Last week in Kyiv, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union in cooperation with UN Women in Ukraine held a thematic session. The theme was gender equality in the process of accession to the EU and the role of the Verkhovna Rada in these processes. Yulia Kondur, President of the Roma Women’s Fund “Chirikli”, also joined the event.
During the meeting, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union, and Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada. Moreover, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova, Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Oberg, and UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown spoke about the importance of gender equality in government institutions.
The participants of the event noted that gender equality is one of the most important values in the European Union. Therefore, it should be present in all Ukrainian rules, laws, and actions.
During the panel discussions, representatives of parliamentary committees emphasized Ukraine’s commitments to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, the importance of applying EU gender equality standards to decision-making, initiating new laws, reviewing and monitoring existing legislation.
Yulia Kondur notes that it was on February 24 that Roma women became a driving force, both in their families and in the state. Many of them became volunteers and helped others to evacuate from dangerous regions, distributed food and tea in queues at the border, arranged for temporary housing, etc.
At the same time, today, Roma women themselves are forced to take full responsibility for the lives of their children and elderly relatives. Many Roma men joined the Armed Forces, remained in the occupied territory or in the war zone. Photo: UN Women/Stas Kartashov
UN Women Ukraine / ООН Жінки в Україні
