Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen to address child safety in families – Zelenska
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
The President of Ukraine's wife, Olena Zelenska, announced that the fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen will take place in Kyiv on September 12. Leaders from all over the world, along with international experts and members of the public, will come together to discuss the important topic of child safety within families.
The First Lady of Ukraine reported this on Facebook.
The First Lady noted that during the Safety of Children in the Family panel at the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, which will be held in Kyiv, the stories of children in Ukraine will be discussed.
In particular, Zelenska told the story of Mykola Semeniuta, who is 29 years old:
"He spent 23 years living in a boarding school after his biological parents relinquished him at birth due to his disability. Through the legal system, Mykola proved his abilities, and eventually, as an adult, one family welcomed him into their home. At the age of 23, he experienced the warmth of a family for the first time, and his life changed completely. For instance, he could now celebrate his birthday, which had never been possible in the boarding school."
According to the First Lady, "Children in Ukraine have thousands of similar stories."
As Zelenska added, "We will not only discuss them during the "Safety of children in the family" panel because one of the most pressing issues of this dimension is how to ensure that every child in the world has a loving family."
"On this panel, together with my colleagues from around the world, international experts, and public representatives, we will talk about the family through the prism of parenthood as the main aspect of a safe childhood. How different approaches to parenthood affect the formation of a child's personality and human capital in general," the President's wife emphasized.
She says the panel will discuss the following topics:
- Parenting competencies: what are they?
- Ensuring the physical and mental safety of children in families: how to create a safe environment and handle potential dangers;
- Examples of government systems that support families and parenthood;
- Real-life stories from families and children's experiences.
The First Lady thanked Munir Mammadzade, the head of the UNICEF Office in Ukraine, for agreeing to moderate this panel.
She emphasized:
"Together with the United Nations Children's Fund, we are already overcoming many challenges children face in Ukraine. So, I hope this panel will have very practical lessons for new projects in the family dimension."
Also, at the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, the topic of a separate discussion will be the crime of deportation and forced relocation of Ukrainian children and Ukraine's efforts to return them.
For reference:
The first Ladies and Gentlemen Summit was held for the first time in Kyiv on August 23, 2021, and was called "Soft power in the new reality".
The second summit, "Ukraine and the world: the future we build together," took place on July 23, 2022. Its participants collected 3 million 200 thousand dollars on an ambulance.
On September 6, 2023, the third summit of first ladies and gentlemen took place. It was dedicated to mental health. In addition, a large international conference of health ministers was held within its borders.
This conference aimed to launch a medical partnership program connecting specific healthcare facilities in Ukraine with relevant facilities worldwide and help coordinate international support.
British actor and writer Stephen Fry hosted the third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen.
На межі спустошення. Прояви та профілактика емоційного виснаження батьків тяжкохворих дітей
Онлайн-школа "Майбутні" та "Змінотворці" оголошують стипендії на навчання для дітей вразливих груп населення: як працює це рішення
