n November, Vilnius hosted the third Civil Resilience Forum titled “Our Common Cause: NGO-Government Cooperation in Crisis Response.” This year, the event became international, focusing on how NGOs and public institutions can better prepare for and respond to crises.

At the invitation of Nacionalinė NVO koalicija / National NGO Coalition, East Europe Foundation shared its experience and lessons learned during the war. The forum gathered representatives of governments, local authorities, civil society organizations, and international institutions from Nordic and Baltic countries.

Olha Milianovych, Senior Communications Manager at East Europe Foundation, was a keynote speaker at the Ukrainian panel “The Role of NGOs in Crisis Management in Ukraine: Lessons Learned and Changes Brought by the State of War.” Key points included:

• The first days after February 24, 2022;
• Launching the “Shelter” project – team dedication, humanitarian aid, and community support;
• Scaling up assistance, cooperation with international partners, systematic work with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on mine safety;
• Capacity development of CSOs. and their role when the crisis occured;
• Digital solutions like eVidnovlennia (eRecovery) and legal aid chatbots for IDPs;
• The importance of trust, partnerships, and horizontal networks.

“NGOs in Lithuania and across Europe should not avoid discussing the ‘crisis hour.’ It’s essential to explore different scenarios and define how each of us can contribute when disaster strikes,” Olha emphasized.

We thank the organizers for the invitation and our Lithuanian partners for their unwavering support of Ukraine.