The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform Reviewed the Results of 2025 and Marked Five Years of Activity

On 18 December 2025, the annual wrap-up online meeting of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform took place. It brought together First Ladies and Gentlemen from Europe and Latin America to discuss the outcomes of their joint work in 2025, review the Platform’s five years of activity, and set priorities for 2026.

The meeting was attended by 5 First Ladies and Gentlemen, namely: the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, Founder of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform; the First Gentleman of Denmark, Bo Tengberg; the First Lady of Estonia, Sirje Karis; the First Lady of Guatemala and President of ALMA, Dr Lucrecia Eugenia Peinado Villanueva; and the First Gentleman of Slovenia, Dr Aleš Musar.

The meeting served as a space for open dialogue, the exchange of experience, and the alignment of a shared vision for the further development of the Global Platform as a permanent international mechanism of humanitarian diplomacy, based on the principles of cooperation, solidarity, and mutual support.

For the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform, 2025 became a year of deepening work on education as a tool for building personal resilience, strengthening social capital, and fostering a culture of peace. The central event of the year was the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which brought together 15 First Ladies and Gentlemen, leading educators, and international experts from more than 20 countries around a shared vision of the role of education in strengthening societies and addressing global challenges.

Throughout the year, the Global Platform developed and promoted the international research “Education as a Tool for Shaping Personal Resilience, National Social Capital, and a Culture of Peace”, which covered 14 countries, including Ukraine.

In parallel, it initiated and implemented the global communications campaign “Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy”, in partnership with UNICEF, reaching an audience of more than 26.5 million people across 32 countries worldwide.

In 2025, the Peace Lesson was also developed and introduced. It has already been conducted in schools and higher education institutions in 4 countries: Estonia, Brazil, Finland, and Poland.

Another important area of work was strengthening the Global Platform’s international presence, achieved through participation in events on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Global Soft Power Summit 2025 in London, and other key international events.

In September 2025, the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform, together with the regional organisations ALMA and SCLAN, with facilitation by GFLA, joined forces for the first time around a joint event on the margins of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Although this marked only the second participation of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform in UNGA, the event became compelling evidence of deepened cooperation and coordination among first ladies and gentlemen from 15 countries across Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean region, and the Iberian Peninsula, demonstrating a shared commitment to interregional dialogue and the implementation of coordinated humanitarian initiatives.

The 2025 wrap-up meeting was also an opportunity to mark the fifth anniversary of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform.

Over this period, the Platform has evolved from an annual initiative into a permanent international mechanism of humanitarian diplomacy and soft power.

   “We have much to be proud of, and all of this has been made possible thanks to your engagement and the engagement of our colleagues. I hope that today we will not only look back, but also plan our next year together,” said Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine and Founder of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform.

During the meeting, the First Ladies and Gentlemen shared their reflections on five years of joint work and discussed the further expansion of the Global Platform’s activities.

Key priorities include strengthening international cooperation, engaging new partners and regional organisations, and developing joint initiatives in the fields of education, mental health, child protection, and gender equality.

The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform will continue to serve as a space for international solidarity, mutual support, and the joint search for solutions to today’s global humanitarian challenges.