contribute to humanity. And it is very important to combine the two,” noted Olena Zelenska.
