Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Ukraine: A Decade of Advancing Women’s Participation and Resilience during the Russian full-scale aggression
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Since 2015, UN Women Ukraine has placed women and girls at the heart of decision-making and humanitarian response during the country’s most significant security challenges. Ukraine’s continued development and implementation of National Action Plans for UNSCR 1325—uniquely during active conflict—demonstrates determined leadership in advancing the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.
Key achievements include localization of the WPS agenda at the community level, pioneering survivor-centered approaches to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), the Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery, gender-responsive reforms in the security sector. While progress is evident, new challenges such as declining gender-focused international aid and entrenched stereotypes risk undermining recent gains. This report documents major results and lessons learned, highlights gaps, and outlines strategic objectives for 2026–2030 focusing on inclusive leadership, intersectionality, and resilient, rights-based recovery.
Introduction and context
Since establishing its presence in Ukraine in 2015, UN Women Ukraine has led efforts to place women and girls at the center of decision-making and advance the “Women, Peace and Security” (WPS) agenda in response to the evolving security and humanitarian challenges, particularly following the full-scale Russian invasion. Guided by UN Security Council Resolution 1325, UN Women has worked across national and local levels to ensure women’s rights, agency, and leadership are central to meaningful participation in decision-making, humanitarian response, and recovery efforts in Ukraine.
Despite the military aggression that began in 2014 and escalated into Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine remains committed to advancing gender equality and women's empowerment and has made real progress in advancing its WPS agenda and implementing its National Action Plan (NAP) 1325.
In 2025, Ukraine is developing its third NAP 1325 for the period 2026-30, again supported by UN Women and women-led organizations. This places Ukraine among the top 10% of countries globally with WPS action plans — and uniquely, Ukraine is the only country in the world to update its NAP during active war.
“What seems ‘not a woman's job’ may turn out to be your mission. We are strong. We can do it all!" says Tetiana Rubanka, who began her career in humanitarian demining to support Ukraine’s recovery.
As a result, over the past decade, women have increasingly become leaders in Ukrainian society. Women-led civil society organizations have quickly adapted to respond to the needs of displaced women and girls, man and boys, first in response to the conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and even more so over the past three years of full-scale war. Women are stepping into leadership roles across all areas of public life. They are particularly active in their communities — as volunteers, civic activists, and local council members, continuing to shape Ukraine’s resilience and recovery on every level.
Key results and impact
PARTICIPATION: Community mobilization and NAP localization
In partnership with regional and local authorities, civil society, and women’s rights organizations, UN Women has supported the localization of the WPS agenda in war-affected areas of Ukraine. This work ensures that women play a leading role in decision-making during active war and recovery.
Since 2018, together with the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, UN Women helped mobilize 123 initiative women’s groups (49 communities from Luhansk, Donetsk, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kirovohrad, and Zaporizhzhia regions1) where women have access to the common dialogue, participation in the development, localization, and monitoring of local 1325 action plans in cooperation with local authorities and security services. Local women’s groups also collect gender- and age-sensitive data to identify service gaps and implement community projects, e.g., for sewing adaptive clothing for wounded soldiers in Anysiv of Chernihiv region, establishing street lighting in Bandurivka of Kirovohrad region, setting up a sensory room for children with disabilities in Lebedyn of Sumy region, safe spaces for women to have training and development and shelters for local people in Mykhailo-Lukasheve of Zaporizhzhia region, etc. This strengthens resilience and empowers displaced and war-affected women to shape the futures of their communities.
Scoping studies on Safe Cities for Women and Girls in public spaces were developed in five project target communities from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Fourteen Safety Audits aimed at identifying the unsafe public spaces for women and girls were conducted in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Nine target “Safe Cities for Women and Girls” Programs aimed at preventing and combating sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls in public spaces, were adopted by local authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
At the hromada level, the NAP is implemented through Self-Help Groups, like in Bilopilla (Sumy region) — just 11 km from the Russian border. Despite daily shelling, women continue to lead local initiatives on empowerment, support for displaced persons, and gender-based violence prevention.
One such leader was Olena Evtushenko, a teacher and director of Bilopilla’s Center for Professional Pedagogical Development. She represents a generation of women leaders who are living on the front lines, mobilizing their neighbors and carrying out community level projects to help the most vulnerable and prepare for recovery. On 17 May 2025, Olena, her husband, and seven others were tragically killed when a Russian missile struck their vehicle on the way to Sumy. Her courage and commitment continue to inspire women across Ukraine.
PROTECTION: Protecting Women’s Rights and Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV)
UN Women is at the forefront in supporting Ukraine’s response to conflict-related sexual violence, ensuring that survivors’ rights, dignity, and voices remain central to national recovery efforts. Working alongside government institutions, women-led civil society organizations, survivor networks, and the UN Country Team, UN Women provides the technical expertise, global perspective, and trusted partnerships necessary to translate international standards into practical applications. This leadership is anchored in the Framework of Cooperation on the Prevention and Response to CRSV, signed between the United Nations and the Government of Ukraine in 2022, which serves as the foundation for a coordinated, survivor-centered national response.
“When it comes to interim reparations, I had no specific expectations—only gratitude that such a mechanism exists. It provides a sense of support and reassurance that survivors are not left alone with their trauma, that they are seen and cared for,” Dariia Zymenko, a member of the NGO “SEMA Ukraine”, which brings together women who have experienced sexual violence in captivity or during the occupation, a speaker, and participates in conferences and advocacy events.
A landmark achievement was the adoption of Law No. 4067 in November 2024, introducing urgent interim reparations for CRSV survivors — the first such measure enacted during an ongoing war. This historic step, achieved through close cooperation among the government, civil society, and the UN, enables survivors to receive compensation and recognition amid conflict. As co-chair of the national working group on Reparations and Compensations, UN Women has been central in shaping a survivor-centered, rights-based reparations framework. Beyond financial support, we champion transformative reparations that link justice to long-term recovery — from psychosocial services and legal aid to women’s economic empowerment. Drawing on lessons from Colombia, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN Women brings comparative expertise to help position Ukraine as a global model for reparations that strengthen resilience and advance gender equality.
A defining feature of UN Women’s work in Ukraine is its unwavering commitment to a survivor-centered approach, grounded in strong partnership, trust, and accountability. This commitment ensures that survivors are not only protected and supported, but that their perspectives guide national priorities on justice, reparations, and recovery. By bridging global expertise with local leadership, UN Women helps transform survivors’ individual experiences and leadership into collective progress for society. In this way, we ensure that work on CRSV response contributes to restoring the rights of survivors, strengthening social cohesion, reinforcing democratic institutions, and laying the groundwork for a recovery that is inclusive, rights-based, and sustainable.
RELIEF AND RECOVERY: Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery for Ukraine
The war’s impact is deeply gendered: women and girls face heightened risks of insecurity, violence, and loss of access to homes, livelihoods, education, and healthcare – while being forced to take on greater care burdens. Of the 12.7 million people in need of aid in 2025, more than half are women and girls — around 6.7 million — who face unique vulnerabilities. They also account for 57% of the 3.7 million internally displaced people.
Even though women are actively involved in humanitarian response, defense, and early recovery efforts, and are more actively engaged in the professions previously dominated by men such as transit, security, and demining, they still face barriers to equal representation in formal decision-making and to equality in the workplace. At the same time, women-led organizations often face significant gaps in support and financing, limiting their ability to sustain critical services for women and girls.
Since the start of the large-scale aggression by Russia in 2022, there has been a decrease in international funding for gender equality. In 2022, ODA to Ukraine jumped from USD 1.3 billion in 2021 to USD 18.9 billion. At the same time, 90 percent (or USD 17.1 billion) of this funding did not include any gender equality objectives. Only USD 44 millions were allocated to efforts aimed at advancing gender equality as the primary objective. (OECD, 2024, Official Development Assistance for Gender Equality in Ukraine). That’s a missed chance to advance equality while rebuilding.
In response to these challenges, the Government of Ukraine, the Government of Germany, and UN Women launched the Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery for Ukraine at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Berlin in 2024. Now joined by 100 members — including governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector — the Alliance works to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in Ukraine’s recovery process. Its goal is to deliver lasting, meaningful results and advance equality in the recovery process.
“Recovery is not only about the physical rebuilding of cities. It is about people who shape the future, rebuilding trust, strengthening institutions, and ensuring inclusion. That is why Ukrainian women — who not only uphold the country’s resilience during the war but also stand on the frontlines alongside men — must be at the center of policies, funding, and decision-making,” Olha Stefanishyna, Presidential Commissioner for Cooperation with the United States (till August 2025 - Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration - Minister of Justice of Ukraine).
The Alliance collaborates closely with the Ukrainian Platform for Gender Mainstreaming and Inclusive Recovery, its Civil Society Consultative Panel, and the Sectoral Working Group on Gender Equality to make sure that Ukraine’s recovery is truly inclusive and responsive to the needs of all — especially women and girls.
PREVENTION: Gender responsive security sector reform
Since 2013–2014, Ukrainian women have actively participated in all areas of national defense, including military service. They joined protests, formed women’s units, and later took part in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) that was launched in spring 2014 after the beginning of the Russian military aggression in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and the Crimea annexation, which lasted until 2018, was transformed into the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). However, their contributions have often gone unrecognized by the state and society.
Thanks to years of advocacy by UN Women, women’s organizations, and government efforts, progress has been made. Since 2019, women have been able to access all levels of military education, including military lyceums, enabling them to pursue careers as officers. In January 2024, women soldiers received their first official summer uniforms. Five women have been awarded the title Hero of Ukraine, though three of them posthumously.
Efforts continue to improve gender equality in the Armed Forces, including the removal of legal barriers, providing gender audits, and the expansion of gender adviser networks — all supported by UN Women and partners, to ensure women can serve in an enabling working environment without gender-based discrimination. These steps aim to change military culture and ensure that women can serve in safe and respectful environments.
As of January 2026, around 70,000 women serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine — a 20% increase since 2022. Over 48,000 are active-duty service members, and about 5,500 are in combat roles, which is higher than in any NATO or EU country. Women now serve in a diverse array of roles, including medics, signal operators, snipers, and artillery operators, and are increasingly present in combat positions.
Although traditional gender stereotypes still exist, Ukraine is making progress. Several institutions in the defense and security sectors have created gender adviser networks and policies that meet EU and NATO standards. For example, the Ministry of Defense now offers separate accommodations for women during deployment and allows voluntary discharge during pregnancy, even under martial law. In April 2025, Ukraine’s Parliament passed the first reading of a draft law on Improving the Mechanisms for Ensuring Military Discipline, Preventing and Countering Discrimination by Sexual Harassment in the Armed Forces with 274 votes (and no votes against). This is a crucial step toward creating a safer and more inclusive military environment for women. Additionally, in September 2025, President Zelenskyy signed a decree establishing the Office of the Military Ombudsman and appointed the first Military Ombudsman, Olha Reshetylova, who previously served as the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has also made changes: establishing patrol police in 32 cities, call centers in all regions, and expanding the police structure to include a human rights protection department. The Ministry developed an Action Plan for implementing UNSCR 1325 (2017–2020 and 2021-2025) and formed a working group to support it.
UN Women has also supported gender audits across the security sector. Since 2017, audits have been conducted in key institutions, including the Ministry of Defence, National Police, State Border Guard, and National Guard. In 2021, the State Emergency Service was also reviewed, and in 2025, the National Police underwent a gender audit involving over 250 staff from the central office, Kyiv city, twenty four main regional directorates and five State institutions of professional education of the NPU.
These actions show Ukraine’s strong commitment to transforming gender roles in security and defence — even during the full-scale war. While challenges remain, Ukraine is working toward a more equal, respectful, and inclusive environment for women in uniform.
“Society must understand that we have the right to advocate for formal introduction of combat positions for women, the name of the national holiday – the Day of Women and Men Defenders of Ukraine etc., and that at war, there is no place for stereotypes,” Yuliia Kirillova, a woman veteran who, after returning from the war, was able to successfully adapt to the new reality, find herself and support the others.
Ukraine’s pursuit of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda has advanced substantially through war and upheaval, yet significant challenges persist. Funding for women’s rights organizations remains precarious; though humanitarian aid rose after 2022, only a fraction is allocated directly to core gender equality work, leaving many grassroots groups facing severe sustainability and service gaps.
Persistent gender stereotypes and the rise of militarized masculinities undermine women’s formal representation in peacebuilding and security roles, while marginalized groups—such as displaced women, women veterans, ethnic minorities, and women with disabilities—are often underserved by current programming and support mechanisms. Localization and robust monitoring remain weak spots in Ukraine’s National Action Plans, reducing their ability to respond flexibly to women’s lived realities during conflict.
Lessons learned include the necessity of intersectional, targeted approaches and the urgent need for core, sustainable funding streams, flexible donor practices, and meaningful engagement with women-led organizations at all decision-making levels to safeguard progress against backsliding and ensure inclusive, resilient recovery.