On Feb. 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an opening speech at the “Ukraine 30. Coronavirus: Challenges and Responses Forum,” kicking off a series of thirty weekly policy forums, “Ukraine 30”.
Initiated by the President’s Office, “each forum is built around one topic and has its own coordinator — an official who has the best information about the topic and a comprehensive approach to its coverage,” Zelensky’s press secretary Julia Mendel told the Kyiv Post.
The stated aim of the forums is “to sum up preliminary results, celebrate successes and set ambitious goals to move forward together,” according to the statement released by the Office of the President.
“The forum is a platform for discussing socially important topics, as well as an opportunity for government officials to share their understanding of the development strategy of various sectors of the state,” Mendel said.
Four forums have been organized so far, focusing on the issues related to COVID-19, utility bills, infrastructure and judicial reform.
There will be 26 more discussions, ending right before Independence Day – Aug. 24, when Ukraine will celebrate 30 years of independence.
“We will talk about security and defense, peace and war, Crimea and Donbas, utility tariffs, judicial and anti-corruption systems, agriculture, digitalization and infrastructure, education, science, culture and sports, medical and social spheres, Ukrainian industry, ecology, local government and many other very important topics,” Zelensky said during his opening statement.
Each thematic forum is held weekly for three days, Monday to Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m., at the Congress and Exhibition Center Parkovy.
It is unclear who finances the events.
According to Mendel, it is the responsibility of each forum’s different coordinators to seek financial resources.
“Legally, the President’s Office does not have the budgetary resources to finance certain projects,” the press secretary said. “The President’s Office does not interfere in the issue of funding. We know that some forums have been joined by international organizations such as USAID, UNICEF, ICRC and others,” she added.
Many high-ranking international and domestic public officials will be attending the forums.
During the latest forum, which focused on justice and judicial reform, experts were joined by the diplomatic representatives of the G7, Chair of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio, and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine Matti Maasikas, among others.
“My initiative and ambitious goal are for Ukraine to create and become a place for new international platforms, formats and institutions that will unite different countries to meet global challenges,” Zelensky said. “By the way, several such formats will appear in Ukraine this year, on the eve of Independence Day.”
The forums are streamed online and can be watched afterwards on YouTube.
More detailed information and weekly schedules can be found on the forum’s website.
