From an Initiative to an International Mechanism of Humanitarian Diplomacy and Soft Power: Five Years of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform

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In 2021, on the initiative of Olena Zelenska, the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen was launched. Over five years, it has scaled from an annual meeting into a permanent Global Platform, which during this time has brought together more than 50 first ladies and gentlemen, as well as opinion leaders and soft power agents from different regions of the world.

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The Global Platform was established in 2023. It became an international mechanism that brings together first ladies and gentlemen, global experts, and international organizations to ensure the sustainability of cooperation, coordination of joint actions, and systematic communication around key humanitarian issues: mental health, child protection, education, recovery, human development, and peace.

Over five years, each Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen has delivered practical results - from uniting a community and resources to launching international partnerships, research projects, and global initiatives.

In 2021, the inaugural Summit "Soft Power in the New Reality" brought together 12 first ladies and gentlemen and laid the foundation for a community of leaders' spouses.

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In 2022, the Summit "Ukraine and the World: The Future we (Re)build Together" convened 23 First Ladies and Gentlemen and enabled the collection of USD 6.4 million for humanitarian needs, including the procurement of 92 ambulances.

In 2023, the Summit "Mental Health: Fragility and Resilience of the Future" united 29 First Ladies and Gentlemen, spanning 11 countries as part of a global research project, and launched an international network of medical partnerships. There are now over 100 such partnerships, and the number continues to grow.

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In 2024, the Summit "Protecting Childhood: Ensuring a Safe Future" engaged 18 First Ladies and Gentlemen from 15 countries and concluded with the adoption of a declaration on joining efforts in the field of child protection.

In 2025, the Summit "Education Shaping the World" brought together participants from more than 20 countries - First Ladies and Gentlemen, leading educators, Nobel Prize laureates, and Ministers of Education - and also became a platform for launching an international research project on education, the global communication campaign "Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy," created in cooperation with UNICEF, as well as the Peace Lesson, developed for Ukrainian and international audiences.

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Additionally, five global communication campaigns were implemented, reaching over 45 million people across four continents.

International side events were held on the margins of the 79th and 80th sessions of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as the Global Soft Power Summit in 2024 and 2025. Events in this format took place for the first time on the platforms of the aforementioned international gatherings - on Ukraine's initiative.

Four international studies were developed and presented in the areas of mental health, child protection, and education, as well as an adapted study of the Soft Power Index.

A high-level educational program for first ladies and gentlemen was also launched in partnership with the Vienna School of International Studies, and a regular quarterly information bulletin - the Newsletter of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform - was created.