A thematic session "Gender Equality in the EU Accession Process" took place in Kyiv

A thematic session on gender equality in the EU accession and the Verkhovna Rada's role in these processes was held on April 9 in Kyiv. The session was organized by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the European Union in collaboration with UN Women in Ukraine. The governments of Denmark and Sweden supported the event.

The thematic session opened with introductory speeches about the importance of gender equality in state institutions and procedures, in particular, by Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, People's Deputy, Head of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Ukraine's Integration into the European Union, who chaired the event, Olena Kondratiuk, People's Deputy, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as well as Katarina Maternova, EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Åberg, Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine, and Denise Brown, the UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine.

“Gender equality is one of the important values in the EU. It should be thoroughly present in our rules, laws, and actions. We must think and come up with a solution, how exactly we could improve the processes taking place both in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and in the Government, as well as involve civil society, which for many decades remained almost the only flagship of the promotion of gender equality, and today is a partner for all government structures in the promotion of this policy. In connection with the expected start of negotiations on accession to the EU, these issues should be a priority,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

“The war exacerbated masculinity. It is common for only men to attend important negotiations on the Ukrainian side. And this is even though in our government there are three female deputy prime ministers. There is only one woman in the leadership of regional military administrations. There is none in the General Staff. This goes against the provisions of the United Nations Resolution 1325 "Women, Peace, Security", emphasized Olena Kondratiuk.

During the panel discussions, the representatives of the parliamentary committees focused on the results of the work of the Equal Opportunities inter-factional union, practices and procedures for solving gender equality issues, and cooperation with the specialized committees of the European Parliament. They also emphasized Ukraine's obligations to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, the importance of applying EU gender equality standards to decision-making, initiating new laws, reviewing, and monitoring current legislation, and budget supervision and control. Members of the European Parliament and national parliaments of selected EU-27 member states presented their experiences of how they promoted and integrated gender equality issues into their parliamentary functions.

“Gender equality is a complex issue from EU integration’s perspective, as it is not just a ticking box exercise for Ukraine’s path towards EU accession. Gender equality encompasses a panoply of approaches. It exists not as part of the EU acquis but as a fundamental EU principle that should be protected. EU will continue supporting Ukraine to ensure an inclusive recovery process and will keep on contributing to women's empowerment including through education, support to women entrepreneurs, and fighting gender stereotypes,” stated Katarína Mathernová.

In February 2022, Ukraine applied to join the EU, and already in December 2023, the European Council decided on the start of the negotiation process.

“The EU accession process gives Ukraine a unique chance to make a conscious and systematic effort with regard to gender, to do in years what took us decades,” mentioned Martin Åberg.

The thematic session ended by discussing conclusions and recommendations. These results will aid in reaching a consensus on the next steps and practical actions that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and its committees can take to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. This will be achieved through the effective application of relevant rules and procedures.