UN Women Ukraine unequivocally condemns the Russian Armed Forces’ mass missile attack on July 8, 2024, which struck civilian infrastructure across Ukraine, including the National Specialized Children's Hospital «Ohmatdyt» and the Women’s Healthcare Center “Isida Clinic” in Kyiv. This attack resulted in civilian casualties and injuries, particularly among the most vulnerable categories of Ukrainian civilians.

Women’s economic empowerment is essential to promoting women’s rights and gender equality. Central to this effort is employment, which not only fosters financial independence but also drives personal growth and achievement.

UN Women unequivocally condemns the Russian Armed Forces’ attack on Friday, 28 June 2024, which struck a residential apartment building in Dnipro city, resulting in civilian casualties and injuries in a densely populated area.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024) concluded in Berlin on June 12, continuing the series of annual high-level political events dedicated to Ukraine’s swift recovery and long-term reconstruction since the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. The conference brought together over 3,400 participants, representing a wide array of stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, financial institutions, businesses, regions, municipalities, and civil society, all united by a shared commitment to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience for as long as needed.

The "Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery" was launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on 12 June 2024 in Berlin. Spearheaded by UN Women Ukraine in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Alliance aims to ensure that gender equality and women's empowerment are central to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction efforts. So far it brings together fifteen governments, major IFIs, UN agencies, the EU, numerous partners from civil society and the private sector.

The Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) has launched a Call for Proposals in Ukraine to support civil society organizations working to improve the socio-economic recovery and political participation of women and girls displaced by the war in the Ukraine.

The UN Women Executive Board, which serves as the governing body of UN Women and provides intergovernmental support and supervision of the organization’s operational activities, conducted a field visit to Ukraine from May 19 to 22, 2024. The purpose of the visit was to gain a deeper understanding of the repercussions of Russia’s war on women and girls, focusing on their needs, UN Women's support mechanisms, and its role in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, thereby contributing to a gender-responsive recovery.

From 14 - 22 May, the UN Women Executive Board is on a mission to Moldova and Ukraine to strengthen partnerships and strategies for advancing gender equality in these countries and beyond, aligning with UN Women's regional and global strategies.

Tamara Yetenko, 69, has already been displaced twice: in 2015, she fled Debaltseve, occupied by Russian troops, and in 2022, she was forced to flee from Russian shelling from the frontline city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. The destruction of her home, her husband's sudden stroke, and stress took a toll on her mental health. In her words, the sewing courses offered by the NGO “Pobratym Center”, implemented with the technical support of UN Women in Ukraine and funded by the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), helped her recover. In the future, she plans to sew dolls as gifts for her loved ones and sell them to anyone who wants to buy them.

9 квітня у Києві відбулася тематична сесія Комітету Верховної Ради України з питань інтеграції України до Європейського Союзу у співпраці з ООН Жінки в Україні щодо питань гендерної рівності у процесі вступу до ЄС та ролі Верховної Ради в цих процесах. Захід підтримали уряди Данії та Швеції.

The UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and the UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, together with the European Union (EU), started the Phase II of the regional programme “EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence”. The programme aims to reduce gender discriminatory attitudes and practices between women and men in institutional and community spheres, including unpaid domestic and care work in six Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

The sixty-eighth session of the Commission under the priority theme: “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective” wrapped up in New York last week. The United Nations largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment brings together representatives of Member States, United Nations entities and civil society and non-governmental organizations from across the globe.

On March 6, the fifth anniversary awarding ceremony of the annual Women in Arts. The Resistance Award was held in Kyiv. With this award, UN Women Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute praise the achievements of women in the field of culture and art, and from 2023, also their contribution to the approach of victory. The governments of Sweden and Japan, as well as the Women's Fund for Peace and Humanitarian Aid of the United Nations, supported the event.

On March 6, the Ukrainian Institute and UN Women Ukraine will name the laureates of the Women in Arts. The Resistance Award for the fifth time. The award recognizes the achievements of women in the field of culture and art and their contribution to the approach of victory, and honours the memory of female artists who have lost their lives due to russian aggression.

Two years ago, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to mass displacement within and outside the country as millions of Ukrainians left in search of safety and support. Anastasiia Pyrohova is a psychologist and the coordinator of the Women’s New Horizons project, run by the local group Women’s Perspectives in the Western city of Sambir, where she has lived since fleeing her native Zaporizhzhia with her family. Here, Anastasiia supports women and girls by providing psychological counselling and creating resources to help internally displaced people access essential services.

New York, 22 February - Two years of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has taken thousands of lives, caused untold destruction, displaced millions, traumatized a generation, torn families and communities, and devastated the economy. The total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is estimated by the World Bank, European Commission, United Nations and the Government of Ukraine at USD 486 billion over the next decade. This war, like all wars, takes a bigger toll on women and girls, who disproportionally carry its burden.

This opinion was expressed by Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine. She believes that attention to gender equality issues in Ukraine helped the country to respond promptly to the problem of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and to counter it.

Natalia Khamko is the Deputy General Director for Legal and Human Resources at Chernihiv Regional Hospital. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Natalia joined her medical colleagues to help civilian and military patients at the hospital. We spoke with Natalia at the training "The Role of Women in Mediation" held as part of the institution-building project "Building a Democratic, Peaceful and Gender Equal Society in Ukraine - Phase II", which is being implemented with the financial support of the Government of Norway.

Maria Parfylo, Senior Specialist of the Department of Labor, Family and Gender Policy of the Lebedynska City Territorial Community in Sumy Oblast, told us about the challenges the community faces in the context of the full-scale Russian invasion. We met with Maria at the training "The Role of Women in Mediation," which was held as part of the Women, Peace, Security institution-building project, funded by the Government of Norway.

Olena Gorin is a fire service inspector by education and a pastry chef by vocation. Olena's husband is a military officer and defender of Mariupol, and has been in Russian captivity for more than 1.5 years. Olena has always been looking for a job she likes, not so much for money as for the desire to do something interesting. She used to do various work, but when she tried to bake gingerbread, she became passionate about it.