Commission of competition “New Ukraine. Security Treaty” has formed rules and schedule for evaluating works
The Interfax-Ukraine press center hosted the first working meeting of the organizing committee of the nationwide competition, which aims to select talented young people to prepare a draft security agreement for Ukraine. This was announced by Oleksiy Shevchuk, spokesperson for the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine (NAAU), who also heads the Center for Economic Research at the Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University (KNEU).
According to the lawyer, the competition was initiated by the UNAA and KNEU, and a preliminary presentation of the initiative was held several months ago.
"If a decision is made to present the results to NATO, we consider this appropriate, as this format will ensure adequate publicity for the work. The possibility of presenting the results to the Office of the President of Ukraine is also being considered; I have had working communication on this issue with Ms. Iryna Mudra, who is awaiting the results of the competition. I do not rule out that she may join the final meeting of the competition commission. The relevant institutions have been informed, and expectations regarding the competition have been confirmed," Shevchuk emphasized.
He stressed that the competition is intended to be annual, as the topics of security and international order are changing, and the main task of the current season is to identify talented young people in Ukraine who are capable of formulating the legal conditions of a future security agreement for the state.
“We have come to the conclusion that today even experienced diplomats cannot determine the list of conditions that should be spelled out for our country,” Shevchuk added.
The commission's work was joined by, in particular, Ukrainian MP and former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentin Nalyvaichenko, head of the Diplomatic Academy Ihor Ostash, and international relations scholar Volodymyr Nakonechny.
The meeting participants agreed on the leadership of the competition commission: Lyudmila Kozhura, director of the KNEU Law Institute, was elected chair, with Ihor Ostash and Valentin Nalyvaichenko as deputies. The role of commission secretary was discussed separately, with Eva Hoffman and Volodymyr Nakonechny among the candidates proposed.
During the discussion, human rights activist and founder of the Project Sunflowers Foundation Eva Gofmanska noted that she would prefer to remain a member of the committee, supporting the initiative “in a spirit of respect and solidarity,” and to give the key role in substantive work to Ukrainian experts who know the language and legal system from the inside.
"Thank you for inviting me to join the competition committee. I greatly appreciate the trust and openness that this invitation demonstrates. At the same time, I consider it necessary to clearly define the nature of my participation: I do not speak Ukrainian and I realize that this limits my ability to fully work with the legal, cultural, and social context on which the competition is focused. That is why my participation in the committee is mainly representative and symbolic in nature, aimed at supporting the initiative. In my opinion, the key substantive role should belong to Ukrainian experts," said Hofmanska.
The chair of the commission, Lyudmila Kozhura, reported that as of the day of the meeting, 26 contestants from nine law schools in Ukraine had registered for the competition. The largest number of participants—eight each—represent Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, and three more are registered from KNEU. In terms of level of education, third-year students predominate.
"I think it is important to note that the involvement of young lawyers in discussing issues of state security is evidence of their responsibility and professional readiness to work on the future of Ukraine. I congratulate the participants, colleagues, and partners and thank them for their presence and support of this initiative. Participation in the competition is already a sign of professional maturity, a responsible attitude, and confidence in the effectiveness of legal mechanisms. I am counting on meaningful, practical, and well-prepared proposals," Kozhura said.
According to the rules, entries will be accepted until March 1, after which they will be published and checked for academic integrity, including plagiarism. It is expected that after evaluation by the commission, the winners will be determined by mid-March. The meeting also discussed the selection of entries, taking into account the risks of using artificial intelligence and borrowing. The organizers announced that the competition will award three prizes and a separate special cash prize from the organizer.
A separate part of the discussion concerned the future presentation of the best works. Shevchuk said that among the possible venues being considered are the NATO representative office, the Office of the President, and communication with the education sector. In addition, the possibility of supporting participants in further international programs was mentioned.
People's Deputy and public figure Valentin Nalyvaichenko, for his part, expressed his readiness to facilitate public presentations of the works and support the winners.
I confirm my readiness to provide organizational and communication support for the initiative, both in terms of content and format of its further presentation. I consider it appropriate to provide the winners and participants with the opportunity to publicly present their work, in particular in parliament, in relevant committees, and at the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We can organize an appropriate platform for the presentation of works and professional self-presentation of authors. I also confirm my readiness to provide recommendations and facilitate further support for the winners in their interaction with European and NATO partners," he stressed, adding that he is ready to provide recommendations to European and NATO partners.
Igor Ostash, Head of the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in turn, stressed the importance of choosing a very prestigious platform for publishing the results and further presentation.
In addition, the discussion also included proposals to prepare a special issue of a specialized publication with the winners' works in several languages and to organize a series of presentations at Ukrainian universities and international venues.
