On May 21, Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Oleksii Riabykin took part in the International Europe Civil Security Forum “Ukraine’s Experience — the Foundation of Europe’s Global Security,” held in Warsaw. The event brought together representatives of Ukrainian and European governments, parliaments, local governments, international organizations, and EU institutions.

The main topic of the forum was strengthening global security in Europe in the context of a full-scale war in Ukraine. The participants emphasized the unique experience of our state in protecting the civilian population, organizing civil defense systems, countering hybrid threats, and creating shelters and warning systems. Communities play an important role in these processes, which ensure the safety of people on the ground every day.

In his speech, Oleksii Riabykin emphasized the importance of interaction between central authorities and communities in developing a civil defense system.

“Security begins on the ground — with a clear plan, where the community should have shelters, alert systems should work, and algorithms for people to act in case of a threat should be worked out. We are talking about specific things that save lives. And it is practical agreements that can be implemented that we should strive to achieve as a result of the forum.
Ukrainian communities have already gone through extraordinary challenges and are creating models that can be scaled up in other European countries. Our experience is a precedent for a new European civil protection policy,” the Deputy Minister emphasized.

He also noted that theRegional Development and Public Investment Management Reform in Ukraine already take these challenges into account: the focus is on community resilience, a people-centered approach, and strategic planning.

The forum discussed contemporary security threats on the continent, including hybrid challenges, the experience of communities in wartime, innovations in the field of civilian protection, and the role of international partnerships. Representatives from Poland, Sweden, Germany, the European Commission, the OSCE, the Red Cross, and a number of civil society organizations shared practices and lessons learned in the field of crisis response.

Ukrainian communities, working daily in war conditions, presented concrete examples of solutions: from digital warning systems to evacuation logistics and shelter modernization. This experience is already attracting interest from European partners and should be adapted on a wider scale.

Subscribe to the pages of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and WhatsApp