Outcome UKR_D_1.1

By 2029 society is more inclusive and cohesive with active civic space and more effective, accountable institutions that enable reform and recovery and safeguard rule of law, human rights, and gender equality (CF OUTCOME 4)

Women’s needs and priorities are better addressed in the new laws, policies and budgets approved by the Government of Ukraine (GoU) that advance GEWE, due to UN Women’s support. The GoU updated the State Strategy on Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men until 2030 and approved its Operational Plan. The State Strategy prioritizes European integration commitments, introducing mandatory GRB and reinforced mechanisms for monitoring and reporting across sectors. UN Women contributed by providing expert advice to the GoU and facilitating consultations with CSOs. UN Women supported the GoU with advocacy and legal advice resulted in engendering two laws within its fiscal framework. The updated Budget Code , Law#2456-VI introduced GRB, embedding gender equality into public financing at national and regional levels. As a result, the State Budget 2026, Law # 4695-IX , allocated at least UAH14.3 million (USD 339,000) or 0.3% of 2026 State Budget for gender-responsive services and programmes. Gender-responsive interventions, such as childcare support, inclusive education, health screening, community-based recovery services, are embedded across sectors. The GoU allocated also UAH1,150 million (USD27,380) in 2025 to train about 900 civil servants on GEWE, with a curricula developed by UN Women. GoU Order #348-r introduced obligatory gender analysis of state budget programmes, embedding, GRB across priority sectors like economy, security, agriculture, culture, social policy and justice. 91% of central authorities conducted gender analysis of their budget programmes, 50% of which introduced GRB to its Explanatory Note; 18% of central authorities included gender components in their programmes. 28% of 429 programmes contained gender-related elements; 7% of them used gender indicators. UN Women provided policy and technical support to the national authorities to introduce GRB, supported development of GRB training curricula, and piloted of GRB trainings for civil servants. UN Women supported gender analysis of 9 budget programmes, with 6 of them updated accordingly. With expert support from UN Women, at least 22 regional level development programmes included gender-responsive activities. At the community level , women’s self-help groups (SHG), supported by UN Women in partnership with Ukrainian Women’s Fund, contributed to recovery planning and social cohesion. In 15 communities, SHGs’ inputs shaped local recovery plans and 5 communities approved gender-responsive measures. At the institutional level , with UN Women’s support, gender and non-discriminatory considerations were incorporated into the Office of the Prosecutor General’s Development Strategy, creating working environments that are more welcoming to women and where institutions better protect women’s equal opportunities. The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine started implementation of recommendations from its gender audit, conducted with UN Women’s support in 2025, and appointed designated officials for its institutional GEWE mechanism in its 9 regional offices. At the international level, Ukraine’s leadership in gender-responsive recovery has been reinforced through the Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery , supported by UN Women, which mobilized EURO 60 milllion, expanded global partnerships up to 100 members from governments, international organizations and financial institutions, private companies and CSOs, and embedded gender equality in key recovery frameworks. UN Women continued supporting Ukraine’s implementation of Istanbul Convention as part of aligning Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis. In 2025, two crucial laws entered into force. Law #3733-IX introduced administrative liability for sexual harassment and GBV, and Law #4073-IX strengthened protection measures and expanded support services for survivors. UN Women provided comprehensive legal and technical assistance to the GoU on the laws’ development and facilitating multi-stakeholders’ consultations.