Civic resilience forum 2025
November 6, 2025
Today’s geopolitical and societal challenges have clearly shown that civic resilience is inseparable from active citizen engagement. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial role here – from uniting communities in everyday life to providing support in times of crisis. However, to ensure their contribution is as effective as possible, it is essential to systematically involve NGOs in crisis preparedness and management processes.
In this forum, we will invite discussions on:
- The link between civic resilience and NGO participation – how civil society strengthens the foundations of democracy and societal security.
- The necessity of including NGOs in national and local resilience strategies.
- The experiences of the Baltic States, the Nordic countries, and Ukraine, which illustrate different yet complementary models of how to mobilize communities against crises and threats.
The event will provide an opportunity to hear best practices and to establish new partnerships that will help build stronger and more resilient communities across the region.
Agenda
Venue: Krašto apsaugos ministerija Totorių g. 25, Vilnius.
9.30 Registracija
To enter the Ministry of National Defence, please bring an identity document!
10.00 Introduction and Welcome Remarks
Minister of the Interior Vladislav Kondratovič
Viceminister of Defence Tomas Godliauskas
Head of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) Vilmantas Vitkauskas
Head of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office Ole Andreas Lindeman
10.30 The Role of NGOs in Crisis Management in Lithuania: NGOs as Part of the First Response Line – Experiences, Challenges, and Solutions
Gaja ŠAVELĖ, Nacionalinės NVO koalicijos vadovė
Jūratė BLINSTRUBAITĖ, Kėdainių r. savivaldybė
Nevyriausybinių organizacijų atstovai: Lietuvos Raudonojo Kryžiaus draugija, Lietuvos Caritas, Maltos Ordino pagalbos tarnyba, Maisto bankas, Lietuvos negalios organizacijų forumas, Gelbėkit vaikus
11.30 Coffee break
12.00 The Role of NGOs in Crisis Management in Nordic Countries: How to Mobilize Volunteer Crisis Response Forces
Head of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania Ole Andreas Lindeman
Jari Honkanen, Ministry of the Interior of Finland
Kalle Hakala, Voluntary Rescue Service VAPEPA / SVAP ry, Finland
Andreas Andersson Kurdve, County Administrative Board of Skåne (Länsstyrelsen Skåne), Sweden
Mattias Larsson, Civil Society Network in Skåne (NÄTVERKET), Sweden
13.00 Break
13.15 The Role of NGOs in Crisis Management in Ukraine: Lessons Learned and Changes Brought by the State of War
Olha Milianovych, Senior Communications Manager, East Europe Foundation
Milda Goštautaitė, NGO “Memorabilis”
Andrej Slavuckij, Deputy Director of Programs, MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières)
14.10 Latvian experience and challenges in preparation for crises
Inese VAIVARĖ, Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation
14.30 Lunch break
15.15 Discussion and Networking: NGO Involvement in Crisis Management in the Baltic–Nordic Region (in English)
• Common experiences: what challenges did we recognize as shared among countries, organizations, and institutions?
• Opportunities for cooperation: how can we better share and make use of each other’s experiences?
• Cross-sector collaboration: how can we promote more effective cooperation between NGOs, municipalities, and state institutions
16.00 The end of the event
The forum will take place with translation into Lithuanian and English.
Let’s contact
projektai@ngo.lt
The event is organized by the National NGO Coalition as part of the project “NGO Preparedness for Civic Resilience,” which is funded by:
