Today, we mark four years of Russia’s full invasion in Ukraine. Time to commemorate the dead soldiers and civilians and renew full our support - especially with regard to women and girls in Ukraine.
Back in 2000, the UN Security Council recognized the invaluable role of women in war and post-conflict situations with its groundbreaking Resolution 1325, “Women, Peace, and Security” (WPS). The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement. It also calls on states to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict.
The brave women of Ukraine are proving once again how right the WPS agenda is.
At the 50th UN World Conference on the Status Women in New York last year, I had the honor of engaging in intensive discussions with my counterpart from Ukraine, Dr. Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy. I was impressed by the ambitious domestic State Strategy for Equal Rights (2022-2030) Ukraine is pursuing despite the catastrophe caused by the Russian war.
It is it all the more important that supporting and donor countries continue to place gender equality at the center of the Ukraine Recovery Conference process.
The new "Gender Equality Facility" launched by EU and UN Women in early February is a sign of hope.
Weakening UKR women’s organisations as a result of the UN funding crisis means weakening UKR as a whole.
