On October 27–28, Kyiv hosted strategic consultations titled “Enhancing the Participation of Women in Achieving Sustainable and Just Peace.” The event focused on expanding women’s roles in shaping security, recovery, and negotiation policies and formed part of Ukraine’s national dialogue on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace, and Security.”
Lesia Ogryzko, Director of the Sahaidachnyi Security Center, joined the panel “Integrating the Gender Component into the National Security and Defence Sector: Strategic Communications and Cybersecurity.” Other speakers included Nataliia Tkachuk (National Security and Defence Council), Yuliia Laputina (Ministry of Veterans Affairs), Oksana Hryhorieva (General Staff of the Armed Forces), and Viktoriia Dvoretska (Frontline Reforms).
“The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and its sister resolutions use the term ‘just peace.’ The challenge, however, is that Ukrainian society lacks a unified understanding of what ‘just peace’ should mean. The very notion of ‘victory’ has largely disappeared from public discourse, and there’s little debate about what acceptable scenarios for Ukraine could look like. Therefore, the 1325 agenda in our context goes beyond gender—it touches on broader issues such as red lines, security alliances and guarantees, justice and accountability for war crimes, and the reintegration of service members, survivors, and those who lived under occupation,” emphasized Lesia Ogryzko.
During the discussion, participants addressed the integration of a gender perspective into the security and defence sector, including issues of strategic communications and cybersecurity.
They noted that more than 130,000 women are currently serving in Ukraine’s Defence Forces, with around 9,000 deployed on the front line. Despite this, women’s career advancement remains limited, and the overall implementation of gender policy requires further improvement.
Among the recommendations voiced during the discussion were: conducting a gender audit of the defence budget, updating military statutes to ensure equal opportunities for career growth, introducing quotas for international training missions, and strengthening women’s roles in cybersecurity and strategic communications.
Following the consultations, participants agreed on a number of recommendations for the government and Ukraine’s delegation in international negotiations — in particular, ensuring no impunity for war crimes, preserving Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and maintaining consistent communication of Ukraine’s vision of a just peace.
The consultations were organized by the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem”, the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, and the Office of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, with support from the UK Government under the project “Women. Peace. Security: Acting Together.”
