On June 6–7, the 3rd annual Nordic Ukraine Advocacy Summit, an initiative of the Nordic Ukraine Forum from Stockholm, took place. This year, it was held in the Norwegian capital of Oslo and became the largest in its history – with 90 participants, including the representative of Ukrainian Dialogues Liudmyla Waller.
This reflects the summit’s strong impact and growing demand, as well as the rising interest and expertise among Scandinavian and Baltic civil society organizations in defending democracy and Ukrainian freedom.
Among the speakers were: Mika Aaltola, Europarliament MP, Finland, Guri Melby, MP, Leader of the Venstre Party, Norway, Ann Linde, Former Foreign Minister, Sweden, Lene Wetteland, Den norske Helsingforskomité, Norway, Line Tresselt, Director of Defense & Security, Rud Pedersen, Norway, Celine Emma la Cour, Rasmussen Global, Denmark, Tor Bukkvoll, Senior Research Fellow, Defence Research Establishment, Norway, Hans-Petter Midttun, Non-Resident Fellow, Centre for Defense Strategies, Norway, Tore Walaker and Ole Kvale from Norwegian NGOs “Slava Ukraini” and “Ukrainian Freedom Convoy”, Ane Tusvik Bonde from Amnesty Norway and others.
Experts and analysts skillfully explored concepts and directions for joint Nordic cooperation, highlighting both shared goals and distinct features of foreign policy across the region.
Among the many insightful presentations, we especially want to highlight the contributions of Ukrainian speakers: Hanna Hopko, Chairwoman of the National Interests Advocacy Network, Lesia Orobets Леся Оробець, former Member of Parliament and civil society activist, founding director of NGO Price of Freedom, Mykola Bielieskov, Senior Analyst at Повернись живим/Come Back Alive Initiatives Center. They powerfully conveyed the needs and experiences of Ukrainian initiatives and civic leaders, showcasing a model of effective and deeply committed civic responsibility.
A particularly captivating session was the panel on cybersecurity featuring Michael Gentile, Professor of the University of Oslo, Lorena Carthy-Wilmot, Journalistic Security Engineer, Schibsted Media from Norway, and Jørn A. Sund-Henriksen from Norwegian-Ukrainian Friendship Association. We deeply believe that in hybrid warfare, media literacy and the ability to consume information critically are essential to defending democracy, and can help resolve freedom of speech vulnerabilities of information attacks.
A fitting conclusion to this topic – and the summit overall – was the closing lecture by Lars Erik Berg from Semaphore Consulting Partners on Digital Holistic Security. It left participants with a powerful message and food for thought: to win, we must not only talk about Russia’s war on Ukraine, but also ensure that we do not become a weapon in the enemy’s hands.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the co-organizers from Українська громада в Норвегії Den ukrainske forening i Norge and the Ukrainalaisten yhdistys Suomessa ry / Товариство українців у Фінляндії: behind these names are tireless, inspiring humans devoted to changing the world around them, engaging international partners, and securing Ukrainian victory.
And we hope that next year in Copenhagen, Danish activists and politicians will have the chance to share their strategies and secrets of effective diplomacy at the 4th Advocacy Summit.