On Monday, 28 April 2025, the Communication Strategy of Public Authorities 2.0 training course started at the Media Center Directorate.
The GDIP team implemented the project with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and the West Ukrainian National University.
The training course aims to develop the level of professional competencies of civil servants in the sphere of communication and organise knowledge and skills of interactions with the Ukrainian public and international partners. During the project, the participants will be able to build competencies needed to carry out communication in the contexts of different aspects of Ukraine’s European integration and countering russian information war. After completing the training and passing the final assignment, the participants will obtain a certificate of successful completion of the course.
All lectures are held in a hybrid mode, combining offline participation at the GDIP Media Center (6A Pyrohova St) and online participation through Zoom. Communication with participants within the training takes place via WhatsApp.
The opening of the training course featured welcome speeches from Viktoriia Lialina-Boiko, Director of the Directorate for Public Diplomacy and Communications of the MFA of Ukraine, and Olena Maksymova, Deputy Director of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine, who addressed the participants of this year’s training course.
In her opening remarks, Viktoriia Lialina-Boiko said that
‘the russian war against Ukraine is more than just physical aggression; it also covers a large-scale information war that aims to manipulate conscience, disorient society, and erode international support. In this context, strategic communications arise as the main tool of protecting truth, unity, and freedom. Poisoning the world with lies is russia’s strategy. Ours is to spread the truth about how russia had spent years preparing for the war, responding in ultimatums, and unleashing barbaric wars. What can other government agencies do at the level of communication? They need to develop professional teams to create content in different languages, be able to identify their target audiences competently, cooperate with international partners to counter russian propaganda, and remember that every interaction with a foreigner is a step in our big fight for the hearts and minds that encompasses the whole globe.’
Olena Maksymova also greeted the training’s participants and thanked the partners for their hard work on the organisation of such events, and also talked about the mostly educational priorities of the work of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, particularly focusing on its activities in Ukraine.
‘Communication has a huge impact on unity and the development of society’s trust towards institutions. Every government agency or local government body uses its communication resources to build the country’s image and broadcast its values. We can see that because we also support various projects that establish intermunicipal partnerships abroad. Amidst a real hybrid information war, we think it’s necessary to provide the public and professional circles with a broad base of practical knowledge and all possible tools to ensure transparent and effective communication based on democratic principles.’
The event was moderated by the GDIP Media Center’s team members: Andrii Martseniuk and Anna Mikholat.
The first week of the Communication Strategy of Public Authorities 2.0 training course focused on the concept of communication, its types, functions, strategies, and significance at the state level.
The first lecture on the topic of Communications as a Part of Public Administration was given by Alen Bobrov, Head of the Strategic Communications Department of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, who is an expert in public relations and information operations. The expert provided his vision of the importance of communication in the work of government agencies and presented effective countercommunication strategies, rules of interacting with journalists, and paths to develop regional media environments. Among his main advice for successful work with local media, he highlighted the need to establish cooperation through press releases and joint initiatives; support the professional growth of regional journalists by organising workshops, mentoring programmes, and roundtables; and promote the development of independent media by providing them with access to information, communication with experts, and grant support.
The second lecture took place on Tuesday, 29 April. Its topic was Basics of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Communications. That day’s speaker was Inna Sovsun, a People’s Deputy of Ukraine. Her lecture focused on the importance of inclusivity and the negative influence of stereotypes and stigmatisation within a society. She emphasised the need for sensitive interaction with vulnerable groups. For the purpose of creating a barrier-free and truly inclusive communication environment, the speaker recommended reviewing established communication models, using a glossary of appropriate language, and auditing websites, publications, and social media pages.
Each lecture ended with a discussion panel, during which the speakers answered the many questions from participants of the Communication Strategy of Public Authorities 2.0 training course.
