Equality of Women and Men in Community Life: Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity brings together local government representatives to share experience

An event titled "Implementing the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life: Experience, Challenges, and Solutions" took place in Vinnytsia.

Participants included First Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Liudmyla Shemelynets, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine Tamara Mawhinney, UN Women Representative in Ukraine Sabine Freizer, and others.

Local government representatives shared their experience of implementing the European Charter for Equality, discussed the difficulties communities face, and presented practical solutions that help ensure equal opportunities for women and men at the local level.

"When we talk about equality of women and men, it is not only about rights. It is also about access to services, the ability to work, raise children, and care for persons with disabilities and older persons, and to combine all of this with everyday life," said Liudmyla Shemelynets.

She also drew attention to the changes taking place in the labour market during the full-scale war. In particular, the division of professions into traditionally "female" and "male" ones is increasingly fading. At the same time, it is important to study the reasons for these changes and take them into account when shaping national and local policy.

Liudmyla Shemelynets stressed that the results of state initiatives largely depend on the participation of communities.

To date, 89 territorial communities and two regional councils have joined the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. The document helps local self-government bodies take into account the needs of women and men when planning budgets, developing infrastructure, organising services, and making local decisions.

To summarise the experience of implementing the Charter, the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity collected information from 42 territorial communities and analysed it with expert support from UN Women. Based on the materials received, the Ministry is preparing Methodological Recommendations to help communities set priorities, plan measures, and assess the results of their work.

During the meeting, participants presented successful local practices, discussed challenges, and developed proposals that will be taken into account in preparing the recommendations.

The event was organised on the initiative of the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration, with expert support from UN Women, as part of a project funded by the Government of Canada.

As a reminder, the day before, Liudmyla Shemelynets took part in the Ukrainian Women's Congress, where she spoke about how the state supports women who combine professional activity with childcare.