“On the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, everyone gave us zero chances in this war. Back then, it seemed to me that our foreign partners did not believe in Ukraine’s resilience and capacity to resist the enemy. But I knew for sure we could win, and all we had to do was to unite our forces and convince the rest of the world that Ukrainian Victory is inevitable. This idea became the laying foundation of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory,” — reflects Hanna Hopko, Chair of the National Interests Advocacy Network (ANTS) and co-founder of the International Center for Ukrainian Victory (ICUV).
Hopko was one of the leaders of the Euromaidan protests that toppled the pro-Russian government back in 2014. Her commitment to democracy and human rights led her to serve her country as a member of Parliament before joining civic initiatives that work towards democratic transformation in Ukraine.
In 2019, Hanna chaired the USAID/ENGAGE-supported Democracy in Action Conference (DIA) – a civil society-led annual high-level international discussion platform for seeking shared responses to hybrid threats to democracy.
The 2021 DIA Conference brought together top policymakers, civil society actors and media, becoming a ground for distilling the ideas of how Ukraine can oppose the threats to democracy posed by corruption, lawfare, and disinformation. A momentous success helped Hanna and the Anti-Corruption Action Center team – lead organizers of the Conference – to secure support from USAID/ENGAGE and other international partners to begin preparation for the next event planned for June 2022. However, Russia’s brutal attack on Ukrainian territory and people prompted Hanna and her team to abandon earlier plans and focus on activities that would help bring Ukraine victory.
“While working on the preparation for the Conference we were carefully following the events and assessing the situation, so we knew exactly what would be needed to help Ukraine withstand this attack. So, in early March I moved to Poland to join my colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Action Center and that is how it all started,” – reflects Hanna on the birth of in Warsaw, Poland.
Soon after the official launch of ICUV on March 4, 2022, other prominent Ukrainian civil society organizations, including the New Europe Center, the Human Rights Center ZMINA, Ukrainian Prism, the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, and the Civic Network “OPORA” have joined the Center. Hanna explains that previous coordination and networking within the DIA Conference have helped establish smooth operations of ICUV and mobilize partners for joint international advocacy efforts in such priority areas as the provision of humanitarian aid, supplying equipment for the Armed Forces and Territorial Defence, debunking Russian propaganda, and serving as a coordination hub for civil society organizations.
In 2022, ICUV`s team visited around 15 countries with over 500 advocacy visits to the United States, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and other countries around the world, meeting with more than 1,000 high-ranking government officials, policy-makers and diplomats.
Many of such visits were supported by mass street actions, gathering tens of thousands of people across and beyond Europe to show support for Ukraine. Those emblematic events titled “Stop promising, start acting” became the symbol of Ukraine’s resistance abroad and helped urge EU citizens and policymakers to support Ukraine with heavy weapons, additional military and humanitarian support.
Hanna and other ICUV leaders actively participated in various high-level events such as the Munich Security Conference, the Conference for the Recovery of Ukraine in Berlin and the Warsaw Security Forum. They have utilized these platforms to engage with global leaders and advocate for Ukraine`s EU and NATO membership and for the development of a comprehensive strategy toward Russia’s defeat. The Center’s leaders made thousands of appearances in international media, ensuring that Ukraine remained in the spotlight of foreign audiences’ attention to garner support for the country’s struggle against Russia`s aggression.
ICUV’s effective and visible activities have boosted gave a boost to coordination between the civil society and the government of Ukraine to synchronize international advocacy efforts and streamline strategic communication narratives. ICUV and its founders have joined a coalition of Ukrainian CSOs working in partnership with the government to push for Ukraine’s EU candidate status and post-war reforms.
Through twelve months of remarkable unity, efficient communication and collaborative advocacy ICUV played a pivotal role in advocating for an effective and timely international response to Russia’s aggression such as the imposition of sanctions on Russian oligarchs and politicians or the provision of modern weapons to Ukraine to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities. “I don’t want to overexaggerate our contribution to these victories, but I do believe our work helped a lot to change the way some European skeptics saw Ukraine and to show Ukrainian bravery to the world. We coordinated every move and every message, we had customized approaches developed for every partner and every state, and that’s what helped us to get across why Ukraine’s victory is so important from a geopolitical standpoint,” — says Hanna commenting on the main achievements of the Center. Importantly, ICUV’s advocacy work has also resulted in Ukraine obtaining EU candidate status – a major milestone toward EU integration.
Just like during the first days of the war, Hanna and her colleagues at ICUV are determined to advance the victory of Ukrainian democracy by expanding their international advocacy campaign to secure critical military support for Ukraine, helping sustain the country’s progress in the fight against corruption and engaging in the design its post-war reconstruction plan.