On 12–13 June, the off-site Parliamentary Forum-Dialogue “Ukrainians Abroad: Challenges, Support and Return” was held in Khmelnytskyi. Vadym Sydiachenko, Head of the Representation in Ukraine of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy (CNAUI), took part.
The Forum brought together representatives of the Verkhovna Rada, the government, the Office of the President, international organisations and civil society to discuss key issues concerning the fate of Ukrainians who were forced to leave because of the war:
How can we support our citizens outside the country?
What conditions are needed for them to return home?
How can effective reintegration be ensured?
And above all, how can new waves of forced migration be stopped?
The Forum comprised 3 thematic sessions:
– Speeches by government officials, EU representatives and international partners
– The experience of Ukrainians who have already returned
– An off-site meeting of the Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada in Khmelnytskyi
Vadym Sydiachenko spoke at the first session of the Forum, which was attended by, among others, Maksym Tkachenko, First Deputy Chair of the Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories; Mariana Betsa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Ilona Havronska, Deputy Minister of National Unity.
The CNAUI representative presented the structure and activities of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy, focusing in particular on initiatives to build partnerships between regions of Ukraine and Italy.
Strategic areas of activity of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy:
✅ Support for Ukrainians abroad
✅ Developing partnerships – strengthening cooperation between cities and regions of Ukraine and Italy, and integrating Ukrainian communities into the European context.
✅ Education and professional development
CNAUI is working on long-term solutions that will help strengthen Ukraine’s human capital and support fellow Ukrainians wherever they are in the world.
