NDPC coordinated a study trip to Kyiv, Ukraine
Picture: Head of NDPC Secretariat Krista Petäjäjärvi and delegation met in Kyiv with colleagues from different cultural institutions, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian Institute.
In September 14-18, a delegation coordinated by the NDPC visited Kyiv, Ukraine, as part of the Ukrainian Institute’s On the Ground programme.
The objective of the visit was to build stronger ties and exchange between NDPC and partners in Ukraine, which joined the Partnership as an Observer Country in 2024. The learning goal of the visit was to gain first-hand insights into how the role of culture has shaped during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Over four intensive days, the programme brought together a diverse range of Ukrainian stakeholders, from representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to cultural diplomacy organisations, museums, performing arts institutions, local authorities, artists, veterans, researchers, civil society actors and more. A broad spectrum of voices offered the delegation an opportunity to explore how culture supports resilience, recovery, democratic values, and the survival of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers amidst the ongoing full-scale invasion.
The visit was only a beginning for the NDPC led work to support Ukraine. The created insights and connections feed into the upcoming Culture in Times of Preparedness and Recovery event, organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in collaboration with NDPC in Helsinki on 22nd October 2026. The dialogue event brings together policymakers and institutional parties from Finland, Ukraine, and across the Baltic Sea aiming to build strong bonds and identify concrete opportunities for future cooperations and exchange.
We are grateful to all our Ukrainian partners for their openness and hospitality. We would like to extend our special appreciation to the Ukrainian Institute, and particularly its Cross-sectoral Programmes Department, Olga Yurkova and Yelyzaveta Sidelnykova, for their professionalism, dedication, and outstanding efforts in designing and hosting this study visit.
Want to know more? The visit was accompanied by the media platform Ukraïner, which is preparing an editorial story about the study visit. Stay tuned to learn more about the experience and the role of art and culture in wartime Ukraine.
Media contact for more information: krista@ndpculture.org
NDPC delegation members: Mrs Krista Petäjäjärvi, Head of NDPC Secretariat, Mr. Matti Hakamäki, The Finnish Folk Music Institute, and Mrs Emilie Gardberg, Finnish Arts and Culture Agency