Kick-Starting Cooperation: Razom Project Aims to Cultivate Resilience in the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine
In a bid to foster resilience and cooperation across borders, the launch of the Razom project - "Razom: Planting the seeds for cultivating resilience and cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine," marks a significant milestone in transnational collaboration and underscores the importance of knowledge exchange in civil protection between the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine.
Convening from 16 to 18 April 2024, in Stockholm, representatives from esteemed institutions including the Swedish Defence University (SEDU), Lviv State University of Life Safety (LSULS), the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), along with external experts affiliated with the Union of Baltic Cities (UBC) and Riga Technical University (RTU), gathered to inaugurate this Swedish Institute-funded initiative.
At the heart of the Razom project lies a dual-purpose endeavor: to create a two-way flow of discussion, cooperation, and knowledge-sharing between the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine in the field of societal security studies. Building upon the groundwork laid by the previous “NEEDS” project, Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, aims to engage students and young professionals from both regions.
Over the course of three days, participants engaged in insightful discussions, delving into the adaptation of an existing online course on societal security to align with the real-life experiences faced by Ukraine. The dialogue also revolved around identifying shared challenges and creating a meaningful educational opportunity for the youth in both the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine. In light of Ukraine’s aspirations for closer collaboration with EU institutions, Razom also seeks to provide strategy and policy recommendations that foster European cohesion and deepen mutual understanding.
Looking ahead, the relevant project partners will base further planning on the outcomes of these discussions to share experiences and good practices, exchange knowledge, create a common security culture, and discuss common challenges.
Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, is a transnational collaborative project that aims to support European cohesion and Ukraine’s ambitions to widen its network and work more closely with European institutions. It will do so by enhancing knowledge and capacity, identifying areas for improvement, sharing experiences and good practices, discussing common challenges, and providing strategy and policy recommendations. With a projected duration extending until February 2026, the Razom project aims to be a catalyst for lasting collaboration and resilience-building efforts across borders.
- Read more about the Razom project here.
