We need a society where human dignity, solidarity and responsibility are the basis for decision-making - Yuriy Goncharenko

We need a society where human dignity, solidarity and responsibility are the basis for decision-making - Yuriy Goncharenko
The war waged by Ukraine is not only a military confrontation, but also a civilisational conflict between freedom and tyranny, dignity and slavery, culture and barbarism. In this conflict, culture is not a supplement to military efforts, but an independent battlefront where the fate of the Ukrainian nation is decided.

This was stated by the chairman of the Ukrainian Security Club, Yuriy Goncharenko (NGO "Foundation for Promotion of Democracy"), on 27 May at the press centre of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency at the expert roundtable "Ways to strengthen the social resilience of Ukraine: values-based expertise".

The roundtable brought together representatives of the security and defence sector, government, civil society and the expert community. The event was organised by the Conservative Platform (a joint project of the NGO "Foundation for Promoting Democracy" and the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Ukraine) in partnership with the Ukrainian Security Club.

The central part of the discussion was the presentation of the analytical notes "Christian Democratic Expertise" by Yuriy Goncharenko. The document covers four key areas - economy, politics, society and culture - offering a comprehensive approach to addressing national challenges through the prism of values.

"Our research is not just an analysis of the problems, but concrete recommendations on how to build a society where human dignity, solidarity and responsibility become the basis for decision-making," said Honcharenko.

"The Conservative Platform project started in 2016. We are not the kind of conservatives who sprung up like mushrooms after the rain after Trump's victory. The support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in 2024 allowed us to find like-minded people and join the Ukrainian Security Club. Today's research is the result of many years of work on the question of how to build a society that is both strong and humane, secure and free," he stressed.

Yuriy Goncharenko called culture a space for creating meanings and the basis of national resilience. In addition, he warned against cultural relativism, which leads to the loss of moral guidelines.

Goncharenko also stressed the need to develop defensive democracy in Ukraine, a concept for achieving long-term peace in the face of long-term threats. The key thesis of defence democracy is the axiom that a lasting peace is possible only through constant readiness to defend.

"Today's conversation has shown that the Ukrainian expert community understands the challenges and is ready to look for solutions. We cannot afford the luxury of waiting for better times to implement value-based policies. The war is not a reason to postpone reforms, but an incentive to make them deeper and more systemic," concluded Honcharenko.

Analytical notes "Christian Democratic Expertise" are published on the website of the Conservative Platform and are available for download.