Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a series of 30 large-scale public forums on various topics of national importance that will take place over the next six months. The initiative, meant to coincide with Ukraine’s 30th anniversary of independence, is an effort by the Ukrainian government to focus discussion in the country on topics the president believes are most important to Ukraine.
“This is the start of a great public dialogue with the participation of the authorities, the public, our international partners, our Ukrainian experts, scientists, journalists, and all our citizens of Ukraine,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in kicking off the first forum on February 8.
That forum, which took place on February 8-10, focused on COVID-19, which has hit Ukraine, a country of roughly 42 million people, hard. Subsequent forums will focus on security and defense issues, Crimea and Donbas, utility tariffs, judicial and anticorruption systems, agriculture, digitalization, infrastructure, education, science, culture and sports, among others.
In kicking off the first forum on February 8, Mr. Zelenskyy said that one goal of the initiative was to consider the strides Ukraine has made over the first 30 years of independence, and then set ambitious goals and “move forward together.”
“To do this we all need a long, thorough, perhaps difficult, but honest conversation,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “Therefore, every week this place will become a platform for the main topics of the country. A place of dialogue, questions, answers, and most importantly – the search and generation of solutions,” the president said, referring to Kyiv’s Parkovy International Convention Center, which is where the forums will be held.
The president called on all Ukrainians to follow the discussions taking place at the forum – billed as “Ukraina 30” – particularly in the context of adopting the laws meant to reform and strengthen Ukrainian democracy.
“These forums can give you an understanding of many processes, of useful information, and answers to important concerns,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in kicking off the first forum on COVID-19.
In a statement posted on the website for the “Ukraina 30” initiative, the president’s office said Ukraine’s fight against the coronavirus is a matter of national security. It also said that the first forum’s objectives were to demonstrate a high level of international cooperation to fight the pandemic in the country, ensure greater access for Ukrainians to information about the vaccine, counteract misinformation and fake news about the virus and the vaccine, and provide information on Ukraine’s vaccination strategy and action plan for 2021.
“The vaccination plan is designed to ensure proper and equal access to the vaccine for all Ukrainian residents,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “Its main task is to cover at least half of the population of Ukraine during 2021 and early 2022.”
Ukraine recently announced that it will receive 12 million coronavirus vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca and Novavax from the Serum Institute of India. Health officials in the country believe COVID-19 vaccinations will begin in mid-February. Ukraine has registered more than 1.2 million coronavirus cases and 22,707 deaths as of February 10.
“The first phase of vaccination will begin this month,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “The vaccine will be given first to our doctors, the military, and the National Guard.”
However, the president noted that after resolving the issue of vaccine supply to Ukraine, the authorities faced an additional problem – a large portion of the population here distrusts vaccinations and will likely refuse to be vaccinated.
“This is a new, but, I think, very serious current issue that we all have to solve. I am ready to show people by personal example, like most world leaders, that vaccination is important, it is safe, it is necessary,” said Mr. Zelenskyy, referring to his plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine together with Ukrainian servicemen after doctors receive the vaccine.
“I will be vaccinated with our military,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “As commander-in-chief, I must do this. It will be in the second phase.”
Mr. Zelenskyy also noted that he is ready to get vaccinated publicly. “We all need to show people vaccinations live,” he said, adding that he’s also encouraged his parents to be vaccinated. “It’s important to show that we’re not afraid to vaccinate our parents because of their age. I believe that this should be done.”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who spoke to forum participants via video, thanked the COVAX initiative, doctors and medical staff in Ukraine who will receive the first vaccines this month. “Millions of more doses of the vaccine will have arrived in Ukraine by the summer,” she said, noting that the EU was the largest donor to the COVAX initiative. She said that she had asked other EU members to donate some of their vaccines to Ukraine.
“All vaccines from the EU are guaranteed to be safe and effective,” Ms. von der Leyen said. “The independent European Medicines Agency has thoroughly inspected them. The EU is on the side of Ukraine, as it always has been, especially in the difficult moments of your recent history. Because we are all one European family.”