The Women's Economic Empowerment Congress took place in Lviv

Lviv, 4–5 December 2023 – UN Women Ukraine held the Women's Economic Empowerment Congress (hereinafter referred to as the Congress) for European integration and gender-responsive recovery. The Congress brought together more than 70 representatives of business associations, companies, state institutions, local self-government bodies, international development partners, and civil society organizations.

“This year, the Women's Economic Empowerment Congress is aimed at exploring best practices of the private sector in Ukraine and abroad, as well as creating new partnerships to ensure gender-responsive recovery and implementation of relevant initiatives,” emphasized Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine, during the welcoming speech to the participants. “We support government institutions, local authorities, private business companies, and non-governmental organizations to promote women's empowerment, especially during full-scale war and recovery.”

During the two-day event, attendees participated in panel discussions, presentations, networking sessions, and a creative laboratory focused on empowering women in professional and social settings.

"Strengthening the economic capacity of women is a critical part of state policies that aim to ensure gender equality. Economic independence and capability are essential not only for individual women but also for their families, communities, and society as a whole. They serve as the foundation for preventing gender-based violence because, often, economic dependence is a significant factor that forces women to stay in abusive relationships. Moreover, economic empowerment also encourages women's participation in the political and social spheres of the country's life," emphasized Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion began, the International Labor Organization has reported a loss of 2.4 million jobs, which is about 15.5% of pre-war employment. Consequently, the poverty rate has surged from 5.5% to 24%. It is of paramount importance to prioritize inclusive economic growth for Ukraine's early recovery and post-war period in light of these circumstances.

“While 6.2 million people have left our country, 60% of whom are women, the government is focusing its efforts on creating innovative and relevant solutions to bring women back into the labor market or engage in entrepreneurship or provide opportunities for their proper development,” said Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. “The Ministry is currently focusing on three main areas: a strategy to overcome the gender pay gap, grant programs for the developing one's own business, and opportunities to acquire new knowledge and skills.”

One of the Congress' key tasks is promoting the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as a useful tool for achieving gender equality and empowering women in the labor market and society in general. This is particularly important during times of full-scale war and recovery.

During the event, two Ukrainian companies, Burda Media Ukraine and Avenga Ukraine, signed the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to demonstrate their commitment to promoting gender equality and expanding women's rights and opportunities in the workplace and supply chains.

“The community of companies that respect human rights and ensure gender equality is growing. More than 8,600 companies worldwide, including 26 in Ukraine, have signed the Women's Empowerment Principles. We welcome new signatories to this community of responsible companies actively implementing leading initiatives to support women and girls,” said Julia Broussard, Deputy Representative of UN Women in Ukraine, during the WEPs signing ceremony.

In general, the Congress created a unique space for dialogue and building cooperation between business, government institutions, international development partners, and civil society organizations to promote the implementation of initiatives, as well as projects and programs for women’s economic empowerment.

The Women's Economic Empowerment Congress is organized by UN Women in partnership with various government partners, including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the Apparatus of the Government Commissioner on Gender Equality Policy, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. UN Women also collaborates with the private sector and state companies to encourage and implement the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The Women's Economic Empowerment Congress has been made possible due to financial support from Japan and Sweden.