2024 was an election year. Direct presidential elections were held in 31 countries worldwide, and voter turnout was record high. However, only five women have been elected heads of state, making female political leadership more of an exception than the norm. Ukraine lags behind the world average in women's participation in political life at the national level. Only 22% of the Ukrainian parliament is made up of women. There are only five women in the 21-member Cabinet of Ministers. One woman heads a region, and only two women are incumbent mayors — in Poltava and Zaporizhzhia.

35 participants from 16 regions of Ukraine were trained in preparing women for running as candidates in the elections, effective communication, voter engagement, fundraising, financial planning, and managing election campaigns.

Advocacy is often a very comprehensive and lengthy process of implementing changes. Together with the NGO "Active Rehabilitation Group" and with the UN Women Ukraine and WPHF project support, Kateryna's new familly housing in Bucha is now inclusive. Although the construction project did not meet barrier-free standards at all. Read the story of perseverance and changes, despite the difficulties.

'Do not be afraid and be confident! Confidence is an essential component of success.': key highlights from the conversation with Sabine Freizer Gunes during the official opening ceremony of the 'Progresiya' project

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.

Daryna Stepchenkova is a 27-year-old delivery manager from Kyiv who works at Intellias. Intellias is a global company with Ukrainian roots that has been operating in the IT industry for more than 20 years. Starting in 2021, Intellias consistently implements all Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) throughout its initiatives.

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 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.

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.

Lviv, 27 October 2023 – UN Women facilitated the Women’s Entrepreneurship Satellite Expo 2023 bringing together over 150 participants, particularly established women entrepreneurs from across Ukraine, who are seeking professional growth, as well as self-employed women and women employees seeking new opportunities and collaborations with private companies.

Hanna Demydenko, 38 years old, is an activist and a human rights defender. She has worked at many NGOs, including the Ukrainian Women Veterans Movement “Veteranka,” a local NGO supported by UN Women aiming for equal rights for female military personnel.

Alisa Shramko, a 31-year-old mother of two, is a paramedic instructor at the Fastiv Voluntary Formation of the Kyiv Region. She is also a substitute instructor at Hospitallers Medical Battalion, a Ukrainian voluntary organization of paramedics who volunteered to provide first aid and evacuate wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

Like millions of Ukrainian women, Maryna Kuznetsova lost her job after Russia’s full-scale invasion. In fact, 39 per cent of Ukrainians who were employed before the war lost the opportunity to support themselves financially.

Before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Julia Kononchuk was studying at the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. She won a scholarship to study in Great Britain and was supposed to begin university there in the fall of 2022, but her visa was not granted in time.

Diana Andrunyk is a social photographer and photojournalist who has been working in artistic and advertising photography for 11 years. She has been working with Veteranka, the Women Veteran Movement, since 2021 on several projects together with military personnel. One of them is "A woman warrior is first and foremost a woman.” Five months after the full-scale Russian invasion, Andrunyk was forced to leave Ukraine and move to the United Kingdom (UK) for the safety of her family.

Veronika Lytvynenko is a volunteer and graphic designer for the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine found her in Kyiv, and her entire family in Mariupol.

Gandzia Morozova is a casting manager and film director from Kyiv. Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Morozova became the head of the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement, known as VETERANKA, which delivers humanitarian aid to de-occupied territories and war hot spots. Since 24 February 2022, the organization has strengthened its focus on humanitarian assistance and started a series of psychological support sessions with support from UN Women, under the project “Transformative approaches to achieve gender equality in Ukraine,”supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and funded by the Government of Sweden.

Yuliia Kirillova is a woman veteran who, after returning from the war, was able to successfully adapt to the new reality, find herself and support the others. At the age of 28, she became a teacher in the university and fights for women's rights in the army and beyond.

Nataliia Novitska 36, is Project Manager at the NGO “Positive Women”, which provides assistance and information to women living with HIV across Ukraine, even amid the Russian invasion. It is among the organizations supported by UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).

From 21–22 November, a two-day Women’s Economic Empowerment Congress (WEE Congress) convened more than 100 Ukrainian businesswomen, representatives of the private and public sectors, as well as academics, both in-person in Lviv and broadcast online.