LUkraine Launches ‘Unique’ Advocacy Coalition for Ukraine

On Tuesday 17 March 2026, the association of Ukrainians in Luxembourg, LUkraine Asbl, held a press conference at the Foyer Européen in Luxembourg-Gare, during which it outlined the associations’ vision, structure and objectives for the Advocacy Coalition for Ukraine in Luxembourg.

The Advocacy Coalition is a year-long initiative dedicated to strengthening European solidarity and defending shared democratic values. The initiative consists of LUkraine Asbl, together with nine partner embassies resident in Luxembourg, and is supported by the European Commission in Luxembourg and the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The press conference was led by Inna Yaremenko, Vice President at LUkraine Asbl, and featured contributions from Anne Calteux, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg, and Barbara Karpetová, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Luxembourg.

Inna Yaremenko welcomed those who were in attendance and spoke of the need for Europe to maintain focus on the war in Ukraine, despite other conflicts taking place around the world. She emphasised: “We are launching not just a project but a movement, a coalition united by one vision, to stand with Ukraine and to stand for the values that define Europe. Peace, freedom, justice and dignity. This coalition is about values. Values that unite us. Values that shape our identity.”

Inna Yaremenko then detailed the three pillars which constitute the foundations of the Advocacy Coalition: dedicated events; advocacy platforms; and a dedicated exhibition space provided by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Luxembourg.

Events will include a series of monthly sessions, addressing critical themes, including countering disinformation, the reconstruction of Ukraine, the long-term resilience of Ukraine and the role of Ukrainian communities, amongst others. Each session will be held in collaboration with one or more of the partner embassies in Luxembourg. 

The first event will take place on Monday 23 March with a discussion on the deportation of Ukrainian children. It will take place at the European Parliament Europa Experience building in Luxembourg-Kirchberg  and will feature contributions from President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, Claude Wiseler, Luxembourg Minster of Defence, Yuriko Backes, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, Human Rights Lawyer and head of non-profit organisation Centre for Civil Liberties (recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022).

Inna Yaremenko said: “It took eight months to create the idea and to develop this project. It is a huge honour for me to launch this project today…But this project is really something unique and special, and I really appreciate and want to express my deepest gratitude to all the excellent ambassadors that have taken part in this project. It is very important for us. Unity, solidarity, it means so much today.”

Barbara Karpetová highlighted the uniqueness of the collaborative effort from those involved in the coalition. She remarked: “This is not a very common thing that so many embassies would work together on a public diplomacy project. It is ten embassies and I am really thankful to my colleagues that they were able to put aside all the bilateral issues and work on something like that together. We are extremely happy to have the European Parliament and Commission on our side and quite a number of Luxembourg's institutions, think tanks, cultural centres, even the archdiocese, who are going to serve the ecumenical service for the project. So, all together, it shows that people do care.”

Anne Calteux talked of the European Commission’s ongoing support for Ukraine and detailed its efforts to secure funding and support for the country in the face of Russian aggression. She said: “It is a great honour for us to be part of this very ambitious and valuable project… For the European Commission, the unwavering support to Ukraine is really a crucial priority.”

She added: “Values are very important. For many people it is just words but it means so much more and we shall never forget how important values are in today's European Union, in today's very complex geoeconomical situation. So, we will never stop repeating our values, stressing the importance of democracy, of human rights and making sure that this common vision is implemented in practice, on the ground, and that it makes a real difference in our society. So, there is no time for indifference. There is only time for mobilisation, for stepping up our efforts.”

Information on the Advocacy Coalition and its programme of events can be found at https://advocacy.lukraine.org/.