UKRAINE
Ukraine’s most recent NAP runs from 2020 to 2025.
Objectives/Aims of the 2020 – 2025 NAP:
1. Participation of Women in Decision Making
Strategic goal 1. Ensuring equal participation of women and men in decision-making on conflict prevention, conflict resolution, post-conflict recovery at all levels, and all areas, including the security and defence sectors.
2. Resilience to Security Challenges
Strategic goal 2. Creation of a gender-sensitive system to detect, prevent and respond to security challenges.
3. Post-Conflict Recovery and Transitional Justice
Strategic goal 3. Ensuring the process of post-conflict recovery, development and implementation of the transitional justice system based on the principles of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men.
4. Combating Gender-Based Violence and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Strategic goal 4. Providing protection against Gender-Based violence, sexual violence (in situations of armed conflict and peacetime).
5. Institutional Capacity of the National Plan Actors
Strategic goal 5. Ensuring the developed institutional capacity of the National Plan actors for the effective implementation of the Women, Peace, Security agenda in accordance with the international standards.
Commentary:
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022, almost one third of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes. According to a Report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in June 2022 displacement has disproportionally affected women. due to the growing burden of caring for children and other family members requiring care, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other groups with limited mobility. Women and girls are the most affected by conflict-related sexual violence and rape, including gang rape. In addition, they also experience physical and psychological violence.
Civil Society’s engagement in development of the 2020-2025 NAP:
The primary implementer of the National Plan is the Ministry of Social Policy, supported by other Ministries and executive bodies, and regional and local authorities. No reference is made to representation of civil societies in the design, implementation or monitoring of the NAP,
UN Peacekeeping Statistics:
As of May 2023 no updated data on Ukraine’s contribution to peacekeeping missions was available, but in 2021 the country contributed 307 peacekeepers, 298 men and 9 women.
Women’s role in peacekeeping:
Ukraine’s 2020-2025 National Action Plan aims to create conditions for equal participation of women and men in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, recovery, security challenges, systemic response to Gender-Based violence, and conflict-related violence.
The war with Russia has led to women to taking on a range of new roles and responsibilities, some of which both reflect and challenge traditional gender roles, including an increase in the number of women joining the armed forces and taking an active role in armed combat. However, recent gender analysis research conducted in Ukraine has shown that “while women’s leadership has increased in community-level humanitarian efforts, their participation in local formal decision-making processes has decreased.” Putting women’s experiences, participation and input at the heart of the post-conflict recovery process will be important for the future of Ukraine.
References:
Ukraine-NAP2.pdf (wpsfocalpointsnetwork.org)
05-Missions Detailed By Country (May 2023) Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission and Personnel Type
List of countries by number of UN peacekeepers contributed - Wikipedia (2021)
Women in Ukraine – How have gender roles and attitudes changed? BBC Media Insight briefing: bbc-ukraine-rb3-eng-final.pdf
Rapid-Gender-Analysis-of-Ukraine-en.pdf (unwomen.org) (2022)
