“The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, held an annual online meeting of the spouses of the leaders of various countries – active participants of the global platform of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, during which the results of the year were summarized and plans for the next were outlined.”, — write: www.president.gov.ua
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, held an annual online meeting of the spouses of the leaders of various countries – active participants of the global platform of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, during which the results of the year were summarized and plans for the next were outlined.
The meeting was attended by: First Lady of Austria Doris Schmidauer, First Lady of Guatemala Lucrecia Peinado, First Lady of Estonia Sirie Karis, First Lady of Germany Elke Büdenbender, First Lady of Serbia Tamara Vucic, husband of the President of Slovenia Ales Musar.
“I remember how at the beginning of the existence of our community of first ladies and gentlemen, four years ago, we were thinking about what our soft power is capable of. Now we know for sure that together we are able to influence many processes and change many lives in our countries for the better,” said the wife of the President of Ukraine.
One of the main topics of discussion is the results of the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which took place this year in Kyiv and was dedicated to the safety of children. 18 spouses of country leaders participated in the event in various formats. It presented an international study on child protection, which was conducted in 15 countries, as well as an innovative portal and educational application “Dream”.
The practical result of the Summit is an expert document that Ukrainian experts developed together with state authorities to implement the joint declaration of this Summit. The document was also presented at a special event during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
“In fact, we gave the international community a unique tool – a road map for protecting children in modern conditions. Based on practical experience, in particular of Ukraine, it is more efficient and effective than all the documents that existed until now,” Olena Zelenska emphasized.
In addition, other significant events of the year were discussed during the meeting.
● In particular, took place presentation of research results on mental health in four countries of the worldwhich was held especially for the third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in 11 countries. In February, the Ukrainian-German Conference on mental health, psychological support and rehabilitation took place. In March, on the initiative of Olena Zelenska, a Ukrainian-British round table dedicated to the topic of mental health was held. In April, the results of a mental health survey were presented to the California Veterans Administration with researchers and academics from the University of San Diego. In May, the First Lady of Ukraine visited the Conference on Mental Health in Serbia, which was organized by Tamara Vucic.
● With the assistance of the global Summit platform, the consulting company Brand Finance held study “The Impact of First Ladies and Gentlemen on Soft Power.” At the presentation of its results in February 2024, nine first ladies and gentlemen of the world met online. The results of the study were also presented in London as part of the Global Soft Power Summit 2024.
● The Global Platform of the First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit held two communication campaigns. One of them was dedicated to mental health awareness month. She was joined by nine first ladies and gentlemen. The second was held on the occasion of International Children’s Day. Seven partners and partners of the first persons became its participants.
● In July, participants of the Summit platform took part in the second Global Academy of First Ladiesheld by the Global Alliance of First Ladies, an organization that helps spouses of heads of state to build connections and share experiences.
● In September, the global platform hosted the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen event entitled “Securing the future for children: overcoming new challenges for soft power” at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York during the Future Summit and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. The co-organizers of the event were Ukraine, Estonia, Belize, Lithuania, Suriname, Finland, Malawi, Guatemala, the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as UNICEF. The first ladies of the countries that joined the organization acted as speakers. The first lady of the USA, Dr. Jill Biden, made a special speech.
● In November, the first ladies visited the Vatican and a mass at Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, dedicated to 1,000 days of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Olena Zelenska thanked the participants of the global platform for cooperation and support of joint initiatives.
“Thankful for every step we took together. The summit is our common platform. Our strength is multiplied precisely by joint action, and everyone’s contribution is infinitely important. So we continue to do our best to change the world for the better,” she said.
The meeting also discussed the plans of the Global Platform for the next year. The initiative plans to expand the geography of its activities, as well as to join international events, such as the Global Soft Power Summit in London, the NATO summit in The Hague and the events of the UN General Assembly. In addition, the fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is planned for 2025.
Other plans include the development and implementation of an educational program for first ladies and gentlemen in cooperation with the world’s leading educational institutions.
The First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit Global Platform is a community of First Ladies and Gentlemen who seek to use their influence to address global challenges.
