May 23, 2024 – The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is escalating its global advocacy campaign to support Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership, strategically aligning efforts as the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., approaches. This robust campaign aims to secure backing from all 32 NATO member countries, advocating for Ukraine’s integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The UWC’s dedicated team is set to work in concert with Ukrainian community leaders, global thought leaders, and steadfast allies across NATO nations.
Leading this pivotal initiative is the newly appointed Director of Global Stakeholder Relations, Oksana Shulyar, who will be operating from Washington, D.C. Shulyar’s extensive background in diplomacy, international organizations, and think tanks equips her with the unique expertise required for this role.
Shulyar’s recent tenure with the World Bank’s Digital Safeguards team (2022 – 2024) saw her skillfully coordinating partnership-building efforts and playing a key role in organizing the Inaugural Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building. These events brought together a cadre of leaders and specialists committed to fostering effective, sustainable, and inclusive global cooperation.
Her impressive diplomatic career includes serving as the Deputy Chief of Mission and, prior to that, Political Counselor at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States (2015 – 2020), Deputy Director in the Office of the President of Ukraine (2014-2015), and as an advisor to the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration under Borys Tarasyuk (2010-2011). Additionally, she has contributed to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2009-2010) and represented the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Ukraine as a consultant (2011 to 2014).
Shulyar’s deep-rooted knowledge in Euro-Atlantic integration stems from her early work at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation in Kyiv (2005-2007) and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels (2008). Her academic credentials include a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and degrees from Lviv National Polytechnic University.
In her strategic role at UWC, Oksana Shulyar will spearhead the organization’s mission to nurture and manage key stakeholder relationships around the world. Her focus will be on engaging policymakers, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, and media entities to further Ukraine’s aspiration for NATO membership. Shulyar’s appointment marks a significant step in enhancing UWC’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration.
