On December 6, 2016 ICDS organized a panel discussion with the distinguished speakers from Estonia and Ukraine at the Embassy of Estonia in Kyiv on the occasion of the launch of the development cooperation project “Resilient Ukraine: civil society support for strengthening national resilience and security in Ukraine”.
During the panel discussion “Comprehensive approach to national security: which role civil society has to play in building and strengthening national resilience” speakers introduced the concept of comprehensive approach to national security and discussed the role of civil society and volunteers in Estonia’s and Ukraine’s national security. The event was opened by the welcoming remarks of the H.E. Mr. Gert Antsu, Estonia’s Ambassador to Ukraine and followed by the project presentation by ICDS research fellow Anna Bulakh.
The panel discussion on civil society support for strengthening national resilience and security in Ukraine and Estonia was joined by Amb. Jüri Luik, Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security, Estonia; Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine; Hannes Kont, Deputy Secretary General for Rescue Policy and Crisis Management, Estonian Ministry of Interior; Brig Gen Meelis Kiili, Commander of the Estonian Defence League; Kristjan Prikk, Director of the National Security and Defence Coordination Unit, Government Office of Estonia. The discussion was moderated by Oleksandr Danylyuk, Director of the Centre for Defence Reforms, Ukraine.
At the conclusion of the event Brig Gen Meelis Kiili gave a celebration speech in honor of 25th anniversary of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which commemorated all Ukrainian citizens that contributed to the defence of their state and fight for new future and common values shared by its international partners.
The event brought together representatives of the main stakeholders on the national level in Ukraine: National Guard, Ministry of Interior, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, decision-makers, opinion leaders, government representatives, diplomatic corps in Kyiv and representatives from international organizations, experts from think tanks and analytical centres, research organizations and representatives from civil sector.
Please find more information about the project and follow the updates on the project “Resilient Ukraine: Civil society support for strengthening national resilience and security in Ukraine” activities here: https://www.facebook.com/resilientUkraine/