From Rescue to Peacebuilding: The Second Donetsk Region Women's Congress took place in Kyiv

“You, the women of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv oblasts, are doing incredible work at the local level. Your strength and experience inspire women across Ukraine and around the world. To ensure that women and girls in these regions receive the support they need, it is crucial that your voices are heard clearly by the international community. We hope that the Second Donetsk Region Women’s Congress will serve as a platform to discuss the important role of women in humanitarian response and their meaningful participation in the political and economic life necessary for a gender-responsive recovery of the country”, said Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.

The Second Donetsk Region Women's Congress, held in Kyiv on October 11, brought together 165 participants and 36 speakers. Among them were representatives of active women in Donetsk oblast, representatives of the Government and Parliament of Ukraine, regional and local authorities of Donetsk oblast, the security and defense sector, Ukrainian and international politicians, business, international organizations and the media.

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 goal of the event was to develop a strategy to increase women's participation in the process of reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine.

The Congress was organized by the NGO SMARTA and the Donetsk Regional State Administration, with the support of UN Women, as part of the project “Strengthening Women's Leadership for Sustainable and Peaceful Societies” funded by the Danish government.

“Denmark is honored to support initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality, full participation of women in all spheres of life and creating equal opportunities, and we support UN Women to achieve its strategic goals, including women economic empowerment and and support for gender equality in Ukraine,” said Jens Alsbirk, Chargé d'Affaires of the Royal Danish Embassy in Ukraine.

“Today's Congress is a platform to develop an important document - the Resolution, which will form the basis of advocacy campaigns, regional policies and the basis of national policy. After all, in 2025 we will be working on the third National Action Plan 1325,” Lilia Kislitsyna, President of the NGO ‘SMARTA’, Coordinator of the 1325 Coalition of Donetsk oblast.

“Ensuring gender equality is a priority for the Government of Ukraine. We have to work together to ensure that the declared principles of gender equality and inclusion are implemented in all programs and projects to meet the urgent needs of different groups of women and men, boys and girls,” said Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy.

“This is the Second Congress, and it is especially important. It takes place during a full-scale invasion and allows us to emphasize once again the need to support active women in our region,” said Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration, Head of the Regional Military Administration, whose message was read by his deputy Oleksandr Shevchenko.

The congress included four thematic panels:

• The impact of war on women and girls - the regional dimension;
• Women's leadership and gender equality in time of war;
• Security and resilience - a priority of the National and Local Action Plans 1325;
• Recovery of Donetsk oblast after war. The role of women as advocates of gender-responsive and inclusive approaches in new post-war strategies of communities and the oblast.

As well as master classes and side events:

• Master class on safe behavior from the SES;
• Master class “Getting off the hook and other ways to take care of yourself” by the NGO “Point of Balance”;
• Territory security audit is an effective tool for identifying, preventing and responding to security challenges.

The event resulted in the presentation of the Resolution of the Second Donetsk Region Women's Congress, where participants identified areas that should be prioritized by authorities at all levels in the context of implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. These include security, recovery, governance, support for victims, integration and social inclusion, economic capacity, visibility, and countering information threats. The recommendations are aimed at:

• overcoming the challenges and traumas of war;
• Increasing the visibility of women's contribution to the defense of the country and overcoming the humanitarian crisis;
• strengthening women's participation in decision-making processes and creating inclusive, gender-sensitive strategies for community recovery and development.

The text of the Resolution is available here (in Ukrainian): ttps://bit.ly/3U655Zm

A recording of the online stream of the event is available here: https://www.youtube.com/live/EXGJzeEiiD4

The Second Donetsk Region Women's Congress was organized by NGO SMARTA and the Donetsk Regional State Administration and was held within the framework of the project “Strengthening Women's Leadership for Building a Sustainable and Peaceful Society” implemented by UN Women in Ukraine with the financial support of the Danish Government.