The Renaissance of Ukraine’s Cultural Diplomacy amid Global Challenges and Ongoing Full-Scale War

  • Post category:Issue XXV

Andriana Bila
Chief Consultant of the Department for Foreign Policy and Strategic Partnership of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Postgraduate Student of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
Stanislav Lytvynov
Documentary film director, cultural figure, UCF expert

DOI:

Abstract. The article discusses cultural diplomacy as a promising field in state and public activities. It presents arguments about cultural diplomacy’s role, content, and significance in the face of increasing global risks. The article highlights cultural diplomacy’s unique strength, which can help societies and states withstand global challenges and threats. The article also proves the practical effectiveness of cultural diplomacy, demonstrating its efficiency beyond traditional diplomatic methods.
The authors note that Ukraine has become a subject state in foreign policy and international relations, initiating new cooperation formats and effectively strengthening dialogue with many countries. The article pays special attention to Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy, which has flourished and developed under the critical and constrained conditions of russia’s full-scale invasion. The complex political and diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Serbia provide an illustrative example of the effectiveness of cultural diplomacy. The authors describe in detail the successful combination of Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s visits to Serbia, displaying the opportunities for the following steps to develop bilateral cooperation further.
The article identifies, describes, and analyses several nationally significant cultural diplomacy projects that are important in the context of preserving Ukrainian identity, cultural values and spreading the truth about the origins and causes of russia’s war against Ukraine.
The article stresses that the global community must unite to find real solutions for self-preservation and effectively combat a wide range of global challenges. In this regard, cultural diplomacy is a unique opportunity and an effective tool for overcoming political prejudices and other challenges that hinder efficient intergovernmental cooperation.
Keywords: global challenges, megatrends, cultural diplomacy, russia’s full-scale invasion, soft power, Ukrainian-Serbian relations, cultural heritage, national identity.

Download Article (ukr)

References:

  1. Laqueur, W. (1994) ‘Save Public Diplomacy’, Foreign Affairs, 73(5), pp. 19–24.
  2. Koppel, O. (2020) ‘Global trends of the world policy’, Regional Studies, 20, pp. 109–114.
  3. World Economic Forum (2024) The Global Risks Report 2024. 19th edition. Available at: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf
  4. Official website of the President of Ukraine (2022) Spline komiunike pro osnovy myru [Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework]. Available at: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/spilne-komyunike-pro-osnovi-miru-91581
  5. Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ukraine (2021) Uchast pershoi ledi Respubliky Serbii, pani Tamary Vuchych, u Samiti pershykh ledi ta dzhentelmeniv u Kyievi [Participation of the First Lady of the Republic of Serbia, Mrs. Tamara Vucic, at the Summit of the First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kiev]. Available at: http://www.kiev.mfa.gov.rs/ukr/newstext.php?subaction=-showfull&id=1629984199
  6. The Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform (2022) Druhyi Samit Pershykh Ledi ta Dzhentelmeniv [The Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen]. Available at: https://2022.kyivsummitflg.gov.ua
  7. Official website of the President of Ukraine (2024) Persha ledi Ukrainy v Serbii vziala uchast u Konferentsii z mentalnoho zdorovia [First Lady of Ukraine Participated in the Conference on Mental Health in Serbia], 13 May. Available at: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/persha-ledi-ukrayini-v-serbiyi-vzyala-uchast-u-konferenciyi-90873
  8. Official website of the President of Ukraine (2024) Olena Zelenska zustrilasia z Prezydentom ta pershoiu ledi Serbii [Olena Zelenska Met with the President and First Lady of Serbia], 13 May. Available at: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/olena-zelenska-zustrilasya-z-prezidentom-ta-pershoyu-ledi-se-90881
  9. ‘Supruga predsednika Ukrajine Olena Zelenska u poseti Beogradu’ (2024) Tanjug, 12 May. Available at: https://www.tanjug.rs/srbija/drustvo/87868/supruga-predsednika-ukrajine-olena-zelenska-u-poseti-beogradu/vest
  10. Schneider, C. (2006) ‘Cultural Diplomacy: Hard to Define, but You’d Know It if You Saw It’, Brown Journal of World Affairs, 13(1), pp. 191–204.
  11. Ukraine and Ukrainians (2024). Available at: https://ukraineandukrainians.com
  12. OLIZ (2023) Stolen Art. Available at: https://oliz.com.ua/pc/vikradene-mistectvo
  13. OLIZ (2024) Tse vidbulos [Facebook] 25 April. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/HYxmnKpsu7o5k3Qy
  14. Brand Ukraine (2023) Ukraine’s Global Perception Report 2023 by Brand Ukraine. Available at: https://brandukraine.org.ua/uk/news/zvit-pro-sprijnyattya-ukrayini-u-sviti-2023-vid-brand-ukraine