United for Justice: Ukraine summarises its presidency of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
On 26 November 2025, an international conference entitled “United for Justice: Strengthening Partnerships to Support Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV)” was held in Kyiv to mark the conclusion of Ukraine’s presidency of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI).
Participants included: Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine; Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine; Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Chris Elmore, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom; Chantal Yelu Mulop, Special Adviser to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Youth, Gender and Violence against Woman; Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy. The conference was also attended by representatives of Alliance member states, international organisations, human-rights institutions, and CRSV survivors from Ukraine and other countries.
The conference served as a platform to rally partners around the shared goal of strengthening support for CRSV survivors and ensuring justice. The event reaffirmed Ukraine’s unwavering commitment to protecting survivors and its readiness, together with the international community, to provide them with comprehensive assistance.
Participants focused on: strengthening the international response to CRSSV; developing effective reparations mechanisms; supporting survivors and their reintegration; and exchanging tools and best practices among states and organisations.
“Sexual violence in wartime is one of the most complex and traumatic challenges, requiring the utmost sensitivity and careful approach. Ukraine’s pilot project on urgent interim reparations has shown how such mechanisms work in practice – and where they need further strengthening. Handing over the Alliance presidency for 2026 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo demonstrates that there is no bureaucracy in combating CRSV: it is a shared responsibility of countries facing the consequences of war. We expect the next chair to continue our course and build on what has been achieved,” said Taras Kachka.
During Ukraine’s presidency the Alliance grew by five members (bringing the total to 33 – 20 states and 13 non-state organisations). New members included Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the NGO “UA Experts”, and others. International cooperation was strengthened in the areas of reparations, global advocacy, and survivor reintegration.
“With the support of international partners, we have been able to scale up existing services, mobile teams, and assistance centres, and to train psychologists and law enforcement officers in trauma-sensitive communication. And the foremost demand of survivors is not only respect and safety, but the punishment of perpetrators and justice. That is why Ukraine has adopted a law on the legal and social protection of survivors of sexual violence related to the armed aggression of the russian federation, as well as on urgent interim reparations. I very much hope that it will begin working in full soon,” noted First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Key outcomes of the Pilot Project on Urgent Interim Reparations, implemented by the Government of Ukraine in partnership with the Global Survivors Fund: more than 1,200 applications received; 941 reparations approved. The project served as the basis for Law No. 4067 on the status of persons affected by conflict-related sexual violence linked to russian federation aggression. Further implementation of the law was also discussed at the event.
Particular attention was paid to the results of the three-year implementation of the Framework of Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations on the Prevention and Response to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. Over this period a network of specialised support services has been established, digital tools launched (including the Assistance Platform for Survivors), and the importance of the updated 2026–2027 Implementation Plan for the Framework of Cooperation – approved on 19 November by the governmental Commission on Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men – was highlighted.
At the conference a compendium of best practices was presented, summarising Alliance members’ experience in implementing survivor-centred approaches. It is intended, among other things, to help countries improve their own response and support models. The compendium can be downloaded here: https://surl.li/sfmiag.
Throughout the year of its presidency Ukraine worked to improve the Alliance’s strategic documents, strengthen commitments on reparations programmes, and mobilise international attention to the issue of CRSV. In 2026 Ukraine will continue its work within the Alliance as co-chair.
The conference was organised on the initiative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine together with the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), with support from the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict programme and the NGO “UA Experts”.
Media partner of the event: Suspilne.
Background
Conflict-related sexual violence remains one of the gravest war crimes, used as a tool of intimidation and terror. According to the UN Secretary-General’s 16th annual report on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2025/389), approximately 4,600 such crimes were recorded in 2024. Experts estimate the actual number of victims is significantly higher.
The Global Alliance was established on the initiative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2022. It functions as a coordination platform for exchanging experience, providing training, and implementing survivor-centred actions. Ukraine joined the Alliance in 2023 and chaired it in 2025.