From Crisis to Capacity: IZOLYATSIA at the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Annual Forum in Tallinn
As part of the RESCOM – Resilient Communities Learning Platform project, IZOLYATSIA joined partners from Härnösand Library (Sweden) and Rivne Oblast State Administration (Ukraine) at the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Annual Forum, held on 11–13 May 2026 in Tallinn, Estonia. IZOLYATSIA's Development Director Mykhailo Glubokyi took part in the panel discussion "From Crisis to Capacity: What We Can Learn from Ukraine and How to Collaborate Better".
About the Forum
The 17th EUSBSR Annual Forum brings together governments, cities, visionaries, policymakers, researchers, and civil society leaders with a shared mission: to jointly address the region's most pressing challenges through stronger cross-sectoral cooperation, smarter coordination, and bold innovation.
In the Baltic Sea Region, resilience means more than withstanding shocks — it means thriving through them by building the capacity to adapt and collaborate in an era where crises are becoming the new normal. By connecting climate, environmental health, economic security, and societal preparedness, the Forum explores a whole-of-governance approach focused on four interlinked challenges:
- Security & Geopolitical Uncertainties
- Climate Change & Environment of the Baltic Sea
- Demographic Shifts & Regional Competitiveness
- Governance, Implementation Gaps, & Financing
The host for the Annual Forum 2026 is the City of Tallinn, organised together with the Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat (CBSS) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Baltic Sea Strategy Point (BSSP), and the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC). The event is funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, the City of Tallinn, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.
Panel Discussion: "From Crisis to Capacity: What We Can Learn from Ukraine and How to Collaborate Better"
IZOLYATSIA's Development Director Mykhailo Glubokyi joined the panel alongside:
- Tetyana Simchuk — Principal Officer, Rivne Regional State Administration, Ukraine
- Serhii Chumachenko — Co-founder, Vovchok Folk High School, Ukraine
- Annika Claesson — Programme Manager, Swedish Institute, Sweden
The panel was moderated by Felix Schartner Giertta, Project Coordinator at the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS), Sweden.
About the Session
The ability of communities to act together has been central to Ukraine's resilience — and offers critical lessons for the Baltic Sea Region. This session brought together Ukrainian stakeholders and Baltic Sea Region practitioners to explore what meaningful cooperation looks like in practice, and how future collaboration can be more effective, mutually beneficial, and value-driven.
The discussion was structured around two key parts:
Part A – Learnings: What Can the Baltic Sea Region Learn from Ukraine?
Drawing on the community-centred projects RESCOM and Ria ENGAGE, this part explored Ukrainian experiences of community resilience, self-efficacy, and local mobilisation, with a focus on transferable lessons for Baltic Sea Region partners.
Part B – Practice: How Can Baltic Sea Region Stakeholders Support Ukraine?
An interactive workshop on designing mutually beneficial cooperation: aligning funding mechanisms, avoiding common pitfalls, and co-creating a practical roadmap covering priority areas, cooperation formats, and funding opportunities.
The session connected three levels of engagement: community practice, institutional capacity, and transnational cooperation — reflecting the core spirit of the RESCOM project.
During the session, participants responded to a live survey that shed light on the current state of Baltic Sea Region–Ukraine cooperation. The results were telling: 57% of respondents said they would like to collaborate with Ukrainian organisations but lack the necessary contacts, while 29% indicated they are unaware of relevant funding sources. Only 14% reported already being actively engaged in such collaborations. These findings underscore both the strong interest in deeper partnership and the practical barriers that still need to be addressed — exactly the gaps that RESCOM and initiatives like it aim to bridge.
The forum also provided an opportunity to invite organisations from the Baltic Sea Region to collaborate on the ZMINA:Resilience open calls together with Ukrainian partners and take part in matchmaking and networking events to build the very connections the survey highlighted as lacking.
About RESCOM
The Resilient Communities Learning Platform (RESCOM) is co-funded by the Swedish Institute's SI Baltic Neighbourhood Programme, with the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) as lead partner. IZOLYATSIA Foundation participates as a Ukrainian partner alongside Rivne Oblast State Administration, Härnösand Municipality Public Library (Sweden), and County House of Culture – Anenii Noi (Moldova).
The project runs from September 2024 to May 2026 and aims to strengthen community resilience across Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltic Sea Region through peer learning, capacity building, and transnational exchange.