UWC President visits Lviv to support education, culture, politics

Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), made an official visit to Lviv in support of Ukraine, focusing on strengthening cooperation with Ukrainian political and educational institutions. His working day on Dec. 11 included a series of important meetings and events.

Discussions on Ukraine’s challenges and future took place during Grod’s meeting with the leadership and students of the Lviv Polytechnic National University.

Grod met with the university’s rector, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Technical Sciences, and Professor Natalya Shakhovska, as well as Vice Rectors Mykola Logoida and Iryna Khomyshyn.

The meeting also included leaders of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations (IIEC/MIOK), headed by Iryna Kluchkovska; Head of the UWC mission to Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko; Canada’s Honorary Consul in Ukraine, educator, public figure, and former chair of the UWC’s International Educational Coordinating Council (IECC) (2008–2018) Oksana Wynnyckyj-Yusypovych; and the head of the Ukrainian community of Spain for the Rights, Honor, and Dignity of Ukrainians, Yuri Chopyk.

The discussions covered a range of topics relevant to Ukrainians both abroad and in Ukraine, particularly in humanitarian, educational, and scientific spheres.

Grod shared key aspects of UWC’s activities amid today’s turbulent times and outlined the organization’s Action Plan for 2025–2026, adopted on Oct. 25.

The meeting served as a platform for dialogue between students, faculty, and diaspora representatives on the role of global Ukrainian communities in supporting Ukraine and shaping its future.

Paul Grod thanked the leaders of Lviv Polytechnic for their cooperation and mutual support and presented Rector Shakhovska with UWC’s highest honor — St. Volodymyr the Great Medal.

Natalya Shakhovska confirmed the university’s readiness for future partnership with the UWC within the framework of state policy aimed at strengthening global Ukrainian identity.

Students from the Institute of Law, Psychology, and Innovative Education, as well as the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, actively participated in the discussions.

Grod also held a series of official meetings with Lviv regional leadership, including Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration Maksym Kozytskyi.

He met with Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak and gave interviews to media outlets, including Espreso TV, addressing topics such as the law on multiple citizenships, Ukraine’s reconstruction, and countering Russian narratives in the global media space.

During his visit, Grod also paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian defenders.

The UWC President’s visit to Lviv reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to strengthening ties between Ukrainian educational, cultural, and political institutions and the global Ukrainian community, promoting a unified national stance, and supporting global solidarity amid current challenges.

On Dec. 12, Paul Grod will officially open the Forum of Ukrainians of Eastern Europe in Przemyśl. Official event page link.