On 15 January, the first meeting of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict was held, chaired by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, and dedicated to the presentation of the priorities of Ukraine’s 2025 presidency of the Alliance.

The Alliance is a group of states, international partners and civil society organisations that coordinates action on conflict-related sexual violence.

The event was attended by First Lady Olena Zelenska; Government Commissioner for Gender Policy Kateryna Levchenko; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariana Betsa. The event was also attended by current members of the Alliance, including representatives of the embassies of member countries (UK, Japan, Australia, France, Colombia, Spain, Switzerland, and others) and international organisations (UN Women, Global Survivors Fund, Mukwege Foundation).

The participants discussed measures to strengthen support for victims and to achieve justice.

Olena Zelenska emphasised that Ukraine’s leadership was important for shaping global responsibility to prevent sexual violence in armed conflict. 648 Ukrainian men and women have applied for reparations under the pilot project to provide interim reparations to victims of sexual violence by the russian occupiers. 432 people have already received them.

“It’s not about money – it’s about comprehensive support for victims, about compassion, about destigmatisation and the opportunity to start a new life. I believe that with such an attitude, more people will stop being afraid and will dare to seek help, and later testify,” she said.

For her part, Olha Stefanishyna stressed the need to exchange experience between the participating countries.

“Ukraine has assumed the presidency of the Alliance and today we are presenting the priorities of this crucial process. We have already launched a network of Survivor Assistance Centres, approved relevant government decisions, and envisaged legislative changes. This is about our country’s proactivity in responding to wartime sexual violence, and we are ready to share our experience with other countries. We want to prove ourselves as a country that is ready to help not only its citizens, but also to take care of all victims. Ukraine’s presidency will contribute to this goal,” she said.

According to Olha Stefanishyna, despite the fact that bringing Russia to justice may take a long time, it is important to ensure all conditions for this now, including collecting information about those who are ready to testify and providing comprehensive assistance to the victims. She also emphasised that a large number of countries and international organisations had already joined the Alliance and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in supporting the victims. However, it is important to expand the number of participants in this initiative.

Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, presented the key priorities and roadmap of Ukraine’s presidency. These include:

• Analysing the founding documents, including the Alliance Charter and procedural documents, and ensuring their further improvement.
• Strengthening commitments to establish comprehensive reparations programmes for victims.
• Conducting a comprehensive study of best practices among Alliance member-states to serve as a guide to effective measures to prevent, respond to and support victims.

For their part, Arlene Beth Tickner, Ambassador for Gender Affairs and Global Feminist Policy of Colombia (as the Alliance’s Co-Chair for 2025), and Martin Harris, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ukraine (as representative of the founding member state of the Alliance) congratulated Ukraine on its presidency and stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and sharing experiences.

The event was organised at the EuropeanHUB by UAExperts at the initiative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration together with the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy and with the support of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine – UNFPA Ukraine.

Background

In November 2022, the United Kingdom announced the launch of the Alliance and a number states signed a political declaration to improve coordination, share best practice and ensure justice for survivors of sexual violence in conflict. In March 2023, the Alliance officially launched with Ukraine as co-chair.

This year marks the first time Ukraine has chaired the Alliance, reaffirming its commitment to human rights and justice despite the ongoing full-scale war. Colombia is the co-chair for 2025.

As of January 2025, the Alliance has 26 nations and other members.