ACTION PROGRAM

 

ACTION PROGRAM
OF THE UKRAINIAN PEACE COUNCIL
for the Period of Achieving Peace and Post-War Recovery of Ukraine

 

Approved by the Presidium of the Ukrainian Peace Council on May 22, 2025 

 

INTRODUCTION

The Ukrainian Peace Council (UPC), as a civic platform promoting peacebuilding, has played a vital role during the full-scale war—strengthening the moral resilience of Ukrainian society, countering disinformation, advocating for a just peace, and defending the dignity of Ukraine in the international arena. Despite the ongoing military aggression, Ukraine is already shaping a vision of future peace and laying the foundations for the post-war renaissance of the state and society. In this context, not only the format of UPC’s activity is evolving, but also its mission, strategic goals, and instruments of influence.

 

The updated Action Program of the UPC covers the transitional phase from war to peace, which includes both the support of civic resistance and the preparation for post-war humanitarian transformation. The UPC must undertake a strategic transition—from a strategy of national resistance to one of humanitarian leadership; from situational civic activism to a sustainable institution of moral renewal, social dialogue, and international peacebuilding agency.

 

A key condition for this transition is the formation of a new humanitarian order—based on patriotism, national sovereignty, dignity, solidarity, ethical responsibility, and respect for human rights and diversity. Such a foundation will foster trust within society, help heal collective traumas, and prevent new conflicts. The UPC Action Program is intended to provide institutional mechanisms to address these challenges.

 

The UPC sees its mission as reinforcing the moral framework of Ukrainian statehood—capable of combining peace-oriented intentions with defense capacity, humanitarian leadership with historical responsibility, and the memory of victims with nonviolent models of reconciliation. In contrast to the revanchist ideology of the aggressor state, the UPC promotes a platform of memory without vengeance, open dialogue, international solidarity, and humane responsibility. At the same time, the UPC maintains a clear position on the inevitability of accountability for war crimes, the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, and the inadmissibility of capitulation rhetoric disguised as reconciliation.

 

The new mission of the UPC is implemented through five key action vectors:

  • • Establishment of the National Program "Peace and Development for Ukraine" as a public space for discussion on memory policy, reintegration, humanitarian diplomacy, and peacebuilding strategies;
  • • Implementation of a multi-level model of Program realization through regional initiatives, community partnerships, and open communication with society;
  • • Institutional capacity building of the UPC as a continuously functioning humanitarian organization of a new type;
  • • Introduction of a performance evaluation system for peacebuilding and educational initiatives based on clear indicators, civic monitoring, and feedback mechanisms;
  • • Strategic participation in global peacebuilding and humanitarian processes as a representative of Ukraine’s post-conflict transformation experience.

 

The updated UPC Action Program responds to the major challenges of our time—moral and psychological traumatization, informational disorientation, crisis of solidarity, and the threat of rising authoritarian narratives under the guise of security or stability. In response, the UPC proposes a comprehensive system of humanitarian instruments that includes:

  • • Peace education,
  • • Infrastructure of ethical memory,
  • • Humanitarian diplomacy,
  • • Psychosocial support,
  • • Social cohesion,
  • • Open national and international dialogue.

 

Of particular importance is the strategic vision of “Ukraine 2030 as a Peaceful State”—a country that has endured war without losing its humanity; that has achieved victory while upholding the principles of dignity, freedom, and global ethical solidarity. The Ukrainian Peace Council is to become the moral compass on this path—an institution that unites ethical reflection, practical initiatives, and global subjectivity, laying the foundation for sustainable peace in Ukraine and worldwide.

 

1. General Principles

 

The end of war is not merely the beginning of peaceful coexistence, but a complex process of societal rethinking. The Ukrainian Peace Council (UPC) assumes the role of a moral compass, mediator, and facilitator of public dialogue—both at the national and regional levels. Its mission is to overcome not only the material but also the social, psychological, and value-based consequences of war.

 

The updated UPC Action Program transforms its functional role: from a mobilization structure during the period of resistance to a systemic humanitarian platform for sustainable national development. This marks a shift from mobilization rhetoric to long-term transformational goals.

 

The UPC becomes a participant in the global process of shaping a post-conflict humanitarian agenda, promoting a peace ethic grounded in Ukraine’s own experience. Within this framework, the National Program “Peace and Development for Ukraine” is being launched—an open public space for dialogue on memory policy, humanitarian transformation, ethical leadership, and cross-sectoral cooperation.

 

The UPC evolves from a civic instrument of resistance into a strategic agent of humanitarian renewal. Its function lies in combining moral authority with a modernizing influence on civil society institutions. The organization is reassessing its mission in accordance with a new historical phase, prioritizing the healing of society, the restoration of trust, and the formation of a new humanitarian architecture.

 

Thus, in the period following the end of the war, the UPC’s main goal is to promote sustainable peace, national unity, institutional reconstruction, and Ukraine’s global reputation as a state committed to dignity, freedom, and global responsibility. The UPC remains a symbol of moral resistance while becoming an active actor in humanitarian renewal, interethnic understanding, and public diplomacy.

 

2. Strategic Challenges and Risks of the Post-War Period

 

The period following the full-scale war in Ukraine brings not only hopes for recovery but also a series of profound and multidimensional risks that threaten the sustainability of peace, societal unity, and the ethical rethinking of the past. The strategic complexity lies in the fact that the trauma of war continues to operate through hidden but powerful mechanisms—both on the individual level (through fear, anger, loss of moral orientation) and on the collective level (through mistrust, fragmentation, polarization, and vulnerability to manipulation).

 

The Ukrainian Peace Council must be aware of and proactively respond to these challenges—not only as an observer but as an initiator of systemic solutions. Post-war stabilization is not an automatic process but a difficult trajectory requiring the management of uncertainty. In this context, the UPC must operate within a paradigm of risk-oriented strategic thinking, monitoring trends, modeling scenarios, and formulating humanitarian responses to threats.

 

Strategic risks can be conditionally grouped into such key categories:

  1. 1. Political risks – related to the potential for populism, fragmentation, infighting among elites, and declining effectiveness of democratic governance. Amid public fatigue, high expectations, and limited resources, the political system may lose stability or become vulnerable to authoritarian tendencies and hostile propaganda.
  2. 2. Social risks – the rise of polarization between regions, generations, and social groups. The return of military personnel, integration of displaced persons, and disillusionment due to slow recovery may lead to a crisis of solidarity. Local-level conflicts may intensify, particularly over access to resources, housing reconstruction, or symbolic recognition of contributions.
  3. 3. Psycho-emotional risks – the deeply rooted collective trauma of war, manifesting as anxiety, aggression, depression, or emotional exhaustion. Without systemic support (via rehabilitation centers, a culture of care, and societal therapy), psycho-emotional tension may block constructive social mobilization.
  4. 4. Information risks – associated with disinformation, hate speech, historical revisionism, and narrative manipulation from outside. The post-war information space will become a battleground for the interpretation of the past and the future. Especially dangerous are policies of “national amnesia” or, conversely, the instrumentalization of pain for populist purposes.
  5. 5. Geopolitical risks – escalation of global competition leading to worsening international security, emergence of new or reactivated military conflicts, continued or renewed foreign interference in domestic affairs, intensified hybrid influence on border regions, and use of economic or cultural pressure as tools of destabilization. Ukraine will remain an object of strategic rivalry, and the UPC must contribute to the creation of a humanitarian shield—through diplomacy, peace education, and institutions of trust.

 

At the intersection of these categories emerge complex interdisciplinary risk scenarios that require deep analytics, ongoing monitoring, and agile humanitarian responses. In this context, the UPC acts as a center for strategic humanitarian foresight, engaging scholars, civic leaders, security experts, psychologists, and youth organizations.

 

Thus, the post-war period should not be seen as a phase of relaxation or routine restoration. It is a phase of exceptional moral and institutional responsibility in which new boundaries of national self-awareness are shaped. As a moderator of public dialogue, the UPC assumes responsibility not only for anticipating challenges but also for actively addressing them—through institutions of trust, humanitarian ethics, a culture of peace, and strategic readiness.

 

3. Priority Areas of Activity

 

The Ukrainian Peace Council (UPC) focuses its efforts on the next key areas that reflect society’s demand for transforming collective experience and building the foundations of lasting peace. Each of these areas serves a systemic function—ranging from social cohesion to ethical leadership and international cooperation. The Program is based on an integrated logic of humanitarian recovery, where the individual, community, and identity are central. These areas form an interdisciplinary framework for post-war humanitarian policy.

 

3.1. Promoting Social Unity and Reintegration

At the heart of this area is the healing of trauma, overcoming internal divisions, and rebuilding trust among different social groups. It entails active support for constructing a new social contract between communities, veterans, internally displaced persons, and families of the fallen. Reintegration must occur not only geographically, but also morally, emotionally, and in terms of shared values. Reconciliation programs must be grounded in respect, dialogue, and mutual recognition of suffering. They should focus on:

  • • Dialogue between regions and social groups;
  • • Support for veterans, displaced persons, and families of the fallen;
  • • Reconciliation initiatives across civil society groups, overcoming polarization, and restoring mutual trust.

 

3.2. Preserving and Developing Peace Education and a Culture of Nonviolence

 

Peace education for Ukrainian youth is a holistic system of teaching and learning that cultivates values of peace, tolerance, responsibility, and respect for human dignity—while also fostering awareness of the need to defend state sovereignty, patriotism, and resilience against aggression. This form of education aims to ensure that youth understand peace not as a sign of weakness, but as a strategy of strength—based on knowledge, internal resilience, national defense capacity, and international solidarity.

 

Post-war Ukrainian society needs a new educational paradigm that fosters dialogue, nonviolence, and humanitarian responsibility while reinforcing the importance of defending freedom and national integrity. Peace education should not be a separate subject but a cross-cutting theme throughout the educational process—from preschool to university. It must provide not only knowledge but also practical skills in peaceful coexistence, empathy, responsible leadership, and shared security.

 

The UPC shall coordinate this direction as a moral and civic institution that promotes a humanistic culture, advances peacebuilding approaches among youth, and fosters international cooperation in peace education.

 

Key activities in this area include:

  • • Integration of peace education values and principles into school and university curricula;
  • • Organization and support for summer schools, trainings, and youth peace camps at the national and international levels;
  • • Sustained cooperation with international organizations (UN, UNESCO, UNICEF, Council of Europe, etc.) for experience exchange and implementation of joint peacebuilding initiatives.

 

3.3. Humanitarian Diplomacy and Peacebuilding

 

The UPC is expanding its international role by contributing to the formation of the global post-war agenda. Through partnerships, expert support, and peace missions, it promotes the image of Ukraine as a humanitarian state. It is vital not only to participate in projects but also to initiate peace concepts based on the Ukrainian experience of resilience, patriotism, and defense of national sovereignty. The UPC must become an active agent in building a network of citizen diplomacy through the following activities:

  • • Participation in international post-war recovery initiatives;
  • • Expert and practical support for sustainable peace strategies;
  • • Development of a people's diplomacy network based on UPC partnerships.

 

3.4. Information Work

 

Peace is impossible without information hygiene, critical thinking, and a fight against disinformation. The UPC should act as both a filter and catalyst for truth, dialogue culture, and meaningful public discourse. Special attention must be paid to counteracting hate speech and incitement propagated by hostile media. The principle “responsible speech is a component of national security” should guide this work.

 

Key activities:

  • • Promoting a culture of peace in the media and public space;
  • • Supporting independent media and platforms for public dialogue;
  • • Detecting and countering disinformation, hate speech, and manipulative narratives.

 

3.5. Ethical Infrastructure for Peace

 

Peace encompasses not only political dimensions but deep moral ones as well. Post-war recovery requires the creation of support centers, a new humanitarian ethic, and institutionalized memory. The UPC must initiate the creation of an ethical infrastructure—places of moral healing, solidarity, and commemoration. This is the foundation of a new post-traumatic societal culture.

 

Concrete activities include:

  • • Supporting the establishment of psychosocial rehabilitation centers;
  • • Promoting moral and humanitarian values for societal recovery;
  • • Preserving national memory and honoring war victims.

 

3.6. International Activities of the UPC in the Post-War Era

 

The UPC serves as an ambassador of Ukraine’s humanitarian mission to the world. It represents a new peace ethic shaped by resistance, suffering, and solidarity. Its platform gathers peacebuilding initiatives, dialogue, and partnerships on a global scale. Through this, the UPC enhances the international visibility of Ukrainian civil society via:

  • • Participation in the work of international organizations (UN, UNESCO, UNICEF, Council of Europe, PACE, etc.);
  • • Development of Ukrainian humanitarian diplomacy through public peace missions;
  • • Building a global network of partner peace organizations;
  • • Hosting roundtables, conferences, and international forums under the banner “Peace in Ukraine — Peace in the World”;
  • • Establishing UPC-affiliated branches and organizations abroad, engaging Ukrainian diasporas.

 

3.7. Youth Policy and Shaping a Generation of Peace

 

Youth are not only a strategic resource for the future but also an active force in forming a new humanitarian culture, peace vision, and national identity. As a moral and educational institution, the UPC must provide a comprehensive framework for engaging the younger generation in processes of recovery, dialogue, social responsibility, and enhancing Ukraine’s global presence.

 

The future of Ukraine as a peace-driven nation is impossible without active youth participation in societal renewal, humanitarian transformation, and international cooperation. Youth must become co-creators of a culture of peace, bearers of a new ethic of leadership, and local agents of change.

 

The UPC will support youth initiatives, create platforms for civic engagement, foster experience exchange, and develop transnational peacebuilder networks through the following key activities:

  • • Supporting youth leadership programs, trainings, exchanges, and peace schools;
  • • Empowering the UPC Youth Council as a distinct institutional pillar;
  • • Promoting youth engagement at the community level, in educational institutions, and student environments;
  • • Enabling youth participation in international humanitarian forums, competitions, and initiatives;
  • • Supporting youth-led startups, social innovations, and creative projects focused on post-conflict recovery.

 

4. Implementation Mechanisms

 

The effective implementation of the Updated Action Program is based on a multi-level model—from local initiatives to international alliances. The institutional strengthening of the Ukrainian Peace Council (UPC), along with partnerships with public authorities and civil society, ensures legitimacy, transparency, and sustainability of actions. A systematic National Program lies at the foundation, integrating peace practices with humanitarian development. Monitoring, regular reporting, and open public discourse serve as the core implementation tools.

 

Key implementation mechanisms include:

  • • Establishment of the National Program “Peace and Development for Ukraine”;
  • • Commemoration and preservation of the memory of fallen Heroes;
  • • Launching peacebuilding initiatives and promoting a culture of peace;
  • • Partnerships with governmental institutions, educational establishments, and civil society organizations.

 

5. Institutional Capacity of the Ukrainian Peace Council

 

To effectively fulfill its renewed humanitarian mission, the UPC must evolve into a modern institution with a clear governance structure, transparent participation mechanisms, and a wide partnership network. Institutional capacity implies professionalization, digital transformation, and strategic renewal of human resources. The key assets are public trust and collaboration with academic, volunteer, and international communities. The UPC should become a benchmark of ethical governance and effective civic engagement.

 

This includes:

  • • Establishing a modern UPC structure: central office, regional branches, Ethics Council, and Youth Wing;
  • • Strengthening partnerships with universities, local communities, and memory institutions;
  • • Creating a platform for sustained dialogue with government and civil society;
  • • Ensuring sustainable funding through grants and volunteer contributions;
  • • Implementing digital tools for management, communication, and civic engagement.

 

6. Performance Evaluation and Indicator System

 

All UPC activities must be grounded in principles of transparency, accountability, and evidence-based policy. For this purpose, an integrated system of performance evaluation should be introduced—combining quantitative indicators, public monitoring, and independent expert assessments. This will ensure public legitimacy, enable real-time strategy adjustments, and foster citizen trust. The UPC must evolve into an open data platform on the state of humanitarian security and social cohesion.

 

Priority actions include:

  • • Developing a system of key indicators for each area of activity (e.g., the proportion of schools that have implemented peace education courses; number of psychosocial rehabilitation centers; number of international agreements and partnerships; public trust levels from sociological research);
  • • Creating an online platform for public monitoring;
  • • Introducing annual public reporting;
  • • Conducting independent expert evaluations of the Updated Action Program every 12 months;
  • • Revising strategic priorities based on collected data and public feedback.

 

7. Expected Outcomes

 

The Updated Action Program of the Ukrainian Peace Council aims to establish a humanitarian platform for sustainable peace in Ukraine. Its outcome will be a functional infrastructure of trust, moral authority, and international cooperation. According to this Program, the UPC is to transform into a permanent peace institution with a deep connection to civil society. This model will be resilient to the challenges of a new era and capable of converting the experience of war into a positive force for renewal.

 

Thus, the Action Program is directed toward building a sustainable peace infrastructure that integrates moral leadership, civic engagement, international agency, and the strengthening of Ukraine’s civil society. The UPC aspires to be a source of trust, unity, and humanitarian stability for Ukraine—both during martial law and in the post-war period.

 

8. Vision for the Future: Ukraine 2030 as a Peaceful Nation

 

In the context of Ukraine’s post-war recovery, peace acquires special significance, becoming the foundation of a new national identity built on the experience of suffering, resistance, solidarity, and humanitarian service. The vision of the future is not a declaration of aspirations, but a project for cultural and institutional transformation. This is the mission embraced by the Ukrainian Peace Council (UPC) as it articulates its vision of Ukraine in 2030 — a free, sovereign, and peaceful nation.

 

By 2030, Ukraine is envisioned as a country of dignity — one that has not only withstood the war but has redefined itself as a humanitarian power. Its society is inclusive, open to diversity, and united by the values of mutual respect, dialogue, and a culture of nonviolence. Democratic mechanisms are complemented by the moral responsibility of citizens, and civil society transforms into a driver of not only protest but constructive change — solidarity-based, proactive, strategically minded, and actively engaged in shaping public policy and Ukraine’s democratic development.

 

In this Ukraine, the culture of peace is not a fragment of political rhetoric but a foundational value permeating every sphere — from education to media, from municipal governance to foreign policy. It is embedded in school curricula, artistic expression, public spaces, and communication between government and citizens. Everyday life is supported by an infrastructure of trust: rehabilitation centers, spaces for dialogue, ethical leadership, and new forms of peace-oriented public service.

 

In this future, the UPC is not merely a mediator but the source of a humanitarian paradigm that extends beyond national borders. Its initiatives shape a model for post-conflict development that the world can adopt. Having endured a historical ordeal, Ukraine learns not only to survive but to create: new concepts of justice, security, human dignity, and peace. The vision of Ukraine 2030 as a peaceful country is not only a goal — it is a method: shared reflection, ethical imagination, concrete actions, and civic responsibility.

 

9. Final Provisions

 

The Updated Action Program of the Ukrainian Peace Council is a strategic response to the unprecedented challenges faced by Ukraine as a result of full-scale war. It unites a value-based vision, institutional responsibility, and practical focus in the pursuit of lasting peace. The UPC transitions from a phase of national resistance to one of humanitarian leadership — with a renewed mission encompassing reconciliation, moral recovery, cultural transformation, and global agency.

 

Implementation of this Program will contribute to the creation of a sustainable peace infrastructure based on trust, ethical leadership, and social cohesion. The UPC is affirming itself as a modern civic institution capable not only of healing past traumas but of designing a humanitarian future. Its work integrates Ukraine’s experience into the global post-conflict development context, enriching international peace ethics.

 

The Updated Action Program is open-ended and adaptable to emerging challenges, relying on continuous feedback, monitoring data, and collaborative partnerships.

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