Digest of 2023
January 2023
From January 8 to 15, 2023, a large delegation of students of the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Ukraine (ESIIR) took part in the international educational program on European studies, translation practice and parliamentarian, organized by the French NGO "Ukraine in Europe". The main goals of this study trip were to get acquainted with the work of the institutions of the European Union, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the parliamentary system of France, the work of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France (Quai d'Orsay), as well as the embassy and cultural centre of Ukraine in France. In five working days, the students of ESIIR visited eight institutions, as well as the informative French television channel BMFTV.
On January 10, 2023, a delegation of MP students visited the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, where they met with the head of the Department of Russia and Eastern Europe, Nicolas Bruten. Mr Bruten talked about the actions of French diplomacy in support of Ukraine in the conditions of Russian aggression and answered the students' questions.
On January 11, 2023, Ukrainian students spent a busy day in Paris visiting the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the National Assembly of France and the BMFTV information channel. In the OECD, the ESIIR delegation was received in the official meeting hall of this international organization, which was created after the Second World War and currently has 38 member states. The students of ESIIR listened to a lecture about the main directions of the OECD's activities, and prospects for Ukraine's accession to this organization and had the opportunity to ask various questions to three representatives of the OECD. At the same time, MK students visited the lower house of the French Parliament - the National Assembly at the invitation of MP Benjamin Haddad, co-chairman of the parliamentary group for interparliamentary relations between the National Assembly and the Verkhovna Rada, and after lunch - one of the leading French news channels - BMFTV, which for a long time devotes to coverage of events in Ukraine.
On January 12, 2023, the ESIIR delegation visited the Senate of the French Republic. This study visit took place at the invitation of Senator Nadia Sologub, co-chair of the France-Ukraine interparliamentary friendship group of the French Senate. Ukrainian students had the opportunity to visit the Senate meeting hall and take an interesting tour of the Luxembourg Palace, getting acquainted with the history and modern functioning of the upper house of the French Parliament. Also, on January 12, future Ukrainian diplomats visited the cultural centre of the Embassy of Ukraine in France, where they met with an employee of the embassy, Mr Vyacheslav Baranov, and Ms Victoria Gulenko, director of the cultural centre of Ukraine in France. Students learned about the current state of Ukraine's relations with France, the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats to strengthen aid to Ukraine in wartime conditions, and cultural diplomacy, and received answers to numerous questions.
On January 13, 2023, students of the MP speciality had the opportunity to visit the Court of the European Union in Luxembourg. As part of the 3-hour intensive program of the visit, the students of the ESIIR listened to lectures by Ms Laila Medina, Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU, Ms Nina Poltorak and Mr Rimvydas Norkus, judges of the General Court of the EU, learned about the latest judicial practice of the Court of Justice of the EU and visited the main meeting halls of the Court. At the same time, students of ESIIR of other specialities made study visits to the Council of the EU, where they got acquainted with the work of the Council of Ministers of the EU and the European Council, as well as to the European Parliament in Brussels with a visit to the meeting hall and a lecture on the powers of the European Parliament and the legislative decision-making procedure in the European Union.
April 2023
On April 12, 2023, the IV course of the English-language bachelor's educational program "International Law" studied the discipline "Protection of the rights of migrants, foreigners, refugees and displaced persons" in the format of a case study.
The online event, dedicated to the issue of ensuring the rights of protection seekers in Ukraine, was conducted by Ms. Olena Richko, lawyer, senior lawyer of the project "Legal assistance to refugees and stateless persons", which is implemented by the "Right to Protection" Charitable Foundation.
A few weeks before the class, the group was briefed on a real-life situation and tasked with proposing a case for a potential application to the European Court of Human Rights. Having familiarized herself with the written works of the students, during the Zoom meeting Ms. Richko analyzed their strengths and weaknesses, and also told how to make the appeal to the said Court more effective. In addition, she shared her own practical experience of representing the interests of protection seekers in Ukrainian authorities, the ECHR and Interpol.
On April 14, 2023, an English-language online lecture by Yulia Viktorivna Anosova, Doctor of Law, lawyer of NGO "La Strada-Ukraine" was held on the topic: "Legal and practical aspects of combating human trafficking in the conditions of the ongoing war in Ukraine."
Ms. Yuliya spoke in detail about Ukraine's international obligations in the field of combating human trafficking, as well as the mechanisms for monitoring their implementation. Communicating with the audience in the format of a dialogue, she revealed a number of discrepancies between Ukrainian legislation and the requirements of international treaties and emphasized the special importance of combating human trafficking in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The event was held within the framework of the discipline "Protection of the Rights of Migrants, Foreigners, Refugees and Displaced Persons", which is taught in the IV year of the English-language bachelor's educational program "International Law", but other colleagues who are interested in the issue of human trafficking were also able to join.
Our Institute hosted an online discussion with Yaroslav Polishchuk, a writer, cultural expert, professor at Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań (Poland) and author of the book "Searches of Eastern Europe".
The meeting with Yaroslav Polishchuk was organized by the Department of International Media Communications and Communication Technologies with the participation of 1st year students of the OP "International Communications".
The discussion between the author and the audience, part of which gathered in the institute's Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Media Research, unfolded in three directions. The first one was defined as "The national identity of Ukrainians and Europe's search for a balance between East and West." The author's questions were about how to preserve Ukrainian identity while staying outside our country, and whether students feel part of Ukraine when they are not at home.
"Nostalgia as a communication barrier and a tool for managing large masses of people" - this is how the participants outlined the next topic for discussion, which the mentioned book led them to. Problems related to the nostalgia of our compatriots who are abroad were debated. But how can you cope with this nostalgia with the help of communications.
Finally, the third topic, which was prepared for the discussion by communication students, is "Identity as a vaccine against post-truth". The participants discussed whether identity can be an idea that reflects the importance of preserving and promoting cultural heritage, which is a component of national identity, and asked Y. Polishchuk, who devoted a separate chapter of his book to post-truth.