Our “Responsibility to Be” is among the more than 150 stories submitted this year for the Responsibility Award by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation.
“Responsibility to Be” is not just Lviv’s concept for the ECoC 2030 title bid. It is a movement centered on the idea of responsibility and a culture that serves as a powerful force in a fragile world. Despite uncertainty and the realities of war, it is a culture that remembers, bears witness, cares, supports, unites, offers hope, and models the future. It brings together hundreds of people within Ukraine and abroad — institutions, various actors such as cultural managers, universities, NGOs, local self-government bodies, state structures, businesses, and foundations.
This is a story of a wide circle of international partnerships involving cultural institutions, ECoC cities, Lviv’s partner cities, and representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora. It represents current and potential cooperation across 150 cities in Ukraine and globally. “Responsibility to Be” is our way of discovering, strengthening, and promoting Ukrainian culture, thereby bolstering Ukraine’s agency. It is an invitation for others to join a global conversation about our present and to participate in the responsible co-creation of our tomorrow.
The story continues: on December 18, the Lviv City Council approved the Responsibility to Be Municipal Program for 2025–2030. This establishes a foundation to realize our vision and to communicate through culture and art on a pan-European scale.
This is, of course, a common cause — those who at different stages were, are, and will be part of the history of “Responsibility to Be”! Our initiative was nominated for this recognition by the NGO “Virmenska 35”.
The Responsibility Award was established by the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation in 2021 to honor civil society organizations that ground their daily work in the values of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn’s Declaration of Human Responsibility.
This year, the Award recognizes civil society organizations and their stories of responsible partnership that strengthen Ukraine through collaboration during the full-scale war and demonstrate responsibility at all levels.
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