Ellie Goulding said it was ‘one of the greatest honours’ to speak at the First Ladies Summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, which was hosted by Ukraine’s First Lady.
The 35-year-old singer-songwriter joined the likes of former Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan, who hosted the second annual event by Olena Zelenska, amid the ongoing war against Russia.
Writing on Instagram, Ellie shared her experience with her 14.1 million followers. ‘This weekend I travelled as a guest of President Zelensky and the First Lady, Olena Zelenska to Kyiv to speak at the First Ladies Summit (and sing a little, somehow while I was there I learnt a beautiful and powerful song in Ukrainian, ‘Chervona Kalyna’) It has been one of the greatest honours.
‘I was determined to be there in person to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian People.
‘I was inspired by a number of people, but particularly a young #fridaysforfuture climate activist @ilyess_ek who I met at the Nature and Climate talks in Stockholm a few weeks ago. Traumatised by the invasion of his country he nevertheless showed up at the UN talks determined to carry on his work.’
Ellie continued: ‘In fact every day as a @UNEP ambassador I am reminded of the immense contribution of Ukrianian climate scientists, renewable energy experts and environmentalists of all type.
‘They are living through a horrific war bankrolled by fossil fuels. They somehow find the grit to keep going, working and campaigning for all of humanity.
‘So I always knew that if I got the chance, I would try to show up too. On the night train to Kyiv I looked out of the window and could make out the endless fields… a reminder that the Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world, this bastion of culture, of science and humanity is also a cradle of resistance and courage and commitment.
‘I can’t tell you what an emotional journey this has been. There’s too much to put into words right now but I stand in solidarity, awe and respect with the people of Ukraine.’
In October 2017, Ellie was recognised with a Global Leadership Award by the United Nations Foundation for her environmental and social justice activism.
She has also been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme since 2018.
The First Ladies Summit was being held for the second time and saw First Ladies and other influential men and women come together to discuss the crisis in Ukraine and other crises around the globe.
The theme of the event was ‘human’ and many of the discussions and panels looked at the impact of the war in Ukraine on its people.
Piers was invited to moderate the event, which was attended by First Lady of the United States Jill Biden and wife of the French President Brigitte Macron.
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