Vienna, Austria – UPF-Europe and Middle East organized an International Leadership Conference at the Vienna Diplomatic Academy on the theme, “Europe and Ukraine: Common Perspectives and Values,” on December 13, 2024. The event was co-hosted by the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) and the Ukrainian Peace Council.
The conference followed a fact-finding tour initiated by UPF-Europe and Middle East in Kyiv, Ukraine, in November 2023. At that time, the Ukrainian Peace Council organized a roundtable discussion at Ukraine Drahomanov University, and a visit to the Peace School project run by UPF-Ukraine.
On December 13, the Ukrainian delegation visited the Austrian Parliament, where they were reminded that the Austrian Empire’s parliamentary assembly had included Ukrainian representatives. The delegates met with Member of Parliament Pia Maria Wieninger, from the Socialist Democratic Party, who confirmed her country’s support and her personal support for war-torn Ukraine.
During the conference, Ukrainian participants presented their views on the current war situation in their country, and on future prospects for Europe and Ukraine.
The first session, “Europe – Ukraine: A Common Cultural Heritage,” was moderated by the president of UPF-Czech Republic, Dr. Juraj Lajda. Conference co-hosts, UPF-Austria President Mr. Peter Haider and vice president of the Ukrainian Peace Council, Dr. Volodymir Novokhatsky, delivered welcoming greetings.
After thanking Austria for welcoming 90,000 Ukrainian refugees, Dr. Novokhatsky introduced his organization, which works with domestic and international civil society groups to advance peace in Ukraine.
The first panelist, Dr. Werner Fasslabend, AIES president and former Austrian minister of defense, briefly commented on European democratic ideals before discussing the implications for the war of the upcoming Trump administration in the United States. He realistically described the challenges Ukraine will face on the path toward EU integration, and urged Ukrainians not to waver in their objectives.
Dr. Vasyl Kremen, president of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine and former minister of education, underlined Ukraine’s ideological, religious and mental affinity with Europe. He described their common political traditions, insisting that “Ukraine is returning home to the European family of nations.”
Prof. Angela Mickley, who teaches peace education at Potsdam University in Germany, shared her experiences in conflict resolution, from Northern Ireland to South Africa, where she aided communication between hostile communities and fighting parties. She highlighted the need to “separate the perpetrator from the deed,” respecting both the victim and the offender in a conflict.
Dr. Viktor Andruschenko, rector of Drahomanov Ukrainian University and president of the International Association of Rectors of Pedagogical Universities of Europe, said that education plays a crucial role in overcoming threats of totalitarianism. He pleaded for a resumption of the association’s Pedagogical Constitution of Europe, interrupted by the war, which aims to make teachers the “guarantors of civilization’s longevity.”
Amb. Valery Tsybukh, president of the Council for Environmental Security of Ukraine, said that Ukrainian NGOs must focus on “post-war economic revival, not just recovery,” and a “renaissance” through innovations and advanced technologies.
The second session, “Europe – Ukraine: Perspectives for a Common Future,” moderated by UPF-Central Europe President Dr. Dieter Schmidt, began with greetings by UPF-Ukraine President Dr. Mykhailo Ilin, who has been maintaining the UPF Peace School despite the challenges of war.
Dr. Yaroslav Yuvsechko, vice president of the National Association of Religious Study in Ukraine, reviewed the religious landscape of Ukraine since the beginning of the war. He described the emergence, since 2018, of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is aligned with the Moscow Patriarchate-related Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He noted the patriotic alignment of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and a diversity of trends among protestant churches and Muslim organizations.
Hon. Lukas Mandl, Austrian member of the European Parliament, reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s full support for Ukraine. He said that religion may sometimes be misused, but it essentially promotes values such as human dignity and freedom, which is God-given. He said that Ukraine will be integrated into Europe, but it must first win the war and undergo a long reconstruction process.
Ms. Tetyana Fedunova, head of the Association of Schools of Kyiv City and vice president of the UNESCO association in Ukraine, shared the traumatic experiences of schoolchildren under daily Russian missile attacks. She described the Peace School project that she is leading with UPF-Ukraine, in which students are trained as junior peace ambassadors, meeting with diplomats, politicians and foreign students, and learning to develop through serving others.
Dr. Afsar Rathor, a former UN Peacekeeping Mission executive, shared his experiences with conflict around the world and assessed the prospective costs of Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction. He outlined benefits that Ukraine integration would bring to the European Union, citing the Green Deal project, since Ukraine’s potential renewable energy output is seven times the European Union’s demand.
The presentations on the highly topical issue of the war in Ukraine, plus the attendance of many eminent Ukrainian scholars and educators, stimulated great audience interest, and both panels concluded with passionate questions and comments.
In conclusion, UPF-Europe and Middle East Co-chairman Mr. Jacques Marion explained UPF’s contribution to the Universal Peace Charter recently launched by the Cambodian government as an international framework for solidarity and peace between states, and between states and non-state actors. He announced the launch of an Asia Pacific Union Forum at the upcoming UPF World Summit in Korea in April 2025, in the presence of parliamentarians from around the world. The forum will address tensions in Northeast Asia and on the Korean Peninsula, which directly impact Europe through the war in Ukraine.
At the close of the conference, the Ambassador for Peace of the Year for 2024 was awarded to Mr. Victor Andrushchenko; and the honorary title of Ambassador for Peace was awarded to Ms. Lesya Korolyk-Boyko, chair of Progress of Women Peacekeepers in the Diaspora; Ms. Julia Mokh, opera singer, co-organizer and member of the jury of the International Vocal Competition Kvitka Cisyk; and Ms. Natalia Evdokimova, rector of the Pylyp Orlyk International Classical University.
