Global Ukrainian Summit in Bern unites around role of civil society

Ukraine's future is also being shaped in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

The Global Ukrainian Summit, which took place in Switzerland for the first time, ended on Sunday in Bern. According to the organisers, Switzerland is becoming an important place for dialogue, cooperation and long-term partnerships with Ukraine.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The Global Ukrainian Summit brought together key representatives of the Ukrainian government and state institutions, the organisers told the Keystone-SDA news agency when asked about the meeting in Bern.

Over 300 representatives of the global Ukrainian community from 50 countries attended the three-day event in the Swiss capital. Jacques Gerber, Swiss government delegate for Ukraine, also took part.

Community plays a decisive role

According to the organisers, the summit focused on the role of civil society in supporting Ukraine. This was both in the defence of its freedom and sovereignty against the Russian war of aggression and with regard to the long-term reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.

Mariana Betsa, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, emphasised the crucial role of the global Ukrainian community at the summit. Ukraine’s future will not only be shaped within its borders, but wherever Ukrainians live, she said.

“The global Ukrainian community plays a crucial role in mobilising support for Ukraine, drawing international attention to the war and providing concrete assistance,” Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress, was quoted as saying in the press release. The summit in Bern is an important opportunity to join forces and translate solidarity into effective action.

Security as a prerequisite for return

In addition to political issues, the programme addressed topics such as international support, security, reconstruction, youth work, cultural diplomacy and the changing role of the global Ukrainian diaspora.

Ilona Havronska, Deputy Ukrainian Minister for Social Policy, Family and Unity, explained to the delegates that security remains the prerequisite for the return of millions of displaced persons and that the state is already working on long-term solutions.

For her part, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Iryna Venediktova, emphasised the need for coordinated international measures – from sanctions and the use of frozen assets to international criminal prosecution.

According to the press release, the Ukrainian World Congress has been active for around 60 years. The Ukrainian Association Switzerland, co-organiser of the summit, has been actively building bridges between Switzerland and Ukraine since 1945.

Translated from German by AI/jdp

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.  

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at [e-mail].