Olena Zelenska Organizes Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen
On Thursday, September 6th, the wife of the President, Olena Zelenska, is hosting the third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen. This year's summit will focus on the mental recovery of Ukrainians.
President Volodymyr Zelensky shared this information, emphasizing that caring for mental health should become a daily habit for every Ukrainian.
Among the topics to be discussed at the summit are mental health literacy, the impact of war on mental well-being, the role of digital technologies, the balance between resilience and vulnerability, and the role of the younger generation in mental health matters.
"We must face not only the war – on the planet, there are increasingly more humanitarian and social issues, vulnerabilities, and of course, fears, as no one can feel safe when there is an aggressor nearby. 90% of Ukrainians have already experienced symptoms of anxiety disorders. But anxiety is not only felt in Ukraine. Every country is currently grappling with its challenges – economic, political, and ideological," wrote Zelenska on Instagram.
Recalling the first summit titled "Soft Power in the New Reality," which took place in 2021, it brought together 22 participants in Kyiv, including the First Ladies of Brazil, Israel, Costa Rica, Lithuania, Latvia, Serbia, Germany, and Croatia. The summit addressed issues such as access to quality healthcare, challenges in education, equal opportunities for development and self-expression without discrimination, and the protection of women, children, and families in times of armed conflicts.
The second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen took the form of a teleconference between Kyiv, Warsaw, Brussels, Washington, and London. A total of 23 First Ladies participated from countries including Austria, Belize, Belgium, Greece, Israel, Ecuador, Iceland, Spain, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, the USA, Turkey, France, Germany, Montenegro, and Her Royal Highness Princess of Liechtenstein and the wife of the President of the European Council.
During the summit, nearly 120 million hryvnias were raised to purchase Type C ambulances equipped with oxygen cylinders, cardiac monitors, defibrillators, electrocardiographs, and lung ventilation machines.
Historically, there have been instances of First Ladies organizing special meetings with their counterparts, but these lacked a systemic character. For instance, in 1985, Nancy Reagan, the wife of US President Ronald Reagan, invited First Ladies from 30 countries to the White House for a conference focused on combating drug use.
Unlike the United States or France, Ukraine does not have the institution of the First Lady, although the wives of Ukrainian Presidents often engage in public activities in this capacity. President Volodymyr Zelensky previously stated his intention to develop a legislative proposal regarding the role and responsibilities of the First Lady.