Iryna Krykunenko has worked in social journalism for a long time. Shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she joined the demining sector as a communications expert at HALO Trust Ukraine, an international humanitarian demining organization. Read about the organization's activities, Ukraine's needs for humanitarian demining, and the role and professional development of women in this area in our interview with Iryna on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The first strategic session on the development of the National Action Plan “Women, Peace and Security” until 2030 in pursuance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was held in Kyiv on March 28, 2025. The purpose of the session was to identify the key areas and objectives of the next plan, as well as to formulate clear indicators by which its implementation can be assessed.

Kyiv — Russia’s three years of mass attacks on Ukraine are having a devastating effect on women and girls, with 1,869,000 internally displaced, almost 6.7 million women in need of humanitarian assistance, and more than 3,799 women and 289 girls killed, with the actual number of deaths likely much higher, according to the United Nations.

In the quiet village of Chesnyky, in western Ukraine, Rosolovska had built a family business specializing in cold-pressed cooking oils. When Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, her thriving business faced unprecedented challenges and was forced to halt production as the war disrupted supply chains and devastated key agricultural regions.

After three years of full-scale war in Ukraine, women are bearing the brunt of Russia’s war. But while they have endured violence and displacement, women throughout the country continue to advocate for resilience and equality.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is set to begin its fourth year, more than 1.7 million women and girls remain internally displaced throughout the country, according to IOM data. The war has been devastating for all the 3.7 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine – and also imposes gender-specific burdens on women and girls.

UN Women, in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine, conducted a series of training sessions for 100 police officers on responding to, classifying, and documenting cases of sexual harassment as an administrative offense under Article 173-7 (Sexual Harassment) of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine.

“For my business, winter with blackouts is a disastrous time,” said Iryna Fishchuk.

Khrystyna Kit is the Head and Chairwoman of the Board of JurFem, one of the first associations of women lawyers in Ukraine, which, since the beginning of the Russia’s full-scale war, has become a place of support for survivors of sexual violence and all types of gender discrimination. The organization has around 60 lawyers who provide legal assistance to survivors of sexual violence across Ukraine.

A new report on femicide reveals that 60% of all gender-based killings of women are committed by intimate partners or family members. On November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Women and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a new report titled "Femicide in 2023: A Global Assessment of Femicide Committed by Intimate Partners/Family Members".

Kyiv, November 25, 2024 – Today marks the launch of an awareness campaign aimed at raising public awareness about gender-based violence against women and girls, promoting its prevention and response, and informing about support services available for survivors.

A joint monitoring visit of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Women in Ukraine took place last week in Odesa oblast. The purpose of the visit was to monitor the observance of human rights and the status of meeting the needs of different social groups in the context of the war and the recovery of Ukraine.

The Second Donetsk Region Women's Congress, held in Kyiv on October 11, brought together 165 participants and 36 speakers. The Congress focused on the challenging situation of women in Donetsk oblast, which has been further deteriorated by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The delegates of the Congress focused on highlighting the consequences of the war, such as forced displacement, traumatic experiences, damages and the growing level of gender-based violence against women, and emphasized the important role of active women in overcoming the humanitarian crisis in the region.

“The ongoing attacks by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine is a clear and deliberate assault on civilian lives and infrastructure. Protecting all civilians, especially women and girls, is imperative and demands immediate, decisive action.” Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine

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.

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.

At the end of November, international trainer and expert on the localization of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda, Maia Avaliani, at the invitation of UN Women in Ukraine, conducted two trainings on "The Role of Women's Mediation in the Implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and Recovery Processes in Ukraine" for representatives of regional and local authorities from Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kirovohrad regions.

During October-November 2023, the non-governmental organization "Internews-Ukraine," in collaboration with the Center for Democracy Development with the support of UN Women Ukraine, organized a series of offline trainings to support the agendas "Women, Peace, Security" (WPS) and "Youth, Peace, Security" (YPS). The trainings took place in Kropyvnytskyi, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia.

Women and marginalized groups have key role to play in leading decision making on Ukraine’s recovery, which should help build the country back better and more equal. This was the main message of representatives of the Ukrainian government, women rights organizations, civil society, and the private sector that convened at gender responsive event held ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference.