October 7, 2025

The Trustees of the BEARR Trust are delighted to invite you to our Annual Conference which will take place on Friday, 14 November 2025. The theme will be:

“Solidarity and stamina: how civil society builds and sustains resilience”. 

The conference will examine resilience and what it entails at individual, community and organisational levels. Grassroots, frontline organisations from across the BEARR region will share their perspectives and experience of sustaining their work in the face of diverse challenges.

About the conference

The Annual Conference will take place on Friday, 14 November 2025, from 10:00 to 13:30 (London time). It will be a hybrid event with participants joining online via Zoom or in person at Voluntary Action Islington, 200a Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP. We ask in-person attendees to arrive at 09:30 for registration.

Our speakers represent civil society organisations from countries throughout the area in which BEARR works, most of which have received grants from The BEARR Trust.

They will take part in two moderated panel discussions. There will be opportunities for Q&A throughout the conference.

Simultaneous interpretation into Ukrainian and Russian will be provided for online participants only.

For participants attending in person, a light lunch will be available from 13:30, providing an opportunity for networking.

How to register for the conference

Please confirm your attendance by booking a ticket on Eventbrite using the links below, based on whether you plan to attend in person or online. Online ticket holders will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the event.

BEARR’s events are open to all and free to attend. However, we are suggesting that participants consider making donations of £20 per person, £10 for students and jobseekers, or more if you are able.

• If you wish to donate but are not eligible for Gift Aid, please make your donation through Eventbrite – this will ensure your registration and you do not need to further register for a free ticket.
• If you wish to donate and are eligible for Gift Aid, please register for a free ticket through Eventbrite and then make your donation via our CAF Donate Page here.
• If you are not able to make a donation, please register for a free ticket on Eventbrite.

All proceeds will support the work of The BEARR Trust. 

Conference programme

09:30 Registration in London

10:00 Panel 1: Building resilience for individuals and communities

• Sergey Babin, Chairman of the Board, International Bridge, Kharkiv, Ukraine
• Lana Chkadua, Chairperson, Women Fund for Development, Gal/i, Abkhazia
• Leonora Meriel, Chair of Trustees, Restart Foundation, London, UK

11:35 Panel 2: Shaping the future with organisational strength and partnerships

• Medea Khmelidze, Executive Director, Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS, Tbilisi, Georgia
• Nataliia Muzyka, Head, Association of Mothers and Wives of Ukraine’s Defenders, Kyiv, Ukraine
• Meerim Osmonalieva, Oasis, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

13:00 Conference round-up

• The chair of The BEARR Trust will provide an overview of the key points of the discussions from the panels and invite comments from the audience

13:30 Online conference ends. Light lunch in London

If you have any queries about the event, please contact BEARR’s Information and Administration Officer Valdone Sniukaite on info@bearr.org.