Academic community unites to strengthen public governance in times of war

On 23 May 2025, Lviv hosted the Forum ‘Public Governance: Science and Practice to Strengthen Resilience in Times of War’, which has become an important platform for dialogue between scientists, educators and practitioners in the field of public administration. The event was held in the small session hall of the Lviv Regional Council with the participation of leading experts from all over Ukraine.

Among the participants of the forum were representatives of the Department of Public Administration and Business Management of the Faculty of Finance and Business Management of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Doctor of Economics, Professor Hanna Komarnyckyj and PhD in Public Administration Halyna Dzyana. They joined the discussion of topical issues of public administration development and educational approaches to training future civil servants. Participation in the event emphasised the importance of a scientific approach to addressing the current challenges of public administration.

The forum was opened by the heads of leading Ukrainian universities: Nataliia SHAKHOVSKA, newly elected Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University; Volodymyr BUHROV, Rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; Oleh NEMCHINOV, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, PhD in Public Administration; Oleksandr KORNIENKO, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Nataliia ALIUSHINA, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service.

Andrii VITRENKO, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Liubomyr PYLYPENKO, Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Administration, Public Administration and Professional Development of Lviv Polytechnic National University, and Larysa KOMAKHA, Director of the Educational and Research Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, also took part in the welcoming remarks.

The event featured two key panel discussions: ‘The Role of Education in Building Civil Service Resilience’ and “Regional and Local Development in the Context of War and Post-War Reconstruction of Ukraine”.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the organisers for the invitation and the opportunity to join this important academic dialogue. The leadership of both universities and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine deserve special thanks for their support in creating a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience between the scientific community and public administration practitioners.

Participation in the forum provided an opportunity to learn about the latest approaches to the development of public administration, discuss wartime challenges and prospects for post-war recovery, and establish new professional contacts with colleagues from different regions of Ukraine.

Such events are extremely important for the development of scientific thought in the field of public administration and the formation of common approaches to solving current problems of public administration in Ukraine.