Oleksandra Matviichuk
Speaker at the St. Gallen Symposium
Oleksandra Matviichuk is a fearless advocate for human rights who has dedicated her life to protecting democracy, especially in Ukraine and the OSCE region. She currently serves as the head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to promote human rights and protect the fundamental rights of citizens, as well as its outstanding work documenting war crimes, human rights abuses, and abuse of power. Under her leadership, the Center for Civil Liberties has been at the forefront of promoting human rights values and documenting violations, making her an instrumental figure in the fight for justice and democracy. In recognition of her contributions, Oleksandra Matviichuk was also awarded the first Democracy Defender Award for "Exclusive Contribution to Promoting Democracy and Human Rights" by 16 delegations to the OSCE in 2016. She earned her LL.M. from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 2007 and became the first woman to participate in the Ukrainian Emerging Leaders Program at Stanford University in 2017. Her extensive experience in human rights and documenting violations during armed conflicts has led her to author several alternative reports to various international bodies, including the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, and the International Criminal Court.
