Finland Joins the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies: Memorandums Signed During First Lady’s Visit

During her visit to Finland, First Lady Olena Zelenska met with the Rector of the University of Helsinki, Sari Lindblom, and the Vice President of Tampere University, Jarmo Takala. Memorandums of cooperation were signed with both universities as part of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies.

"A striking example of successful inter-university cooperation is the cooperation between the University of Helsinki and V. N. Karazin Kharkiv University - the heroic city of Kharkiv suffers daily from Russian missiles, but student life continues to be vibrant there thanks to the support of Finnish friends", the first lady said.

Finland plays an important role in supporting Ukrainian education. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 14 Finnish universities have been actively cooperating with Ukrainian higher education institutions. In addition, 29 Finnish universities are interested in expanding their partnership. The number of scholarships for Ukrainian undergraduate and postgraduate students has increased significantly, and the University of Helsinki provides a free online Open University Studies course for 1863 Ukrainians.
She also highlighted unique Ukraine-related courses introduced at both Finnish universities.

"This includes the Ukrainian language course at the University of Helsinki, as well as the course of the talented professor Rinna Kullaa at the University of Tampere, "History of Ukraine: Statehood and Identity", which shatters Russian narratives. It is extremely important that the independent academic and educational environment is deeply aware of its mission to develop critical thinking and build a holistic and clear picture of the world", Olena Zelenska added.

"The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies aims not only to introduce the world to the rich history and culture of Ukrainians, but also to open modern Ukraine to the world and share its latest achievements", the First Lady said.

The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies was established with the support of First Lady Olena Zelenska as a joint initiative of the Ukrainian Institute, the Presidential Foundation for Education, Science and Sports, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea/Crimean Platform Office, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The aim of the Coalition is to unite existing academic initiatives and create new tools for the development of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies in the world.