On October 6, Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko took part in the inaugural meeting of the Working Group on the development of national policies for reintegration, restoration of governance, and Ukrainian identity in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The initiative aims to create a long-term, comprehensive policy focused on restoring Ukrainian identity and preparing proposals for legislative and governmental decisions.

The inaugural meeting was chaired by Member of Parliament of Ukraine Tamila Tasheva, Head of the Subcommittee on the Restoration of State Power and Local Self-Government in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol, and Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Riabykin.

In her opening remarks, Olha Kuryshko highlighted the work of the Representative Office, in particular the development of strategic documents — the Strategy for Economic Recovery, the Strategy for the Restoration of Crimea after De-occupation, and the Cognitive De-occupation Strategy of Crimea.

The Permanent Representative emphasized that in developing the Strategy for Cognitive De-occupation, the Council on Cognitive De-occupation drew on the experience of European countries and adapted certain foreign practices to Ukraine’s realities. Olha Kuryshko noted that this project is one of the flagship initiatives both for the Representative Office and for Ukraine as a whole, as there are currently no similar initiatives worldwide. She also underlined that working with young people is a crucial aspect for advancing cognitive de-occupation.