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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

On October 25, as part of the "Inside Out" project, 50 portraits of outstanding women of today who promote the Women, Peace and Security agenda through their work were installed in front of the main entrance to the UN Headquarters in New York. One of the 50 peacemakers featured in the Inside Out photo exhibition under the slogan "Peace begins with her" is Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.