The first working meeting of the organizing committee for the nationwide competition—whose goal is to select talented young people to draft a security treaty for Ukraine—took place at the Interfax-Ukraine press center. This was announced by Oleksiy Shevchuk, spokesperson for the National Bar Association 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 launched by the UNAU 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 such a format will ensure adequate publicity for the work. We are also considering the possibility of a presentation to the Office of the President of Ukraine; I have been in contact with Ms. Iryna Mudra regarding this matter, and she is awaiting the results of the competition. I do not rule out the possibility 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 an annual event, as the landscape of security and international order is constantly evolving, and the main objective of this season is to identify talented young people in Ukraine who are capable of formulating the legal terms of a future security treaty for the state.

“We have concluded that today even experienced diplomats cannot determine the list of conditions that should be stipulated for our country,” Shevchuk added.

Among those joining the commission’s work were, in particular, Ukrainian MP and former SBU head Valentin Nalyvaichenko, head of the Diplomatic Academy Ihor Ostash, and international relations scholar Volodymyr Nakonechny.

The meeting participants agreed on the leadership of the selection committee: Lyudmyla Kozhura, director of the Law Institute at the Kyiv National Economic University (KNEU), was elected chair, with Ihor Ostash and Valentyn Nalyvaichenko serving as vice chairs. The role of the committee secretary was discussed separately; among the proposed candidates were, in particular, Eva Hofmanska and Volodymyr Nakonechny.

During the discussion, human rights activist and founder of the Project Sunflowers Foundation, Eva Hofmanska, noted that she would prefer to remain a member of the committee, supporting the initiative “in a spirit of respect and solidarity,” while leaving the key role in the substantive work to Ukrainian experts who have an inside understanding of the language and the legal system.

“Thank you for the invitation to join the selection committee. I greatly appreciate the trust and openness demonstrated by this invitation. At the same time, I believe it is necessary to clearly define the nature of my participation: I do not speak Ukrainian and am aware that this limits my ability to fully engage with the legal, cultural, and social context on which the competition is focused. That is precisely why my participation on the committee is primarily representative and symbolic in nature, aimed at supporting the initiative. In my view, the key substantive role should belong to Ukrainian experts,” Hofmanska noted.

Committee Chair Lyudmyla 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—are from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, while three more are registered from the Kyiv National Economic University. Third-year students make up the majority of the participants.

“I believe it is important to note that involving young lawyers in discussions on national security issues is a testament to their sense of responsibility and professional readiness to work toward Ukraine’s future. I congratulate the participants, colleagues, and partners, and thank you for your 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 look forward to receiving substantive, practical, and well-prepared proposals,” Kozhura noted.

According to the rules, entries will be accepted until March 1, after which they will be published and reviewed for academic integrity, specifically for plagiarism. It is expected that, following evaluation by the committee, the winners will be announced by approximately mid-March. The meeting also addressed the selection of entries, taking into account the risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence and borrowing from other sources. The organizers announced that the competition will award three prize-winning entries and a separate special cash award from the organizer.

A separate segment of the discussion focused on the upcoming presentation of the best entries. Shevchuk noted that potential venues under consideration include the NATO Mission, the Office of the President, and collaboration with the education sector. Additionally, the possibility of supporting participants in future international programs was mentioned.

Valentin Nalyvaichenko, a member of parliament and public figure, for his part, expressed his willingness to facilitate public presentations of the entries and support the winners.

“I confirm my readiness to provide organizational and communications support for the initiative, both in terms of content and the format of its future presentation. I believe it is appropriate to provide winners and participants with the opportunity to publicly present their work, particularly at parliamentary venues, in relevant committees, and at the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. We can organize an appropriate platform for presenting the works and for the authors’ professional self-presentation. “I also confirm my readiness to provide recommendations and facilitate further support for the winners in their interactions with European and NATO partners,” he emphasized, adding that he is ready to provide recommendations to European and NATO partners.

Ihor Ostash, President of the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in turn, stressed the importance of selecting a highly prestigious platform for publishing the results and for subsequent presentations.

In addition, proposals were made during the discussion to prepare a special issue of a specialized publication featuring the winners’ works in several languages and to organize a series of presentations at Ukrainian universities and international venues.