Youth Voices in Action: Launch of “A Sustainable Tomorrow: Youth Visions for Rebuilding Ukraine” in Brussels

Event Highlight: Young Voices, Big Impact: Youth Vision for Rebuilding Ukraine – April 29, Brussels

To recap, the Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors Programme is a project that gives young perspectives on the sustainable reconstruction of Ukrainian. It features a group of 20 Ambassadors, consisting of a 50/50 mix of Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians from across Europe, gathering young ideas into a publication.

The central event took place on April 29, at the FTI Consulting office in Brussels. “Young Voices, Big Impact: Youth Visions for Rebuilding Ukraine” highlighted the work of the Ambassadors and offered insightful discussions into the topics of the publication.

The event opened with a keynote address by Anna Jarosz-Friis, Director of Ukraine Service at the Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST), who emphasised the importance of youth engagement and international cooperation in shaping Ukraine’s recovery.

Following the address, five Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors took the stage to present key finding from the newly launched vision paper:

• Kateryna Korpalo from Ukraine presenting the chapter on School Education
• Hrach Arzumanyan from Armenia presenting the chapter on Urbanisation and Smart Cities Technologies
• Liudmyla Haliulko from Ukraine presenting the chapter on Preserving and Promoting Ukrainian Culture
• Krish Daryanani from the United Kingdom presenting the chapter on Energy Security and Efficiency
• Yuliia Pavlenko from Ukraine presenting the chapter on Safeguarding Ukrainian SMEs from Cyber Threats

Throughout their presentation, the Ambassadors spoke about Ukraine’s most pressing recovery challenges and innovative solutions, with topics ranging from education reform, climate action, democratic governance, mental health, and global partnerships.

The last part of the event was a panel titled “Rebuilding Ukraine: Pathways to Resilience and Global Partnerships”, exploring the importance of youth agency, global support, and cross-sectoral collaboration in Ukraine’s post-war future. The panel members were:

• Kateryna Korpalo, Rebuild Ukraine Ambassador, European Youth Parliament
• Lis Rosenholm, Representative of DG ENEST
• Marta Barandiy, Founding President of Promote Freedom Foundation & Promote Ukraine, European Citizen’s Prize Winner

Overall, the event created a valuable exchange of ideas on how to build back better – socially, economically, and environmentally. We want to thank every participant who attended the launch!

Discussions with EU officials, NATO representatives, and MEPs

As part of the publication launch, five of our Ambassadors had the opportunity to step into the rooms where decisions are made and bring youth perspectives directly to key stakeholders. Over the course of three days the Rebuild Ukraine Ambassadors held constructive discussions with:

• Officials from NATO
• The Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST)
• Members of the European Parliament: Lena Düpont, Thijs Reuten, Damian Boeselager, and Petras Auštrevičius
• Ramūnas Stanionis, Member of Commissioner Kubilius’ Cabinet for Defence and Space

Throughout these meetings, our Ambassadors shared their proposals for Ukraine’s sustainable recovery and reconstruction, highlighting the role of youth as active contributors to policymaking.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank DG ENEST, the European Parliament, NATO, and the European Commission for their openness to youth voices and their commitment to rebuilding Ukraine through inclusive and forward-looking policies. A special thank you to Anna Jarosz-Friis for her inspiring keynote and to our panellists for their valuable insights.

We also thank MEPs Lena Düpont, Thijs Reuten, Damian Boeselager, and Petras Auštrevičius, as well as Ramūnas Stanionis, for their time, encouragement, and genuine interest in the work of our Ambassadors.