To discuss the problem of full-fledged participation of women in all efforts directed at peacebuilding, joined gender experts Sonja Lokar (Slovenia) and Ismeta Dervoz (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and more than 30 representatives of NGOs and international organizations, and Ukrainian human rights activists.
During the discussion, they raised the question of the importance of women's leadership in conflict resolution, peace negotiations, and post-conflict recovery. During the event they paid attention to the importance of women's participation in peacebuilding processes, over the need to take into account the specific problems and needs of women caused by the situation in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
"The conflict in eastern Ukraine affects women first of all. They make the biggest share of internal migrants, killed among the civilian population and victims of violence. The conflict has a different impact on men and women, so their needs and problems should be comprehensively assessed and taken into account in the process of conflict resolution," said Verkhovna Rada deputy Maria Ionova.
Particular attention during the discussion was paid to the role of women in peace negotiations and the formation of gender-sensitive peace agreements. Sonja Lokar, Executive Director, Central and Eastern European Network for Gender Issues, said: "Traditionally in peace talks the dominant role belongs to men. However, this approach disregards the position of women and poses a threat to building the democracy and leads to a long-lasting political and social instability in post-conflict societies."
"The involvement of women in peacebuilding enhances broadening of the range of issues to be taken into account in the peaceful conflict settlement and increases the ability of communities to influence the joint resolution of the underlying problems that caused the conflict. Therefore, the lower is the risk of its restart or repetition. Therefore, strengthening of the potential of women to influence decision-making in the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions is currently very topical task for Ukraine," said people's deputy of Ukraine Iryna Heraschenko.
"International experience shows that the appropriate level of representation of women promotes peace in post-conflict countries and is a key to more complex post-conflict recovery. It is important for Ukraine to form practical mechanisms for bigger involvement of women in peacebuilding and strengthening of their influence on decision-making in this sphere," Ukrainian MP Lilia Hrynevych stressed during the discussion.
The event was organized in the framework of the OSCE / ODIHR project "Strengthening Dialogue among Civil Society and with Key Governmental Stakeholders in Ukraine," launched in April 2015 to strengthen effective mechanisms of dialogue to address pressing issues in the field of human rights in Ukraine in line with OSCE commitments and international standards.
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