Women’s perspective must be part of peace-building efforts in Ukraine, say panellists at OSCE/ODIHR meeting in Kyiv

The role of women politicians in peace-building efforts was the focus of a panel meeting in Kyiv on 16 December 2015, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the Equal Opportunities Inter-Faction Union of the Ukrainian Parliament.

Bringing together about 50 gender-equality advocates from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Ukraine, the meeting allowed panellists to share their experiences as part of the discussion on the participation of women politicians in peace-building efforts across the OSCE region. They also discussed women’s contribution to any decision-making process as a precondition to comprehensive security.

"The OSCE recognizes that the knowledge, skills and experience of both men and women are essential to peace, sustainable democracy, economic development and, therefore, to security," said Kateryna Ryabiko, Project Co-ordinator at ODIHR. "It is important to have specific policies, encouraging the full and equal participation of women politicians and civil society representatives in conflict resolution, as well as the exchange of experiences and good practices among participating States."

Sonja Lokar, Executive Director of Central and Eastern European Network for Gender Issues, said: "Peace negotiations have been traditionally dominated by men. Such an approach excludes the opinions of half of the population, which can be crippling for democracy and lead to protracted political and social instability in post-conflict societies."

Maria Ionova, Co-Chair of the Equal Opportunities Inter-Faction Union of the Ukrainian Parliament, said: "Women are heavily affected by the conflict in Ukraine, either by acts of violence against them or as the ones who are rebuilding destroyed communities. Thanks to the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, it has become clear that conflicts have different impacts on women and, therefore, their views on conflict prevention and peace-building can be different. This must be taken into account."

The event was organized under ODIHR’s “Strengthening Dialogue among Civil Society and with Key Governmental Stakeholders in Ukraine” project, launched in April 2015, with the goal to enhance effective mechanisms for dialogue to address key human rights issues in Ukraine, in line with OSCE commitments and international standards.