Gender Audit in Action: Ukraine Strengthens Institutional Capacity for Gender-Responsive Recovery
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Ukraine demonstrates leadership in conducting gender audits and implementing gender-responsive changes based on them. Photo: UN Women/Andriy Krepkykh
On 14 October 2025, a conference titled "Gender Audit as a Tool for Gender-Responsive Recovery" was held in Kyiv. It brought together representatives of government authorities, local self-government, women's rights civil society organizations, international organizations, the expert community, and development partners.
The goal of the event was to present the results of monitoring the implementation of gender audits, raise awareness, provide a step-by-step guide for conducting them, and share experiences and achievements to encourage further use of this tool. Gender audit recommendations form the foundation for integrating a gender approach into recovery and reform processes, particularly in the context of Ukraine’s European integration.
The conference participants were welcomed by:
- Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine
- Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy
- Ilona Havronska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine for European Integration
- Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service
- Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine
- Helena Sancho, First Secretary, Development Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Leadership in Implementing Gender Audits
Sabine Freizer Gunes highlighted Ukraine’s consistent efforts to achieve gender equality through tools for gender mainstreaming, particularly gender audits. She emphasized the expanding use of this tool, the development of recommendations based on audit results, and the achievement of institutional changes, even during the country's most challenging times. Despite the ongoing war, Ukraine has demonstrated leadership in conducting gender audits and implementing gender-responsive changes based on them.
Key Outcomes of the Conference
The conference served as a platform for:
- Presenting the results of the implementation of the State Strategy for Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men, particularly in the area of gender audits.
- Outlining government bodies’ plans for further audits. According to Kateryna Levchenko, by 2025, 24% of government agencies had already conducted gender audits, and an additional 49% plan to do so in 2026–2027.
Demonstrating institutional changes based on implemented recommendations.
Experiences were shared by:
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
- The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine
- The State Statistics Service of Ukraine
- The State Emergency Service of Ukraine
- The Secretariat of the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
- The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
At the event, a draft guidebook was presented: "Gender Audit: A Roadmap and Practical Tips", developed by UN Women in Ukraine in cooperation with the Office of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy and the Ministry of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine. This document serves as a step-by-step guide for conducting gender audits in public institutions and other organizations. In addition, the High School of Public Governance showcased existing training programs on gender audits for public servants.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine also joined the dialogue, sharing their achievements and plans in gender mainstreaming. The Embassies of Canada and Spain contributed by sharing international experiences and best practices.
The conference, "Gender Audit as a Tool for Gender-Responsive Recovery," was organized by the UN Women project “Transformative approaches to achieving gender equality in Ukraine”, funded by the Government of Sweden, in partnership with the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.еграції України.