The UA NEXT project: Training Co-creators of Unity of Ukrainians in Bulgaria concluded on 16 July 2026 with a certificate award ceremony at the Embassy of Ukraine in Sofia.
Thirty participants across Bulgaria completed the programme, joining a growing network promoting unity among Ukrainians in Bulgaria. Throughout the programme, they strengthened their leadership, communication, community-building, advocacy, and intercultural cooperation skills, translating what they had learned into practical actions within their local communities. The closing ceremony brought together distinguished guests, including Olesia Ilashchuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Bulgaria.
A defining feature of the programme was its practical component: participants designed and implemented the Bulgaria–Ukraine Unity Week, a series of educational, cultural, volunteer, and intercultural events held across several Bulgarian regions, bringing Ukrainian and Bulgarian communities together and strengthening local partnerships. Organisers also used the closing event to present the UAFORYOU Information and Resource Portal, a new platform providing Ukrainians in Bulgaria with practical information, services, and resources.
Through UA NEXT, participants have been able to establish new partnerships, launch local initiatives, and become active contributors to community development and social cohesion - thus demonstrating how educational initiatives can create sustainable impact when participants are empowered not only to learn but also to act.
Bulgaria is the fifth country to implement UA NEXT, reflecting growing demand across CEI countries for initiatives that strengthen Ukrainian communities abroad, support civic engagement, and build cooperation with host societies.
The programme is part of the CEI's continued commitment to supporting Ukraine since Russia's aggression in 2022, expressed through humanitarian, educational, and community-based initiatives that reaffirms the Organisation's lasting solidarity with the Ukrainian people and those displaced by the war.
The UA NEXT project is organised by the Pro Futuro Foundation (Poland), in partnership with organisations from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine. This is not the first time the CEI has partnered with Pro Futuro Foundation - read about our previous collaboration here. The programme will conclude with a final in-person forum in Lviv, bringing together participants, partners and institutional stakeholders to share results and discuss future cooperation.
For more info: fabro@cei.int
See also the post on the facebook page of the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria
