On 14-16 October, an international conference "Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South". Its participants came from all over the world, including India, Indonesia, Qatar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Kenya, the Philippines, Turkey, Austria, Estonia, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Sudan, Italy, Chile, as well as representatives of the opposition to the governments of Iran and Syria living outside these countries.
The conference brought together more than 300 participants who participated both in person and online. About 35 prominent speakers from Asia, Africa, and Latin America took part in the panel discussions, sharing their experience and expertise with the audience. The conference was initiated by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in Crimea.
The organisers and partners were, in particular, the International Center for Ukrainian Victory, the Media Initiative for Human Rights, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the International Partnership for Human Rights, the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, the Ukraine. Five in the Morning" coalition with the support of the Office of the Crimean Platform.
The conference featured nine discussion panels where participants discussed the challenges posed by Russian aggression in Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea. The topics of the panels covered global energy and food security, human rights, decolonisation, the new international order, international security, justice and condemnation of Russia's crimes in Ukraine.
The conference also featured three side events aimed at deepening understanding of the Crimean peninsula, as well as a cultural event at a Crimean Tatar restaurant. One of the side events was organised by ZMINA to talk about how war and wartime violence affect women in different countries.
In addition, the conference participants and guests saw the works of Ukrainian artist from Crimea Maria Kulikovska: installations "Scars", "Clone Army II" and "Folds of Time / Folds of Memory", which reflect on the consequences of Russian aggression, in particular through the prism of a woman's experience.
Tamila Tasheva and Tetiana Pechonchyk"Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sparked a growing interest in Ukraine from countries around the world. At the same time, the Ukrainian civil society and non-governmental sectors have begun to pay more attention to events in different regions outside the EU and North America. For countries in the Global South, Ukraine has become an important prospective partner in supporting food and energy security. For example, several countries on the African continent, as well as in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, have experienced significant shortages of grain and other agricultural products due to Russia's large-scale war against Ukraine. Due to the growing isolation of the Russian Federation, Moscow is increasingly trying to find support in the Global South and spread propaganda about its actions in Ukraine. It is only through comprehensive and coordinated actions of the government and civil society that Ukraine can expand its ties with the countries of the Global South and promote the principles of global justice and cooperation," said Tetyana Pechonchyk, head of the ZMINA Centre.
16.10.2023
