Anastasiia “Karma” Dotsenko is a drone operator with the 128th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade “Wild Field” [Ukrainian: Dyke Pole]. Anastasiia joined the army when she was only 18 years old. Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression in 2014, she had dreamed of serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defending her country, even though she was still in elementary school at the time.

Viktoriia Husak is the commander of the Second Tactical Evacuation Platoon within the Pre-Medical and Medical Assistance Unit of the Special Purpose Police Department “United Assault Brigade “Liut.” Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Viktoriia served in the Patrol Police in her hometown of Vinnytsia, where she maintained public order.

Karyna Khachaturyan, 27, Head of the Underwater and Humanitarian Demining Unit of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Dnipro region. Karyna joined the State Emergency Service in 2015. Her professional career began in the Fire Department, and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she made an important decision to undergo training and join the humanitarian demining team.

“Studying is what children can do today for the recovery of the country. Education is their contribution to Victory. And if we don’t give them the basics now — a notebook, a book, attention — we will lose not only a generation but also the chance for a better country,” says Romaniya Shymkiv, lawyer, civic activist, and head of the department for decision-making on the appointment of social benefits at the Truskavets City Council’s Department of Labor and Social Protection.

On 14 October 2025, a conference titled "Gender Audit as a Tool for Gender-Responsive Recovery" was held in Kyiv. It brought together representatives of government authorities, local self-government, women's rights civil society organizations, international organizations, the expert community, and development partners.

On this International Day of Rural Women, we call for bold action to advance the equality, rights, and empowerment of women and girls living in rural settings. Every day, they feed communities, protect the environment, and power sustainable development. Investing in them is both an act of justice and a safeguard for our shared future.

On 15 October 2025, the first-ever Conference was held in Kyiv to commemorate the International Day of Rural Women. This event was organized jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Ukraine and UN Women Ukraine.

From October 1 to 9, 2025, Kyiv hosted the educational program "School of experts for gender-responsive budgeting – GRB LAB.2", aimed at developing practical skills for applying a gender-responsive approach in the budgeting process. The initiative was implemented by the Kyiv City State Administration in partnership with the High School of Public Governance, with the support of UN Women in Ukraine.

Viktoriia Tsiupka, 52, a psychologist from Sumy city in northern Ukraine, lives just 20 km from the Russian border. Today, Sumy city hosts over 35,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), while over 100,000 people across Sumy Oblast are in need of support. For service providers like Viktoriia Tsiupka, this reality shapes her everyday work.

The Third Donetsk Women's Congress, held in Kyiv on October 7, became a platform for women of Donetsk region, a place of strength, trust, and strategic vision. The Congress brought together members of the active women's community of Donetsk region, representatives of the Ukrainian government, regional and local authorities, the security and defense sector, Ukrainian and international politicians, business and donor organizations, and the media.

They work in villages and cities, in the fields of culture, education, and local governance. They are mothers, teachers, students, council members, and leaders. And they do not wait for change. They make it happen. Five Ukrainian women share their stories of participating in a training program that strengthens women’s political participation and leadership, their paths to confidence, the power of community, and their belief that the future is in our hands.

UN Women in Ukraine and the Women’s Perspectives Center have completed the first phase of a large-scale initiative, a series of training titled "Strengthening Women’s Political Participation and Leadership", aimed at preparing women to take part in political life, particularly in post-war elections.

UN Women Ukraine together with the partners launched a new online course titled “The power of equal opportunities: WEPs in practice” within its Empowering women in business initiative. This training is for those who aim to build inclusive environments, implement gender equality in practice, and foster a new corporate and societal culture.

“I believe that sincere, compassionate people whose hearts are filled with love can change the world for the better.” This motto guides Valentyna Uvarova through the challenges of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, personal trials, and the expansion of large-scale support for others. She is the head of the NGO Lytai, an internally displaced woman from Luhansk, a mother of two sons, and an activist who combines caring for her family with supporting hundreds of others.

Yana Danko, a 24-year-old Ukrainian from Kyiv, is a practical psychologist who overcame professional uncertainty, regained confidence, and discovered a new path of growth combining employment with launching her own initiative, thanks to her participation in the mentorship program of the Women For The Future initiative.

At the ARZINGER law firm, women do not have to prove their competence because they already hold key positions and create a space where other women can grow, recover from challenges, and find support.

Tetiana lives in Sumy — a city in northern Ukraine, just 20 kilometers from the border with Russia. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sumy has been under constant shelling. For Tetiana, life under the sound of sirens means not only physical danger but also daily emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and the feeling that the usual rhythm of life has stopped.

Olha’s life, a woman from Sumy, changed drastically in April 2025. She was injured in a missile strike and sustained a mine-explosion trauma. Alongside her long treatment and recovery, she faced another challenge — navigating complex paperwork and finding support, as it was difficult to handle the bureaucratic procedures on her own.

On International Equal Pay Day, UN Women Ukraine joins women workers and gender equality champions across the country and the world in calling for urgent and coordinated action to close the gender pay gap and ensure equal pay for work of equal value.

New York,15 September 2025 – The newly released Gender Snapshot 2025 report by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) shows that the world is at a crossroads. With investments, gender equality is within reach.