Discussion Panel “Universities as Actors of Public Diplomacy and Peacebuilding”

On 21 November 2025, the Department of International Relations of the Education and Research Institute “Karazin Institute of International Relations and Travel Business” of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University held an expert discussion panel titled “Universities as Actors of Public Diplomacy and Peacebuilding” as part of the annual All-Ukrainian scientific and practical round table “Strategic Directions of Foreign Policy and Diplomacy of the World’s Countries.”

The expert discussion brought together scholars and specialists from leading Ukrainian and foreign higher education institutions, including:

• V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University;

• Yurii Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University;

• University of Customs and Finance (Dnipro);

• Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University;

• Wyższa Szkoła Gospodarki w Bydgoszczy (Poland);

• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands);

• Kyiv School of Diplomatic Arts.

Key issues for discussion included:

Communication strategies of universities in the international arena:
– How universities promote themselves globally;
– The role of universities in fostering intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding.

Partnerships with foreign universities: diplomacy through cooperation:
– Joint research, conferences, academic alliances;
– Academic mobility as an instrument of public diplomacy.

Educational programmes in public diplomacy: are we ready to train specialists?
– Availability of academic training in public diplomacy;
– The role of universities in shaping a new generation of diplomats.

Challenges of public diplomacy in times of war and post-truth:
– How universities respond to information challenges;
– The role of the academic community in countering disinformation.

The future of Ukraine’s public diplomacy: strategy, vision, role of universities:
– What state policy in educational diplomacy should look like;
– Forecasting trends and new formats of interaction.

A student conference was also held, during which students presented reports and took part in an interactive session to develop public diplomacy strategy projects for Ukraine’s Eastern and Western geopolitical vectors.

The atmosphere of professional cooperation, relevant ideas, and deep expert insight made the event an important platform for shaping new approaches to diplomacy and international communication.

Together, we are shaping the intellectual space of the future of Ukrainian diplomacy.