UN Women strengthens the capacity of public officials to advance gender-responsive and inclusive recovery

Photo: UN Women/Anna Putylina

Training of trainers will help scale up practical tools for gender-responsive planning, recovery and budgeting across Ukraine’s regions and communities.

UN Women in Ukraine continues to support efforts to strengthen the public officials’ capacity to integrate a gender perspective into decision-making on Ukraine’s recovery and development.

As part of the annual Summer School of Training Excellence, organized by the High School of Public Governance in cooperation with the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, a training of trainers, “Gender-Responsive Recovery, Planning and Budgeting of Regions and Communities,” was held.

In 2025, with UN Women’s support, a training programme on gender-responsive recovery, planning and budgeting was institutionalized within the professional training system of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service. In 2026, UN Women, together with its partners, updated the programme to reflect Ukraine’s evolving approaches to recovery and regional development, as well as the country’s European integration process.

As a result, a gender perspective is being integrated not as a separate or additional component, but as a practical tool for making more effective, equitable and inclusive governance decisions, from strategic planning and the preparation of infrastructure projects to budgeting, monitoring and evaluation.

“Today, Ukraine is shaping a new vision for regional development and recovery. It is therefore crucial to ensure that inclusiveness and gender equality are embedded in these processes not merely as declarations, but through concrete decisions, resources and results. By implementing this new training programme, we are investing not only in the knowledge of individual professionals, but also in building systemic capacity at the regional and local levels. The trainers who have been prepared through this programme will be able to share these approaches in their communities and regions, helping make recovery more inclusive, effective and responsive to people’s needs,” said Halyna Meshcheriakova, a.i. Head of Programmes at UN Women Ukraine.

Halyna Meshcheriakova, a.i. Head of Programmes at UN Women Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Anna Putylina

This year’s training marked another step towards scaling up these approaches. It brought together representatives of national and local government authorities, civil society organizations and postgraduate education institutions, including regional professional development centres. Over three days, participants developed practical tools to ensure that the needs of different population groups are taken into account when planning and implementing policies and projects.

Participants worked with gender statistics and community profiles, analyzed gender gaps, explored gender analysis and gender impact assessment tools, and examined practical cases related to recovery and infrastructure.

Particular attention was paid to how governance and budget decisions can affect women and men differently, as well as people of different ages, persons with disabilities, residents of remote areas, parents of young children and other population groups.

An important component of the training was preparing participants to become trainers themselves. They developed facilitation and communication skills, designed their own training sessions and practised ways to communicate the practical value of gender-responsive decision-making to colleagues, managers and representatives of local councils.

Training of trainers, “Gender-Responsive Recovery, Planning and Budgeting of Regions and Communities". Photo: UN Women/Anna Putylina

“Today, it is important that gender equality principles are not treated as a separate training topic, but are meaningfully integrated into planning, budgeting and decision-making at the regional and community levels. That is why we focus on practical tools and on training trainers who can pass these approaches on to others. For the High School, it is important that this area has already become part of the systematic professional development of public officials and can be scaled up wherever decisions that directly affect people’s lives are being made,” said Yuliia Lykhach, Director of the High School of Public Governance.

Yuliia Lykhach, Director of the High School of Public Governance. Photo: UN Women/Anna Putylina

The key outcome of the training is the opportunity to share the knowledge gained far beyond the group of direct participants.

The trained trainers will be able to deliver further learning activities in their regions and communities, helping other professionals apply a gender perspective to strategic planning, budgeting, recovery and the implementation of investment projects.

This cascade model of capacity development is particularly important ahead of the development of a new State Strategy for Regional Development and the further renewal of Ukraine’s regional policy. Strengthening gender expertise at the local and regional levels will help ensure that the needs of different population groups are considered from the outset when strategies, programmes and investment decisions are developed.

“It was important for me to see that a gender-responsive approach is not about complex theories, but about very practical tools that we can use in the work of our community. For example, how to take the needs of different people into account when planning recovery, infrastructure projects or budgets. I gained concrete tools that I can apply in my work and share with colleagues in the community. I believe this will help us make decisions that better respond to the real needs of our residents,” emphasized Viktoriia Kriuchkova, a training participant and Head of the Department for Housing and Utilities, Public Amenities, Infrastructure Development and Transport at the Slobozhanske Village Council.

Viktoriia Kriuchkova, a training participant and Head of the Department for Housing and Utilities, Public Amenities, Infrastructure Development and Transport at the Slobozhanske Village Council. Photo: UN Women/Anna Putylina

By supporting the development of professional competencies among those who shape policies and make decisions, UN Women is helping embed gender equality into the very processes of Ukraine’s recovery and development.

The training of trainers, “Gender-Responsive Recovery, Planning and Budgeting of Regions and Communities,” was conducted with expert support from UN Women under the project “Supporting Inclusive Recovery and EU Accession of Ukraine,” funded by the Government of Canada, in partnership with the High School of Public Governance and the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service.