President's Office explains idea of holding Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha said this at the All-Ukrainian Forum "Ukraine 30. Image of Ukraine" on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the initiative to hold the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is already positively working on the image of Ukraine worldwide. "Our partners say that this summit, as well as other projects of the First Lady, are significant for society and can serve as an example to be followed," Sybiha stressed.

The deputy head of the President's Office added that Ukraine has relatively recently begun to use the instrument of public diplomacy in its foreign policy. "This work was initiated by the Foreign Ministry. We now have the first but significant results. The necessary mechanisms are being created ... appropriate communication is being built, and the national brand is being actively used," he said.

For Ukraine, the key topics of public diplomacy are countering Russian aggression, as well as hybrid information war and enemy propaganda in various regions of the world, overcoming negative stereotypes, and creating a positive image of the state in the minds of the world community.

Sybiha also added that Ukraine should develop its effective national school of public diplomacy.

As reported, on May 20, President Zelensky announced that Ukraine would host the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen on the eve of Independence Day, at which "human issues that leaders usually do not raise" would be discussed.

On the eve of Independence Day, August 23, Kyiv will host the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. The event is organized on the initiative of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

The First Ladies and Gentlemen, together with international and Ukrainian experts, will discuss current challenges and solutions in the fields of education, health, barrier-free environment, and equal rights for men and women.

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