High level of involvement of women in peace-making and political process is a guarantee of reaching security and stability in Ukraine, said IPU members Iryna Lutsenko and Mariia Ionova during the meeting. According to them, at this stage, women are getting more actively involved in political activity, and present a new vision for efficient solutions to social and economic problems, as well as safety issues that became the top priority for Ukraine.
I.Lutsenko stressed the necessity of supplementing Minsk agreements in the context of fulfilling the UN Security Council Resolution No. 1325.
Miroslava Beham accepted the necessity of including gender issues in Minsk agreements and stressed the importance of cooperation between the people’s deputies of Ukraine and members of International Financial Institutions and OSCE in the direction of involving a greater number of women in peace talks.
Prospects for the development of the National Action Plan for Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution No. 1325 on women, peace and security were discussed during the meeting.
Miroslava Beham stressed the need for coordinated efforts of deputies, representatives of Government and civil society in order to fulfill duties enshrined in the Resolution and approved by Ukraine in 2000. She believes that in the condition of conflict in Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts, development of the National plan would be a significant tool for involving women in the issues of national safety, conflict settlement and post-conflict recovery.
IPU member M.Ionova noted that implementation of the UN Security Council
Resolution No. 1325 will allow consider women’s standing during peace talks and
also contribute to increasing protection of women, suffering from conflict. Ertugrul Apakan expressed readiness to provide support in evaluating the situation on the temporary occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts, and promote cooperation between OSCE, UNICEF and the UN Refugee Agency concerning evacuation of separate groups of women, children and senior citizens; providing additional humanitarian aid; and supporting internally displaced persons.
Iryna Lutsenko and Mariia Ionova put forward the initiative of establishing a non-political dialogue between the female deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and womankind of ATO territory with a view to secure rights of women, children and senior citizens, and send humanitarian aid to the temporary occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts.
Representatives of the OSCE delegation expressed readiness to support the suggested initiative and become mediators in establishing a peace dialogue to provide humanitarian assistance to women, children and senior citizens and send humanitarian aid to the temporary occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts.
Participants of the meeting discussed also the importance of ratifying Istanbul Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, signed by Ukraine on November 7, 2011.