Wives of world leaders will talk about rebuilding post-war Ukraine this weekend during the Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, led by Olena Zelenska, first lady chaired by this country.
Some of Ms. Zelenska’s partners will participate via video link from studios sin Brussels, Warsaw, London and Washington. The main studio leading Saturday’s event will be in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
In a statement released earlier this month, Ms. Zelenska, who initiated last year’s summit, said this year’s focus will be on human capital because the focus is often too much on the economy and infrastructure. when discussing reconstruction.
“But any discussion about Ukraine’s post-war recovery will be meaningless if they don’t prioritize restoring the people’s mental and physical health,” she said in the statement.
In his nightly address on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said last year’s conference was an example of the first spouse’s use of soft power to solve problems and expressed pride about this year’s event.
The first ladies’ summit was held last August and 11 first ladies from around the world visited Kyiv. Along with some of the first gentlemen, several others joined through a video link. Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state and first lady, spoke from a distance to the group.
Earlier this week, Ms Zelenska, in a rare appearance with her first foreign wife before Parliament, shared pictures of children whose lives have been destroyed by war and Requires more weapons for defense against what she calls the “Russian hunger game” that is tearing families apart.
She also hopes to raise funds to replenish the supply of ambulances in Ukraine through United24a Ukrainian public charity, during Saturday’s summit.
Ms. Zelenska recruited some star power also to draw attention to this year’s summit, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. Those expected to join from a remote studio include David Beckham, a Unicef ambassador, and actors Richard Gere, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. Ms. Kunis, who is married to Mr. Kutcher, was born in Ukraine. The couple raised millions of dollars in a crowdfunding effort to support displaced Ukrainians earlier this year.
