New report: Building resilience for the future – Lessons from Ukraine

In April, MSB arranged four thematic seminars which gathered experts from different sectors. The seminars focused on specific areas within civil defence, namely the role of civil society, public-private cooperation, cybersecurity, and emergency services and the protection of civilians.

The events were followed by the high-level conference “Forum Ukraine: Building resilience for the future”, which was organised together with the Swedish Institute of International Affairs on 4 May in Stockholm.

During the conference, MSB welcomed distinguished speakers from Ukraine, different EU Institutions and Sweden. These included, for instance, Olha Stefanishyna, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Swedish Minister for Civil Defence, and Jessika Roswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs.

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, starting in 2014, Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to maintain the continuity of vital societal functions, such as the provision of food, water, electricity, telecommunications and transportation, in the midst of a full-scale invasion. Meanwhile, the population has helped to protect the country from cyberattacks and propaganda campaigns, and voluntary organisations, companies and local communities have made significant contributions to the country´s capacity to defend Ukraine from the Russian aggression. The Ukrainian defence effort has in other words clearly demonstrated the value of a “whole-of-society” approach to resilience.

From the various events organised by MSB during the spring of 2023, six lessons stand out:

1. Strategic communications – a key capability
2. Achieving a willingness to defend – unleashing the power of individuals and civil society
3. Investing in cyber security – from individual awareness to international cooperation
4. Involving the private sector in solving problems – innovation, adaptation, and flexibility
5. Emergency and rescue services – a valuable asset with a high symbolic value
6. Culture fosters resilience and unity – safeguarding cultural heritage and social infrastructure

Read the full report: Building resilience for the future – Lessons from Ukraine