Direct contacts between leaders and communities: international activities of the Aspen Institute Kyiv
March 7, 2022. Irpin has been without electricity and water for three days, fighting continues near Kyiv, the invaders shelled Kharkiv 30 times, and our defense forces shot down the same number of Russian helicopters in Chornobaivka. This is just a part of the events of that day.
Meanwhile, Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Kyiv, is flying to Abu Dhabi for Forbes’ 30/50 Summit. She will tell the world about the full-scale invasion launched by our neighbor to destroy Ukraine. She will also support our sovereign right to defend our freedom and independence. Yuliya’s emotional speech evokes tears, understanding, and sincere words of support. But most importantly, it stimulates action. After the event, several listeners came up to the Executive Director of the Institute. They asked for a verified account to support and transfer significant funds to strengthen Ukraine’s national defense.
Advocacy for Ukraine through direct contacts and best practices
Yuliya’s speech and daily, sometimes even hourly, interviews with Chairperson of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Supervisory Board Natalie Jaresko to the world media in the first weeks and months of the full-scale war were the beginning of an extensive advocacy campaign of our organization in support of Ukraine. In 2023, it has only become more powerful. The Institute delegated more than 30 members to international events. Yuliya Tychkivska emphasizes that every Ukrainian on the world stage who can carry the word about what is happening at home is the voice of our country. We must work side by side and sound stronger.
— In some ways, the Ukrainian participants create discomfort for everyone else, who would sometimes prefer not to remember the horrors of war. However, this is a wake-up call for many, an expression of their position, a contact with the reality that concerns not only Ukraine but the whole world.
We also want to continue bringing the best international practices to Ukraine. We are fighting for our physical existence, but at the same time, we dream of a concrete future and strive to be involved in cutting-edge issues such as cybersecurity, climate change, digital transformation, education and youth development, freedom of speech, etc. We integrate as many alumni as possible into various international projects and communities. We adopt advanced ideas and trends and bring them to the Ukrainian context.
Values not only in words but also in actions – support of international partners
The Aspen Institute Kyiv is part of an international network of partners. Yuliya shares that over the 2 years of full-scale war, the support from other Aspen Institutes worldwide has been unprecedented. Sometimes, the manifestations of this support are impressive and touching to tears.
— Each Aspen Institute in the world is different from the others and has specifics of activity and interaction with partners. Therefore, the support was manifested in various ways. Here are some examples. The Aspen Institute Japan held a special fundraiser and transferred funds to support the program activities of our Institute in Ukraine. Our partners from Mexico organized a major event at one of the largest book forums in Latin America and invited the Ukrainian Ambassador to make Ukraine’s voice heard. Another important component of international support is the involvement of The Aspen Institute Kyiv in the partners’ program activities. In particular, the opportunity to nominate Ukrainian participants for their events. In 2023, such events focused on urban reconstruction, freedom of speech, democracy development, youth formation, and other issues.
I want to mention the Aspen Security Forum 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties and Nobel Peace Prize winner represented Ukraine. Oleksandra emphasized the importance of international consolidation: “When the full-scale war started, democratic countries joined forces to help Ukraine not to lose. Now, the narrative has changed to “Ukraine must win as soon as possible.”
There are many examples of extraordinary manifestations of solidarity, and we are sincerely grateful to our international partners!
Building relationships and trust: how to achieve sustainability at the international level
Yuliya is convinced that building strong horizontal ties between leaders from different countries is the key to Ukraine’s success on the international stage. It is about sustainable relationships based on mutual respect and trust with other people, communities, and societies. We need to have as many people as possible who, in a critical situation, will ask you: “How can I support you? How can I be of service?”
— We need to delegate our people to various events as much as possible so they can be the voice of Ukraine, integrate into global communities, and create human connections at multiple levels. Today, our society needs to catch up quickly with what it has not managed to do in the previous decades. It is a matter of our survival. That is why we must also try to attract people from foreign countries to Ukraine. Physical contact with our reality and a living sense of solidarity with the fighting people are significant.
Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Kyiv also emphasizes that to participate successfully in international events, you must know the agenda in Germany, Africa, India, Mexico, Japan, and other countries. If you understand the context, you will realize who best represents Ukraine in a particular case and which messages to convey.
— Our openness and cooperation with international partners are significant to us. This is our daily contribution to victory. It is essential to remind the world that the war is ongoing, it is cruel, and it is taking a heavy toll. We need resources to stop the enemy, save the lives of our people, liberate our lands, and protect the civilized world from broader upheavals. Timothy Snyder recently said at the Munich Conference, “This is a world war fought by one nation. And this nation has fought it so well that everyone else has forgotten that this is not a war of one country.”
Yuliya Tychkivska also notes that while working in the international arena, we must be mindful of internal resilience. When the country faces an existential threat from the outside daily, the unity of Ukrainians internally, consolidation, strengthening of trust in each other, and the ability to innovate and count on their strength over the long haul are more critical than ever.
