The choice of this year’s theme for the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen – “Education Shaping the World” – was particularly successful and timely. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska said this in her closing speech at the end of the event.
“Education is something that concerns everyone. We all saw this. Today we clearly agreed that quality modern education includes not only academic knowledge and skills but also emotional intelligence, humanism, and an open worldview,” she emphasised.
The President’s wife stressed that modern life proves: for humanity to survive and endure, education and the best human qualities must go hand in hand and develop together.
Global Communication Campaign “Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy”
Following the Summit, the First Lady of Ukraine, together with her counterparts from other countries, announced the launch of a global communication campaign in support of education – “Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy.” The campaign was created in partnership with UNICEF and Banda.
The campaign will be rolled out in many countries and aims to encourage leaders, educators and citizens to regard education not only as a right, but also as the most effective tool for building a peaceful, ethical and sustainable future.
Support for the Fifth Summit and its outcomes was expressed by the First Ladies and Gentlemen who took part in it: the First Ladies of Austria, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia and Serbia, the First Gentleman of Denmark, as well as the First Ladies of Poland, Belize, Guatemala, Türkiye and Sweden, who joined the Summit online.
Everyone is invited to take part in the campaign and contribute to promoting this important cause. More details are available on the Summit website: summitflg.org/summit-2025-campaign-2.
Educational Lesson “Snapshots from Ukraine: Untold Stories of Teenagers”
As part of the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, and with the participation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ukrainian teachers and methodologists, a special lesson “Snapshots from Ukraine: Untold Stories of Teenagers” was developed. This is a virtual tour through which students aged 14–18 from different countries can learn more about Ukraine, Russia’s war against our country, its causes and consequences, as well as the lives of their Ukrainian peers during these challenging times. Teachers from various countries have joined in promoting the lesson in order to present it in their own countries. However, everyone can contribute to its dissemination by accessing the link on the Summit’s website: https://summitflg.org/ukraine-teenagers-untold-stories/.
About the Summit
The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is an annual international event initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, in 2021. Since then, the Summit has grown into a global platform operating on a permanent basis.
The global platform of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is a community that unites the spouses of heads of state who seek to use their influence to address global challenges.
Thanks to the 2022 Summit, more than 6 million US dollars were raised to purchase 92 ambulances. In 2023, on the margins of the event, a unique medical partnership was launched, within which Ukrainian and foreign hospitals have already signed more than 60 memoranda of cooperation.
Last year, the Summit delivered a practical outcome in the form of a joint declaration aimed at uniting the efforts of the First Ladies and Gentlemen to protect children’s rights during armed conflicts and wars, as well as the development of an expert document to implement the declaration. This document was presented at a special event during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
