Education as a Force of Resilience: Osvitoria at the UN

On 23 September in New York, during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the event “Learning to Stay Strong: Education as Ukraine’s Backbone of Resilience” took place — a symbolic continuation of the education theme raised during the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. The event was organised by Osvitoria, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN, and the Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the UN, with the support of Nova Ukraine.

Olena Zelenska, Founder of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform and First Lady of Ukraine, as well as Diana Nausėdienė, active participant of the Global Platform and First Lady of Lithuania, supported the event.

The gathering brought together representatives of international organisations, diplomats, policymakers, educators, and journalists, among them Queen Silvia of Sweden, the First Ladies of Guatemala and Finland, and the First Gentleman of Slovenia.

The event was opened by Olena Zelenska, who emphasised that even in the face of war, Ukraine continues to educate nearly four million schoolchildren — a testament to resilience and faith in the future. She also invited participants to join the campaign launched at the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, “Every generation leaves its mark. Education shapes its legacy,” initiated by the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform with the support of UNICEF.

Speakers included Zoya Lytvyn, Founder of Osvitoria; Anna Sydoruk, CEO and moderator of the event; Natalia Gutaruk, an English teacher from Zaporizhzhia; Yevhen Kudriavets, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes; and Erin McKee, Ambassador and CEO of Nova Ukraine. The address by Natalia Gutaruk — a teacher who conducts lessons in an underground school in Zaporizhzhia — and the screening of the short film “Timeline” became the emotional highlights of the event, earning a standing ovation from the audience.

Events at the UN level reaffirmed that investing in education means investing in the resilience of societies and the peaceful future of the entire world.