Dialogue of Cultures and the Modern Ukrainian Society

Deputy Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information and Director of the Division for Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace at UNESCO since 2003.
At UNESCO he is also responsible for the organisation’s activities in post conflict and post disaster environments.
Born in Denmark in 1950 Mr Mogens Schmidt has since 1974 been active as lecturer at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, Director of the Danish School of Journalism, Director of the European Journalism Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands, and Assistant Director General of The World Association of Newspapers, Paris, France. 
Mogens Schmidt has extensive experience with research, training and management of media development programmes from a large number of countries all over the world.

Mr. Zhulyns'kyy has a PhD in Language Studies, he is Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, President’s advisor, Director of the Institute of Literature named after Taras Shevchenko, Member of Taras Shevchenko Committee of the National Awards of Ukraine, Head of Presidential Citizenship Commission, Member of Science and Technology State Awards Committee of Ukraine. Member of the Parliament of Ukraine of the 2nd and 4th callings. Mr. Zhuliyns’kyy is a literary critic and a member of editorial staff of magazines “Kyiv”, “Kyjivs’ka starovyna” (The old times of Kiev), “Slovo I chas” (The Word and Time) and a number of other literary editions. He is an author of books: “The Pathos of Assertedness” (1974), “A Man as a Measure of Time” (1979), “A Man and Literature” (1983), “Approaching” (1986), “From Oblivion and into the Immortality” (1991), “Believing in the Strength of the Spirit” (1999), “The Breath of the 3rd Millennium” (2000), “To Be Declared Via Culture” (2001) and more than 500 articles, overviews and critical reviews.

Prof.Mikhail Buromenskiy is a scientist and a lawyer working in the field of International and Constitution Law. He has PhD in jurisprudence. Buromenskij is a corresponding member of the Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine. He is the Head of International and State Law of Foreign States Department of the National Yaroslav Mudry Law Academy. Buromenskiy is an author of more than140 monographies, scientific articles, analytical reports on research are international and legal cooperation in the sphere of human rights. His professional luggage contains textbooks on international law, international and national right of refugees, and also human rights. Mr. Buromenskij is the participant of a number of law-making projects, i.e. "The Code of Behaviour of the Civil Servant ", " The Concept of a State policy on Human Rights Protection", Laws of Ukraine " On Main Principles of Counteraction of Corruption in Ukraine ", " On political parties ", and other). He was repeatedly involved as an expert by the international interstate organizations (World Bank, the Program of Development of the United Nations, The Department of the Supreme Commissioner of the United Nations on Human Rights, on the Rights of Refugees, WHO, the European Union and the Council of Europe). As an expert of the United Nations Mr.Buromenskij took part in the United Nations Mission to Georgia. He is a delegate of Ukraine in the Group of States against Corruption – GRECO. Buromenskij is the winner of IV All-Ukrainian competition on the best legal edition 2000/2001 2005 yy (in the nomination-“Legal textbooks "). He is the winner of 2004 Best Advocacy Publication competition.

Head of the International Institute for Regional Press and Information. Since 1990 – practicing expert and trainer in the sphere of public relations and journalism, including some educational programs of the Council of Europe, UNESCO, European Journalism Center. Creator, developer, editor and implementer of various research projects. Member of international journalists’ and training organizations.

Member of Ukraine’s Parliament (Party of Regions), Head of a Sub-Committee on Broadcasting of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the Freedom of Word and Information. Ms. Bondarenko is an author of legislative initiatives concerning basic laws - The Law of Advertising, Broadcast Law and also the Law On the National Council of Ukraine for TV and Radio Broadcasting. Ms Bondarenko is a member of National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.

Head of Ukrainian Branch of the International Human Rights Society

Gie Meeuwis is a lecturer in television journalism at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences, School of Journalism in Tilburg, the Netherlands. He started his television career in 1976 and specialized in television reports on current Affairs in Africa and CIS-countries. Since 1994 he was involved in training programs for EBU and CoE in Central and Eastern Europe. Though working in the Netherlands he has his home base in Belgium.

Olga Filipova has a candidate of Sociological Sciences(European equivalent-PhD in Sociology), a senior lecturer of Sociology Department of Kharkkiv Kharazin National University. She is a memeber of Advisory Committee of the Kennan Institute (Washington, US) and an alumni of the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation Programme(2001-2002), Diderot Fellowship(France, 2001), Fulghtbright (USA, 2004-2005) and others.

Candidate of Sociological Sciences, head of the social and demographical policy sector and the department of socio-economic strategy of the National Institute of Strategic Research. Advisor on gender issues in Canada-Ukraine Regional Governing and Development project, OSCE expert. Fulbright program fellow in 2003-2004, Institute of Open Society scholar in 2004, DAAD bursar in 2002.