On February 17, the first meeting of the National Committee of UNESCO’s “Information for All” programme (IFAP) in 2026 was held, chaired by the Head of the Committee and Chair of the National Council, Olha Herasymiuk.
The participants of the meeting summarized the activities of the National Committee in 2025, discussed the key results of international cooperation, and outlined the tasks for the current year 2026.
Olha Herasymiuk emphasized that 2025 was an extremely fruitful year for Ukrainian diplomacy, as Ukraine managed to strengthen its position in UNESCO’s information and communication sector. The election of our country to the Executive Board of the organization was an unquestionable success, expanding Ukraine’s presence in key programmes and becoming one of the most effective and, at the same time, most difficult diplomatic processes in recent years. The fact that Russia did not make it into the Board is a great victory for us, as for a long time the Russian Federation had a significant influence on UNESCO and laid down its rules.
A key result has been Ukraine’s active participation in the governing bodies of the intergovernmental “Information for All” programme, which defines approaches to the development of information societies, access to knowledge, countering disinformation, issues of digital ethics, language protection and development, safety of journalists, etc. Our country is currently represented in all working groups of the Programme, that was achieved through coordinated efforts with the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to UNESCO and the diplomatic corps.
During the meeting, a plan of action and tasks for 2026 were outlined. Ongoing cooperation with partners to strengthen the democratic foundations of the organization’s work remains an important task, as countering Russian narratives is far from over. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify the activities within the Programme’s working groups to consistently counter Russian influence, particularly in the field of multilingualism. The participants of the meeting discussed the protection of cultural heritage in the context of armed aggression and the implementation of international support programmes in the fields of education, science, culture, and information. They outlined the events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO’s “Information for All” programme, which is being celebrated this year.
It should be recalled that the Chair of the National Council and of the National Committee of UNESCO’s “Information for All” programme, Olha Herasymiuk, will represent Ukraine in the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of the UNESCO Programme.
Reference: UNESCO’s IFAP National Committee of Ukraine was established in March 2024. It is headed by the Chair of the National Council, Olha Herasymiuk. Among its members are Oleksandr Burmahin, Member of the National Council, Yevheniia Kravchuk, People’s Deputy, as well as representatives of state institutions, media experts, lawyers, and representatives of civil society. The Committee’s goal is to provide active expert leadership and to promote the Ukrainian agenda on issues covered by the Programme.
