Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-UKR_D_1.1
Women, particularly those facing multiple forms of discrimination, increasingly participate in and benefit from gender-responsive reforms and justice
This outcome was not achieved during the reporting year. Women facing multiple forms of discrimination are not equally benefiting from reforms and justice; however, some progress was made towards the adoption of specific measures to address the needs of the most vulnerable groups of women. At the national level, 168 representatives (162 women, 6 men) of 74 women’s CSOs and gender advocates, representing various groups of women facing multiple forms of discrimination, contributed to the development of the comprehensive State Strategy on Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men by 2030 and State Social Programme on its implementation in 2022 - 2024 (link attached) through their participation in a series of public consultations facilitated by UN Women in cooperation with the Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy. The civil society recommendations to the strategy were submitted to the Ministry of Social Policy, as the key institution responsible for developing the strategy, and around 70 per cent of the recommendations were considered by the Ministry. The Ministry of Communities and Territories Development approved its Gender Equality Strategy 2021-2023 and its Action Plan, which was informed by a GE and HR Capacity Assessment supported by UN Women. As bound by the strategy, the Ministry established the GE Cluster under the Sectoral Working Group “Decentralization and Regional Development” (the list of members is attached), which includes women’s CSOs as a mandatory requirement. At the regional level, Sumy and Kherson regions integrated gender dimensions into their Regional Strategies till 2027. Both strategies now have measures on the elimination of VAW, while the Kherson strategy also incorporates measures on women’s entrepreneurship support and access to health services by women with disabilities. Regional and local CSOs contributed to this by providing their gender-responsive provisions through dialogues with regional authorities facilitated by UN Women. In addition, women with disabilities and women living with HIV from targeted regions strengthened their participation in regional and local decision-making by gaining membership into the Regional Coordination Councils on combating HIV, TB and viral hepatitis and into the Regional Accessibility Committees. At the local level, grass-roots women and men from 7 target regions now benefit from 39 budget programmes, 10 socioeconomic development strategies and 4 local that include measures to address their differentiated socioeconomic needs. As a result of the successful advocacy of women living with disabilities at the community level, 13 local plans now include measures to improve the accessibility of municipal libraries and medical facilities in the communities (attached). UN Women contributed to this result by providing evidence-based policy advice and capacity development support to the Government through the continuous mobilization and empowerment of diverse women’s groups and CSOs to facilitate their participation in local decision-making. The ToC for this outcome remains applicable. UN Women will continue to support the national partners with the implementation of normative commitments on gender equality and women empowerment and will further invest in the meaningful engagement of women from vulnerable groups in policy development in Ukraine.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-UKR_D_3.1
Transformative changes in social norms, attitudes and behaviors are achieved at community and individual levels to prevent GBV
The outcome was not fully achieved. However, important progress has been recorded at community and individual levels towards changing attitudes and behaviours and taking concrete measures to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) at the local level. 22 local bodies for dialogue on and monitoring of GE policies, Local Gender Coordination Councils with extended mandates on eliminating violence against women and girls (VAWG), were established in 22 conflict-affected communities. These councils include local women and gender advocates from the communities. In addition, 21 deputy heads of communities were appointed as Commissioners on Gender Equality and Prevention and Combating of Gender-based Violence (list attached) with the responsibility of promoting equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men at the community level. As a result, with the expert and advocacy support provided by UN Women and the joint efforts of local authorities and mobilized and empowered women’s groups, 10 socioeconomic development strategies and 4 local programmes inclusive of measures on preventing and combating VAWG, as well as 6 target programmes on preventing and combatting sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls, have been adopted. In addition, for the first time in Ukraine, the Safe Cities measures were integrated into the regional strategies and plans of Luhansk and Donetsk (attached), as well as in 19 local WPS policies (attached) with the expert assistance provided by the CO. More women survivors of violence have access to justice in the conflict-affected Donetsk and Luhansk regions. According to the National Police of Ukraine as compared to last year, in 2021, the reporting of domestic violence cases increased by 60 per cent in eastern Ukraine. The CO contributed to changing the self-perception of survivors as passive recipients of social protection by raising the legal awareness of 6,580 local women on the rights of GBV victims/survivors, legal procedures, existing protection mechanisms and available services via tailored trainings, the creation of 28 safe virtual spaces (FB groups) for information-sharing and networking purposes and the dissemination of information brochures. In addition, 22 advocacy initiatives were organized jointly by representatives of the police, local authorities and communities (list attached) in partnership with local public transportation companies, health clinics and beauty salons to raise awareness on domestic violence victims’ rights, legal procedures and available specialized services. Furthermore, the CO contributed to improving domestic violence victims’ access to justice by enhancing the capacities of 336 (97 women, 239 men) police officers, prosecutors, judges, lawyers and legal aid providers from Donetsk and Luhansk regions (list attached) to understand and implement effectively the GBV legislation, apply a survivor-centred approach and better coordinate their response to domestic violence. To challenge the existing perceptions and beliefs around women’s and men’s roles in the family and in society, the CO engaged 1,694 (1,600 women, 94 men) teachers from 38 conflict-affected communities in the east in interactive dialogues on the impact of the existing social construct on masculinity and femininity, especially the prevailing biased social norms and gender stereotypes as root causes of gender-based discrimination and violence. Empowered by these dialogues, the teachers further initiated peer-to-peer dialogues in schools to challenge existing patriarchal social norms and power relations. In order to reach young audiences, the No More Gringe communication campaign was launched in partnership with the CSO “Pislyazavtra” under the joint UN Women/UNFPA project “EU 4Gender Equality”. The campaign reached more than 5.5 million people on TikTok and generated a wide discussion among the youth about the adverse social norms and gender stereotypes which lead, among others, to GBV. Based on the progress made, the theory of change is still applicable. UN Women will continue its efforts aimed at achieving transformative changes to social norms to prevent VAWG using a triple track approach: support gender-responsive policymaking, promote the social and political empowerment of women, and create an enabling environment to challenge gender norms and stereotypes.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-UKR_D_4.1
More commitments on Women, Peace and Security are implemented by national and local institutions and more gender equality advocates influence recovery, justice and security processes
The outcome was not achieved in 2021, yet important progress has been seen at all levels in the context of the implementation of the second NAP 1325 in Ukraine. Important steps to protect women who have experienced CRSV included the following. The Parliament of Ukraine adopted a draft law updating Ukraine’s Criminal Code with a full catalogue of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including sexual violence. UN Women, together with OHCHR, supported the Government with expert policy advice in developing legislation on transitional justice, where CRSV is to be regulated. If signed by the President of Ukraine, the amended law will lead to the establishment of a legal framework on the prevention and protection of women relating to CRSV. Additionally, UN Women provided expert support to the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights in developing a Matrix of Early Warning Indicators on CRSV (the draft is attached). More than 100 representatives of government institutions, development partners and CSOs, including the Network of Survivors of CRSV, were engaged by UN Women in this process. If the matrix is endorsed and institutionalized, the Government will be able to better prevent and respond to risks facing conflict-affected women. A new strategy to safeguard the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) incorporates important gender-responsive provisions. UN Women supported the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories with technical expertise to develop the strategy and incorporate key gender concerns. Together with the CSO “Myr na Doloni”, UN Women also arranged dialogue events where IDP women advocated for their priorities, based on a needs assessment with IDP women from 9 regions. Approximately 1/3 of the recommendations and propositions were incorporated in the final version of the strategy. If the strategy is put into practice, it will lead to important changes in the lives of IDP women, with improved access to housing, employment and small business opportunities. The security and defence sector implementing commitments on WPS Institutions including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Police, National Guard, State Border Guard, State Emergency Service, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Veterans Affairs developed and began implementing their sectoral action plans linked to the second NAP 1325. Key steps already taken to implement the plans include: incorporating GM Guidelines (attached) into the curricula of 28 higher education institutions (HEI) of the security and defence sector; starting to provide gender-responsive services, including gynaecological care, to women veterans; and launching awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of gender equality. UN Women has been providing long-term capacity development assistance to these institutions and supported the development of the sectoral plans through expert consultants. UN Women has also facilitated gender self-assessments in various ministries and central executive bodies, which have largely influenced the development of sectoral plans. Additionally, UN Women supported the Government with a comprehensive study on masculinity (attached), which has launched important discussions among more than 1,000 students of HEI on the need for institutional and social norms change in the sector. Needs and priorities of conflict-affected women incorporated into local initiatives 3 conflict-affected regions and 27 communities adopted and began implementing localized action plans in line with the second NAP 1325 (3 Regional Action Plans and 27 Local Action Plans on UNSCR 1325). The action plans include measures that strengthen conflict prevention, improve protection and enhance participation of conflict-affected women in the local recovery and peacebuilding. UN Women provided expert support in developing the regional and local WPS policies, as well as facilitated dialogue between duty bearers and conflict-affected women. If these plans are implemented, the meaningful participation of women in local decision-making processes, alongside enhanced security and social cohesion, will increase the chances of localizing sustainable peace in Ukraine. UN Women facilitated the establishment of the “Networks of Young Women Peacebuilders” and “Coalitions Working on Advancing the WPS Agenda” in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and engaged them in dialogue with public authorities aimed at developing and implementing local WPS commitments. UN Women also supported the “Women’s Veterans Movement” to advocate for gender-responsive rehabilitation. 155 community groups (1,170 women) were active in 2021 across 3 conflict-affected regions. UN Women, together with partners Ukrainian Women’s Fund, Ukrainian Foundation for Public Health, and Unity for the Future, supported women’s mobilization by organizing trainings and advocacy opportunities. Based on the progress made and the current country context, the Theory of Change is still applicable.Showing 1 - 3 of 3
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References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).