First Ladies and Gentlemen community held its annual online meeting

On December 17, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska hosted the annual online meeting of the First Ladies and Gentlemen community. The meeting aimed to review the events and outcomes of the year for the Global Summit Platform and its members, as well as to share future plans and insights.

Participants included Doris Schmidauer, First Lady of the Republic of Austria; Elke Büdenbender, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Germany; Dr Lucrecia Eugenia Peinado Villanueva, First Lady of Guatemala; Sirje Karis, First Lady of the Republic of Estonia; Tamara Vučić, First Lady of the Republic of Serbia; and Dr Aleš Musar, Spouse of the President of Slovenia.

‘I remember how, four years ago, at the start of our community of First Ladies and Gentlemen, we wondered about the potential of our soft power. Now we know for certain — together, we can influence many processes and change countless lives for the better in our countries,’ emphasized Olena Zelenska during the online meeting.

One of the main topics discussed was the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, held in Kyiv on 12 September, 2024. The event focused on protecting children and brought together 18 first ladies and gentlemen from around the world. The summit featured the presentation of an international study on child protection, an expert document for implementing the summit’s declaration, and the educational app ‘Mriia’.

During the online meeting, the participants reviewed the key outcomes of the Global Platform’s activities in 2024.

Brand Finance, a consulting company, conducted a study for the platform titled ‘FLGs Impact on Soft Power’. The results were presented online and during the Global Soft Power Summit in London. In addition, a mental health study conducted for the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen was presented throughout the year in four countries — Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Serbia — with the participation of Olena Zelenska and other First Ladies. The platform also ran two communication campaigns: one in May for Mental Health Awareness Month and another in November for International Children’s Day.

Furthermore, the Global platform members participated in the Global First Ladies Academy in July, aimed at fostering professional connections, implementing effective management practices, and sharing experiences. In September, an event titled ‘Securing the future for children: addressing new challenges for soft power’ was held at the UN headquarters in New York, USA, featuring speeches by the First Ladies of the United States, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland, Suriname, Malawi, and Guatemala, as well as the Spouse of the European Council President. In November, the First Ladies of Ukraine, Armenia, Lithuania, and Serbia visited the Vatican and met with Italy’s First Lady to commemorate 1,000 days since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

‘I think we, with our soft power and soft diplomacy, should have a lot of clearness on how our role might be affected by global changes. Especially, that we are supporting Ukraine and also supporting general other areas that are at war or in conflicts,’ stated Guatemala’s First Lady, Dr Lucrecia Peinado, during the online meeting.

For 2025, the Global Platform plans to develop and implement an educational program for First Ladies and Gentlemen in collaboration with leading educational institutions worldwide. The initiative also intends to participate in major international events, such as the Global Soft Power Summit in London, the NATO Summit in The Hague, and the events of the UN General Assembly. In addition, the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is planned for 2025.