International seminar “Gender Responsible and Inclusive Public Service” within the framework of the Richelieu Forum

The event was organized by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the Higher School of Public Administration and the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the EU Standards with the support of international partners, including UN Women Ukraine and the Government of Sweden.

The main topics included gender equality in government policies and programs as a prerequisite for EU accession and for ensuring Ukraine's gender-responsible recovery; gender-responsible and inclusive adaptation and reintegration of female and male veterans into civilian life, namely the demand of society and the state's offer; preservation of human capital, including barrier-free and gender-responsible public service.

Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine, in her welcoming remarks, noted that despite the full-scale Russian invasion, gender equality remains a priority for the Ukrainian Government. In the National Reports on the Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) in 2020-2024 submitted by different countries, the achievement of gender equality is not happening fast enough and sometimes meets with significant resistance. Ukraine's role in this process is crucial, as the country continues to make steady progress towards achieving gender equality and women's empowerment, which is a form of resistance to aggression. The EU accession process is also an opportunity to accelerate progress in this direction.

Halyna Meshcheriakova, UN Women's Programme Specialist, in her speech emphasized the achievements of gender mainstreaming in the civil service, including the approval of relevant training programs for civil servants and employees of various categories and local government officials, the creation of online courses, and the approval and use of reporting forms that help collect gender disaggregated data on the number of civil servants and employees, which will help shape gender-responsive policies. Ms. Halyna emphasized the need to take into account all voices, including those of female and male veterans, men and women with disabilities, in all processes and at all levels. Moreover, the veterans present at the event, including Kateryna Pryimak, head of the NGO Veteranka Movement (Women's Veterans' Movement), also noted what is important to consider to ensure gender-responsible and inclusive adaptation and reintegration of women and men veterans into civilian life.