Today, the Ukrainian community is increasingly becoming global in nature, bringing together representatives of different countries, cultures, professional environments, and generations around shared values – freedom, dignity, responsibility, and the future of Ukraine. The war has become an extremely difficult ordeal for millions of Ukrainians, while at the same time demonstrating society’s capacity for post-traumatic growth – the transformation of losses into new opportunities, and disunity into global solidarity and mutual support.
On 5–7 June, the Global Ukrainian Summit, organised by the Ukrainian World Congress as an international platform for strategic dialogue, took place in Bern, Switzerland. The Summit brings together representatives of the global Ukrainian community, the diaspora, academic institutions, civil society organisations, and international partners from different countries around the world.
The aim of the Summit is to create a shared space for interaction among Ukrainians worldwide in order to strengthen the contribution of the global Ukrainian community to the processes of Ukraine’s recovery, European integration, and long-term development.
The Summit focuses on:
- consolidating the global Ukrainian community as a network of knowledge, trust, and cooperation;
- developing science, public, and cultural diplomacy as instruments of international influence;
- strengthening the role of the Ukrainian diaspora in the reconstruction and transformation of Ukraine;
- supporting educational, scientific, and youth initiatives in different countries;
- developing international academic and expert networks;
- building long-term partnerships between Ukrainian and international institutions.
The multinational nature of the Summit confirmed that contemporary Ukrainian identity is an integral part of global civil society, while the Ukrainian diaspora and international partners play an important role in Ukraine’s recovery, development, and international representation.
The Summit was attended by representatives of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora network, namely Viktoriia Hurochkina, Chair of the Board of the Ukrainian Science Diaspora in Poland Foundation, and Viktoriia von Rosen, representative of the Ukrainian Coordination Centre in Frankfurt.
For the organisations represented, participation in the Summit became an opportunity to strengthen international academic and expert networks, develop science and public diplomacy, and establish new formats of cooperation aimed at building trust, knowledge, and a shared future.
During the discussions, attention was focused on the following areas:
- the role of the global Ukrainian community in supporting and rebuilding Ukraine;
- the development of science, cultural, and public diplomacy as instruments of international cooperation;
- strengthening partnerships between Ukrainian and international organisations;
- consolidating the Ukrainian diaspora and forming a shared strategic vision for Ukraine’s future;
- supporting children, young people, and educational initiatives in different countries around the world;
- the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth as the foundation of societal resilience and the restoration of human capital;
- the development of international academic and professional networks in the fields of science, innovation, security, and intercultural dialogue.
The Summit became an important platform that united representatives of different countries around a common goal – supporting Ukraine and developing the global Ukrainian community as a key factor of international solidarity.
The Ukrainian Science Diaspora in Poland Foundation became an associate member of the Ukrainian World Congress in 2026.