On October 28, 2025, the Office of Regional Development and Reconstruction of Donetsk Oblast held a regular meeting of the regional coordination council on family policy, gender equality, prevention and counteraction to domestic violence and human trafficking.
The event was held in an expanded format - representatives of district military administrations, territorial communities, structural units of the regional state administration, international and public organizations, as well as participants and partners of the 1325 Donetsk Coalition joined the work of the council.
During the meeting, the updated composition of the coordination council was presented, which was joined by 13 representatives of the public sector and international organizations - almost half of the total composition, which emphasizes the openness of the council to partnership and joint actions.
The meeting began with a welcome video address by Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, National Coordinator for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace, Security”.
Three key agenda items were discussed:
1. Implementation of the Regional Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace, Security” in the Donetsk region.
The main report was delivered by Liliya Zolkina, Head of the Department of Family, Youth and Mass Events of National and Patriotic Education of the Donetsk Regional State Administration. During her speech, she informed about the main results of the implementation of the Action Plan, activities implemented jointly with the Coalition 1325 Donetsk Region, and also outlined further steps in preparing an updated document after its expiration in 2025.
The president of the NGO "SMARTA" Liliya Kislitsyna, representative of the Patrol Police Battalion Polina Kulish, head of the NGO "Studio of Public Women's Initiatives" Tetyana Krasko, head of the NGO "Motivational Circle" Olena Zikeeva, executive director of the CF "Slavic Heart" Kateryna Khaneva, head of the BO "Side by Side" Tetyana Koshel and director of the NGO "MARTIN-club" Anastasia Plyushchova also presented their work on this issue.
2. Functioning of specialized support services for victims of domestic violence and/or gender-based violence.
Veronika Matskiv, head of the Youth Policy and Family Affairs Department of the Humanitarian Affairs Department of the Kramatorsk City Council, presented her experience in organizing the work of such services at the local level. She spoke about the existing mechanisms for supporting victims, interagency cooperation, and the importance of a local approach to responding to cases of violence.
3. Opportunities for cooperation with international and civil society organizations.
Representatives of UN structures and civil society organizations — in particular, UN Women in Ukraine, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the NGO "Avalist" — presented their achievements, proposals for strengthening coordination and further joint work in the field of gender equality and combating violence. Participants also had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the exhibition-presentation of the activities of the Coalition 1325 Donetsk Region, prepared by the NGO "SMARTA".
The meeting provided an opportunity to agree on further steps between representatives of the authorities, the civil sector, and international partners to strengthen cooperation in the field of gender equality and security in the Donetsk region.