Meeting of the ONU Rector with the German Humanitarian Delegation: Prospects for Cooperation and Experience Exchange

On the 18th of April 2025, Rector of Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University Vyacheslav Truba welcomed a delegation from the German volunteer organization ERMSTALHILFT e. V. that arrived in Ukraine with a humanitarian mission. The First vice-rector Maya Nikolieva, the vice-rector for research, teaching and international cooperation Andrii Smitiukh, and the Head of the Office for the International Relations Yurii Hrinchenko attended the meeting. The German delegation consisted of 8 people, led by the Director of Board ERMSTALHILFT e. V. Simon Nowotni, along with the vice-director of the ERMSTALHILFT e. V., Martin Salzer, and the former member of the Bundestag, Beate Müller-Gemmeke.

At the meeting, the participants discussed the issues of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, possible directions of international aid and relief for refugees and internally displaced people, the development of the assistance programs for facilitating participation of higher education institutions in humanitarian actions, and prospects of cooperation between the Ukrainian and German educational institutions. The delegations exchanged their views on the critical issues and conditions of humanitarian aid, possibilities for civil activity in Ukraine and Germany, challenges for educational system in Ukraine, and perspectives for strengthening cooperation between Odesa region and Baden-Württemberg federal land.

After the meeting, the German delegation also attended the paleontology museum of the university.

Photo by Olena Bailo