Twenty-five years ago, the world recognized that war affects women and men differently, and that women's equal participation in security processes makes decisions more effective. After all, peace begins where there are women who are able to combine strength with care, and determination with the desire to protect. This is what UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, adopted on October 31, 2000, is all about.
The resolution is based on the principles of equal access of women and men to decision-making, protection of civilians and victims of war, and inclusive and gender-sensitive reconstruction that takes into account the needs of everyone.
To ensure that these principles do not remain mere words on paper, Ukraine adopted its first National Action Plan until 2020 in 2016 and is now finalizing the second in 2025.
Ukraine was the first country in Europe and one of the few in the world to dare to develop and implement 1325 National Action Plans in the midst of a full-scale invasion.
Thanks to the National Action Plans, real changes have taken place in Ukraine.
- We have finally lifted the ban on women holding combat positions in the security and defense sector, and today more than 70,000 Ukrainian women serve in the Armed Forces, work in the police, the State Emergency Service, and even hold command positions.
- Women have been given more opportunities to be among decision-makers. Gender quotas have become a real tool for change: while in the first convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, only 2.5% of women were in the parliament, today they make up a fifth of the parliament.
- Ukraine has created an institute of gender advisors and initiated the position of government commissioner for gender policy, which is currently held by Kateryna Levchenko.
- We have ratified the Istanbul Convention, a key international document to protect women from domestic violence.
- Ukraine, which has faced the problem of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) due to the war, has created protection for victims at the level of the law and assistance to people on the ground.
- And in all regions of the country, activists have united in the 1325 Coalition to work to make national goals a reality at the local level.
Donetsk region has its own way of implementing Resolution 1325. In 2021, the first regional action plan was adopted here. And today, amid the war, it is being implemented step by step. Behind this is the power of women and men from 54 organizations, the regional state administration, communities in the region, as well as the State Emergency Service, police, and border guard service, who have united in the 1325 Donetsk Region Coalition. The war has forced many of them to move to other cities and communities, work remotely and in the war zone, but it has not broken their common bond and desire to act.
We will share the Coalition's experience and the changes that are taking place in the lives of women in Donetsk region as part of the all-Ukrainian information campaign "1325 strengthens the country", implemented by the Ukrainian Women's Fund to emphasize the role of women in the recovery, security and development of communities in the context of implementing the agenda of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 "Women. Peace. Security".
Until October 31 - the anniversary of the adoption of this document - we will share stories of resilience and peacebuilding initiatives of the Coalition member organizations. Because we believe: 1325 strengthens the country. And it strengthens the communities of Donetsk region.