Motto
„Societal resilience is the strength of a community in times of crisis..”
Forum Objectives
Organised by:
War Studies University, Warsaw
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Institute for Research and Social Education Foundation
NATO DEEP eAcademy
Detailed information about the organisers, their activities, experience, and commitment to strengthening societal resilience and security is available below. We encourage you to learn more about their mission, projects, and areas of cooperation.
Additional information about the organisers is available at the link below in PDF format.
Why the Forum?
The 1st International Societal Resilience Forum was established as a platform for exchanging knowledge, experience, and best practices on how to:
- identify emerging threats,
- build public awareness,
- develop independent and critical thinking skills,
- strengthen cooperation between institutions and citizens,
- prepare society to respond effectively in crisis situations.
What is Societal Resilience?
According to the Committee for Public Benefit Activities, societal resilience is the ability of society, local communities, and institutions to respond collectively, cooperate, adapt, and recover in the face of crises and long-term challenges. It is built on mutual trust, civic engagement, and collaboration among civil society organizations, local governments, and public institutions, enabling communities to prepare for and respond effectively to emergencies. More information: https://www.gov.pl/web/pozytek/odpornosc-spoleczna–sila-spolecznosci-w-sytuacjach-kryzysowych
Programme Council
Marcin Kozieł
NATO DEEP Coordinator
Beata Tokarczyk
Institute for Research and Social Education Foundation
Prof. Arkadiusz Żukowski
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Col. Prof. Andrzej Soboń, PhD, Eng.
War Studies University
Prof. Mirosław Czekaj
President of the Management Board of BGKScientific Committee
Prof. Sebastian Wojciechowski
Adam Mickiewicz University
Prof. Dariusz Kozerawski
Jagiellonian University
Prof. Piotr Gawliczek, PhD
University of Warmia and Mazury in OlsztynSpeakers
Ambassador Shota Gvineria
Am. Shota Gvineria is a subject matter expert in national security strategy, NATO integration, hybrid threats, cyber defense policy, and democratic resilience. With over 20 years of experience in diplomacy, defense policy, and international cooperation, he has advised heads of state, led interagency coordination efforts, and represented Georgia in major international institutions. His current research focuses on countering hybrid warfare, strategic influence, and the evolving security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic and Black Sea regions. He is particularly interested in the intersections of security policy, democratic governance, and whole-of-society approaches to resilience and international collaboration.
Amb. Gvineria has been working in various positions in Georgia’s public sector. Among other positions, Shota Gvineria served as the Deputy Secretary at the National Security Council of Georgia. He held the position of the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Georgia in 2015-16. Through 2010-14, he served as the Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2010 he was promoted to the position of a Director of European Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Prior to that, he served as a Head of NATO Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In the period from 2006 until 2008, Shota Gvineria was posted as the Counselor of the Georgian Mission to NATO.
Amb. Gvineria is regularly teaching and conducting training programs in several diplomatic and defence schools as well in civilian universities around the Euro-Atlantic area. From 2019 to 2026 he worked at the Baltic Defence College as the lecturer in Defence and Cyber Studies. Currently he serves as a senior fellow at Delphi Global, the US and at the Economic Policy Research Center, Georgia.
Amb. Gvineria holds MA in Strategic Security Studies from Washington’s National Defense University. He also earned his MA in International Relations from the Diplomatic School of Madrid and Public Administration from the Georgian Technical University.
Marcin Kozieł
NATO DEEP CoordinatorBetween 1999-2002, Marcin Kozieł served in the NATO Department, Ministry of National Defence of Poland as the Principal Officer (Civ.) for NATO.
Between 2002-2009, he served as the NATO-Ukraine Desk Officer, Defence Policy and Planning Division (DPP), NATO International Staff, NATO HQ, Brussels responsible for NATO-Ukraine co-operation in implementing defence and security sector reforms and programmes of practical co-operation with Ukraine.
Between 2009-2015, Marcin Kozieł served as Director, NATO Liaison Office, Kyiv, Ukraine managing a joint civilian-military team and liaising with the Ukrainian authorities on foreign and security policy and defence and security sector reform issues.
In 2016, Marcin was appointed the NATO HQ Co-ordinator of the UK-led Professional Development Programme in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in the NATO Political Affairs and Security Policy Division.
In 2019, Marcin was assigned, as a team leader, the responsibility for NATO-Ukraine issues in the NATO Operations Division, including the overall co-ordination responsibility for the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP). As of June 2026, Allies and partners have contributed over EUR 1.4 billion (approximately USD 1.6 billion) to the CAP and its non-lethal activities aimed at supporting Ukraine.
Between 2022-2024, Marcin led the Project Management Team to establish a NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) as the first-ever joint civilian-military organization to be established by NATO and a partner country. This work led to the establishment of JATEC in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
On 1 June 2026, Marcin was appointed Team Leader for Education and Training/Head of the Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) in the Operations Division, NATO HQ.|
Forum Programme
The Forum programme is now available and outlines a full day of discussions, expert panels, and networking opportunities dedicated to strengthening state and societal resilience.
The programme includes the ceremonial opening of the Forum, a high-level Generals’ Panel on war scenarios and their impact on state resilience, as well as two parallel thematic panel sessions covering local government resilience, resilience assessment systems, strategic communication in crisis situations, and contemporary conventional, hybrid, and sub-threshold threats.
View the programme using this link
During the Forum, the official launch of the Polish-language version of NATO’s e-learning course on societal resilience will take place.
Course at a Glance
📅 Date:
28 October 2026
📍 Venue:
Conference Centre of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
and the NATO DEEP eAcademy BigBlueButton VTC platform (access link will be provided separately)
👥 Format:
Hybrid
Following the Forum, participants will have the opportunity to:
- complete an evaluation survey,
- receive a personalized Certificate of Participation.