On Saturday, the forum “Be brave like Ukraine” was held in Warsaw, where the issues of advocacy of Ukrainian interests abroad and coordination of international efforts in support of Ukraine were discussed.
The event brought together more than 300 volunteers, cultural figures, businessmen, diplomats, and representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“The main purpose of the forum is to unite and mutual support. This is a forum where we exchange ideas, share what is important to us and what is painful. This is an event where we give each other a recharge, motivation not to give up, to keep going and to defend the interests of Ukraine. Everyone has to do it in their place: someone in volunteering, someone in business, and someone in culture, because business, culture and volunteering are the three pillars on which our forum is based,” Nataliia Panchenko, co-organizer of the forum and leader of the Warsaw Euromaidan, said in a comment to the agency.
According to her, the event brought together more than 300 opinion leaders, entrepreneurs, and cultural figures not only from Ukraine and Poland, but also from other countries in Europe and the world, including Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada.
Panchenko noted that the entire Ukrainian diaspora in the world is united by similar problems: the turn of societies to the right, which often affects support for Ukraine. The next challenge, she said, is the decline in financial support for organizations and institutions that help Ukraine.
“We all know that USAID has changed its vector of activity, and therefore many Ukrainian organizations around the world are forced to look for new sources of funding. The third challenge we are struggling with all the time is how to give the world a second wind and prevent it from getting tired of the terrible genocidal war that Russia has started against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian activist stated.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar emphasized in his comments to the agency that the event is important for understanding the problems that the Ukrainian community is currently facing abroad.
“The important question is whether to stay abroad or return, because Ukraine is waiting. Ukraine needs its citizens who have gone abroad to rebuild and transform the country,” Bodnar emphasized.
He also emphasized that Ukraine needs a Ukrainian voice abroad, which is important for the continuation of Ukraine’s defense and support of the country.
“And it is in friendly Poland that we see a favorable atmosphere for our citizens to realize themselves, and through this realization they can support Ukraine and the Armed Forces in countering Russian aggression,” the ambassador emphasized.
He added that the Ukrainian community also helps to “remove sharp corners” in Ukrainian-Polish relations, explain a particular position and is a bridge for better understanding of the societies of both countries.
One of the most anticipated moments of the forum was a meeting with Yuliia Payevska (“Tyra”), a legendary paramedic who has become a symbol of invincibility.
The forum participants could join a charity auction aimed at helping the military and medics at the front, which was held by stand-up comedian Valeriia Mandzyuk during her performance. The forum participants also had a chance to watch the documentary Peaceful People directed by Oksana Karpovych.
The forum was organized by Euromaidan Warsaw and the Stand with Ukraine Foundation under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of National Unity of Ukraine and the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland.
