On 6 October, more than 70 barrier-free ambassadors gathered at the Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center — leaders who are already working to make Ukraine accessible for everyone. The event took place as part of the nationwide social change campaign “Barrier-free Means You Can.”
Participants included representatives of various communities, businesses, government institutions, and the civil sector.
The event was held in the
Small Exhibition Hall. In the 500 sq.m space, a stage was built and round tables were arranged. Parkovy is an inclusive venue, so all participants could move freely around the complex and feel comfortable throughout the event.
Within the initiative, barrier-free ambassadors were selected to represent flagship projects of ministries and other state bodies, in order to strengthen interagency cooperation and promote barrier-free principles in all spheres of public life.
“For UNICEF, it is a great honour to support Ukraine on its path toward barrier-free accessibility. Together with the Government of Ukraine and the First Lady, we strive to create a country where every child, family, and person can fully participate in society. We work to ensure that policy turns into real change — in schools, hospitals, communities, and homes,” said Munir Mamedzade, Head of the UNICEF Representation in Ukraine.
Speakers at the event included:
- Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Ukraine’s Reconstruction — Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine;
- Tetiana Berezhna, Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine;
- Tetiana Lomakina, Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Barrier-Free Accessibility, among others.
Participants also took part in a training on the basics of barrier-free accessibility from the NGO “Barrier-Free” and jointly developed individual plans for implementing projects in their communities. These are concrete steps each participant plans to introduce by the end of the year to make their community more accessible for everyone.
The event was organized within the nationwide social change campaign “Barrier-free Means You Can,” initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska as part of the “Without Barriers” initiative, in partnership with UNICEF, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, and the Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Barrier-Free Accessibility.
Parkovy Team thanks the organizers for choosing our venue and holding the event here!
