As part of deepening the cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union, on 11 September, 2024, National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” became a platform for an important dialogue between veterans, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and a delegation of the committee members of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine (EUDEL), Poltava Regional Military Administration, heads of territorial communities and civil society organisations.
The distinguished EU delegation, the EUAM delegation and representatives of local communities and NGOs held a number of important meetings within the framework of the Fact-Finding and Stabilisation Mission to the liberated and adjacent territories aimed at ensuring civilian security, reintegration of veterans, restoration of infrastructure and social adaptation of internally displaced persons.
The Rector of the University, Professor Volodymyr Onyshchenko, expressed his gratitude to the delegations of representatives of EU member states and EUAM for supporting Ukraine in its struggle for freedom, independence and territorial integrity. He stressed the importance of such cooperation for integration: “We highly appreciate your contribution to the development and strengthening of European security and defence mechanisms. We hope that our meeting will open up new opportunities for joint initiatives in the field of peace, security and conflict management. We hope that EUAM will continue to support Ukraine in facing the large-scale challenges of wartime. It is important to work to ensure that war crimes committed in Ukraine are recognised and their perpetrators are punished.”
The first important meeting of the delegation of committee members, representatives of EU member states and EUDEL took place at the Veteran Development Centre. Together with the Centre’s coordinator, Vitalii Zakladnyi, they presented the significant achievements of specialists who provide psychological and legal support to veterans, as well as facilitate their training and professional development. The participants’ attention was focused on the prospects of providing effective targeted assistance in the field of physical and psychological rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans into civilian life.
Our defenders shared their constructive opinions, spoke about the current problems of restoring the human capital of post-war Ukraine and outlined ways to solve them. The participants of the meeting discussed the possibilities of cooperation between Ukrainian and European institutions in the field of veterans’ support, exchanged experiences and identified key areas for further cooperation. The importance of a comprehensive approach to the rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans, which includes not only medical care but also psychological support, professional retraining and social adaptation, was emphasised. This meeting was an important step in strengthening the dialogue between Ukraine and the EU on supporting veterans and building an effective system for their reintegration, as well as underlining the common desire to create favourable conditions for the full return of defenders to civilian life and their active participation in the reconstruction and development of Ukraine.
The second, no less important meeting of the delegation was held with the Nobel Peace Prize laureates and Kharkiv human rights defenders: Yevhen Zakharov, Director of the Human Rights Protection Group, Tamara Bezpala, lawyer of the Human Rights Protection Group, and Yuliia Onyshchenko, psychologist of the Human Rights Protection Group in Kharkiv. The fact-finding and stabilisation mission in the liberated and adjacent territories includes assessing human rights violations, documenting war crimes, and providing necessary psychological and legal assistance to victims. The joint efforts of human rights defenders and international organisations are aimed at ensuring justice and creating conditions for the safe reconstruction of these regions, which is a key element in the process of post-conflict stabilisation.
The third meeting was held with representatives of local communities in the Kharkiv, Poltava and Sumy regions to discuss current reintegration issues. The main focus was on the restoration of infrastructure, social adaptation of internally displaced persons, psychological support and access to basic services. Particular attention was paid to the challenges of rebuilding the economy in the affected regions, creating new jobs and attracting international support to address these issues. Participants also stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between local communities and government agencies to ensure effective implementation of reintegration programmes.
The fourth meeting with the UNDP delegation was extremely productive. It was nice to see our partner Federica DISPENZA, a specialist in community security and social cohesion. During the meeting, we discussed current challenges, in particular the issues of recovery and community development in the post-conflict period. Particular attention was paid to strategies for strengthening social cohesion and ensuring security at the local level. The possibilities of introducing innovative approaches to solving problems related to the integration of internally displaced persons and veterans into communities were considered.
The visit of such powerful delegations of EUAM, EUAM Ukraine, and EUDEL was an important step in strengthening the partnership between National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” and European institutions. This cooperation reinforces the role of the university as a centre of innovation and professional development, which will allow implementing the latest approaches in the field of security and law enforcement based on European standards.
We express our deep gratitude to the representatives of the European Union, in particular Peter Larsen and Maura O’Sullivan, for their active involvement and support. Special thanks go to Ove Urup-Madsen and the committee members of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM) for their dedication and professionalism.
Your invaluable contribution to Ukraine’s reconstruction and your sincere interest in addressing the most pressing issues is a clear demonstration of the solidarity of the European community. We are extremely grateful that you have chosen our university as a platform for this critical mission.
Our partnership with EUAM is a source of pride and inspiration for us. We deeply value every aspect of our cooperation and recognise that each of us, in fulfilling our responsibilities, makes a significant contribution to strengthening and deepening Ukrainian-European relations.
Together we are building a solid foundation for a common European future!
Media Center of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
