Education Shaping the World: Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen held in Kyiv

On 10–11 September 2025, Kyiv became the centre of a global dialogue on the future of education. The city hosted the Fifth Anniversary Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, dedicated to the theme ‘Education Shaping the World’.
For the first time, the Summit lasted two days and brought together a record number of participants: Presidents, First Ladies and Gentlemen, government officials, representatives of international organisations, academia, as well as teachers from around the world.

The Summit in Kyiv was attended by:

• First Lady of Austria Doris Schmidauer,
• First Gentleman of Denmark Bo Tengberg,
• First Lady of Estonia Sirje Karis,
• First Lady of Finland Suzanne Innes-Stubb,
• First Lady of Germany Elke Büdenbender,
• First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė,
• First Lady of Serbia Tamara Vučić (joined on the second day).

Joining online were:

• First Lady of Belize Rossana Briceño,
• First Lady of Guatemala Dr Lucrecia Peinado,
• First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog,
• First Lady of Poland Marta Nawrocka,
• First Gentleman of Slovenia Aleš Musar,
• First Lady of Sweden Birgitta Kristersson Ed,
• First Lady of Türkiye Emine Erdoğan.

Support was also expressed by Queen Silvia of Sweden and Yoshiko Ishiba, the wife of the Prime Minister of Japan.
In total, representatives from 20 countries across the globe took part in the Fifth Summit.

Special addresses were delivered to the participants by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Finland Alexander Stubb.

The event was anchored by Katya Osadcha and Timur Miroshnychenko.

Education as the Foundation of Peace and Development

The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is an international humanitarian platform where First Ladies and Gentlemen from different countries come together to address global challenges. This year’s gathering highlighted the role of education as a key factor in peace, sustainable development, and societal resilience.

International Research

The Summit’s opening session focused on the findings of the research ‘Education as a Tool for Shaping Personal Resilience, National Social Capital, and a Culture of Peace’. It covered 13 countries worldwide and Ukraine, and examined three target groups: students, teachers, and parents.

The Ukrainian component was presented by experts from the Kyiv School of Economics, while partners from Deloitte and the OECD contributed the international component. The survey revealed that children expect fairness and support most from their teachers, with Ukrainian students particularly in need of psychological assistance amid the ongoing war. Teachers, meanwhile, highlighted low pay, excessive workload, and emotional burnout among their main challenges.

The research was designed and carried out by the Centre for Social change and Behavioural economics in cooperation with Deloitte, with contributions from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and with support from Education Cannot Wait, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).

Ministerial Dialogue

The findings were discussed in a high-level session. Participants included Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi; Minister for Higher Education and Science of Denmark, Christina Egelund; Federal Minister for Education of Austria, Christoph Wiederkehr; Secretary General at the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia, Triin Laasi-Õige; Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland, Andrzej Szeptycki; Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Education of Latvia, Dāvis Mārtiņš Daugavietis; and Vice-Minister for General Education of Lithuania, Jonas Petkevičius. The dialogue was moderated by Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD.

Tribute to Teachers

For the first time in Summit history, the central participants were teachers – those who shape the future every day. At the ceremonial gala ‘Tribute to Teachers’, educators from Brazil, Estonia, Canada, Kenya, Lithuania, South Korea (online), Finland, and Ukraine were honoured.

Among them were Global Teacher Prize laureates, authors of unique teaching methods, and educators who have worked amid poverty, occupation, or war. They shared stories that became true lessons in courage, innovation, and humanity.

Discussion Dimensions

The key focus areas of the Fifth Summit included three discussion dimensions, each addressing one of the pressing global educational challenges.

Access to Education: Leaving No One Behind

Within the ‘Access to Education’ discussion dimension, participants explored how learning opportunities help prevent the destructive impact of propaganda and foster critical thinking. This dimension featured two sessions:

• ‘Education as a Global Marker of Equality: Lessons from the Past’ discussion – where speakers included the First Ladies of Lithuania and Germany, the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, UNICEF Global Director of Education Pia Rebello Britto, and Global Partnership for Education Regional Manager Marco Mantovanelli.
• ‘Shifts in the Geopolitical Landscape: Less Support, More Responsibility – An Uncertain Future’ discussion – where participants included the First Ladies of Austria and Serbia, Federal Minister for Education of Austria, International Finance Facility for Education CEO Karthik Krishnan, and Education Outcomes Fund CEO Amel Karboul.

Both panel discussions were moderated by Sarah Brown, Chair of Theirworld and former First Lady of the United Kingdom (2007–2010).

‘Innovation in Education: From Crisis to Transformation’

The ‘Innovation in Education’ discussion dimension focused on educational innovations. The session was moderated by Zoya Lytvyn, founder of Osvitoria and Head of the Global Government Technology Centre in Kyiv.

The session opened with solo addresses from the First Lady of Estonia, Sirje Karis, and the First Lady of Finland, Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

As part of the dimension, BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford interviewed the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov. The programme also featured a video message from journalist and educator Esther Wojcicki, known as the ‘Godmother of Silicon Valley’.

As part of the DisruptHR format, participants pitched innovative solutions in education. Presenters included:

• Roman Bozhok, Founder of RobocodeXR and CEO of the RoboCode robotics school network;
• Nataliya Limonova, Founder of Global Innovative Online School (GIOS), Chair of the EdTech Ukraine Association, and Board Member of STEM Coalition;
• Egor Vakuliak, Chief Technology Officer at EdEra;
• Volodymyr Strashko, CEO of Edmaps and the Unicorn School, an online gamified school.

A key part of the session was the discussion panel ‘Partnerships for the Future: AI and Innovation in Education’, moderated by Annette Kroeber-Riel, Google Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe. Participants included: Christina Egelund, Minister for Higher Education and Science of Denmark; Scott McDonald, Chief Executive of the British Council; Simon Schmid, Partner at SkillLab and Managing Director of Just Skills Hub; Sergii Martynchuk, General Manager of Cisco Ukraine; Victor Liakh, President of the East Europe Foundation; and Paul Nurse, British biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate, and former President of Rockefeller University.

The discussion focused on the role of artificial intelligence as a driver of change in education, scaling innovations through international collaboration, examples of public-private partnerships, labour market transformation, and the importance of digital literacy, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.

The session concluded with a presentation of WINWIN EdTech CoE, a centre of excellence in educational technologies, with its launch officially announced by Valeriya Ionan, Adviser to the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on Innovation, Digitalisation and Global Partnerships.

‘The Role of Education in Promoting Peace and Humanitarian Values’

The final discussion dimension of the Summit featured speeches by special guests: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Finland Alexander Stubb.

Closing remarks were also delivered by Oksen Lisovyi and Olena Zelenska, Founder of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform.

The Summit’s central message was: ‘Education shapes the individual who shapes the world’.

Public Lectures and Meetings

In addition to official discussions, Summit participants visited schools and kindergartens in Kyiv and the region, meeting with children and teachers. University halls hosted lectures delivered by First Ladies, Presidents, and Nobel Prize Laureates. Read more about the activities of the First Ladies and Gentlemen, as well as lectures held at educational institutions across Ukraine.

Outcomes and Initiatives

The Summit concluded with the announcement of several key initiatives:

1. The global information campaign ‘Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy’ (in partnership with UNICEF and Banda). Learn more on the dedicated campaign page.
   
2. The Teachers’ Manifesto – a joint appeal to the world declaring education as the foundation of humanity, solidarity, and peace.
   
3. Memoranda of cooperation between governments and leading technology companies in educational innovation.
   
4. The educational lesson ‘Snapshots from Ukraine: Untold Stories of Teenagers’, developed with input from Ukrainian educators for distribution in schools across the globe. The lesson materials are available at this link.
   

Co-organisers and Partners

The Summit was made possible through the efforts of Ukrainian ministries and partner organisations. Co-organisers: Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Fund of the President of Ukraine for the support of Education, Science, and Sports, UNICEF, Osvitoria, and British Embassy in Ukraine.

General Partners: BGV Charity Fund, Universal Bank.
Official Partners: Activitis Education, Ajax Systems.
Partners: Vodafone, La Famiglia catering, Yalta European Strategy.
Media Partners: United24 Media, Starlight Media.

Learn more on the official page of the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.