Aspen Institute International Committee Meeting — Global Interaction and Partners Experience

Several times a year, all of Aspen Institute’s partners leaders worldwide come together to discuss their work, share experiences, and discuss joint projects. On March 26-27, the International Committee held their meeting in Mexico City. 

Natalie Jaresko, Chairperson of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Supervisory Board, and Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director, represented the Aspen Institute Kyiv. 

According to Natalie Jaresko, when one flies to a meeting with international partners, one knows that one will be able to look at the activities of the Aspen Institute Kyiv through the experience of other countries. In addition, to understand them better for further cooperation. 

— Such meetings are an opportunity to immerse yourself in the context of other countries, what they focus on, and their priorities. This is a beneficial exercise because you can open up a broader horizon of understanding Kenya, Mexico, Japan, or New Zealand. This is very important for us because Ukraine wants not only to take from the world but also to share with it and build strong partnerships with other countries. 

One of the focuses for global interaction in the next few years is the issue of trust. The meeting participants took part in a seminar discussion on this topic. It was an inspiring experience that gave me a deeper understanding of the topic and was emotionally enriching, mainly when representatives of different cultures and societies conducted the dialogue.  

Yuliya Tychkivska emphasizes that for 2 years after the full-scale invasion, such meetings have also become a platform for discussing joint initiatives to support Ukraine. 

— We are united by one global mission — to build strong, open, democratic societies. We have established direct communication with representatives of other institutes on the situation in Ukraine. And, thanks to our partners, we are developing joint initiatives to support our country in the countries where the Aspen Institutes operate. 

As always, we feel great support from our partners from the Aspen Institute network. We appreciate it and are sincerely grateful for it! We are incredibly thankful to our friends, the Aspen Institute Mexico, who hospitably hosted representatives of the Aspen Institute Kyiv in their wonderful country. 

Despite sometimes different views on certain things, despite different experiences and distances, members of the Aspen family will continue to work for the sustainability and development of their societies and the global world.