Verkhovna Rada Opens Space for Parents and Children, Registers Bill to Support Parenthood

A Space for Children and Parents, established by the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in cooperation with UNICEF, was opened in the Parliament with the participation of Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Secretary General of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Viacheslav Shtuchnyi.

“During this challenging period for our country, the issues of restoring the Ukrainian nation, preserving the Ukrainian gene pool, and addressing Ukrainian demographics are of paramount importance to each of us. Furthermore, guided by the best interests of the child, we are doing everything possible to ensure that both male and female People's Deputies have the opportunity today to balance their core profession with their natural calling—ensuring the continuity of the Ukrainian nation,” emphasized Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk.

The specially designed Space is available for use by People's Deputies with children from birth up to two years of age. It features dedicated areas for play, sleep, feeding, and changing, allowing parliamentarians to seamlessly balance their professional activities with childcare.

"The primary objective is to enable lawmakers to combine the fulfillment of their parliamentary duties with parenthood," emphasized Secretary General of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Viacheslav Shtuchnyi.

On the eve of the Space's opening, a draft law on ensuring guarantees of labor rights for People's Deputies of Ukraine (No. 15371) was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The draft law proposes creating the necessary conditions to enable parliamentarians to balance the execution of their legislative duties with parental responsibilities.

In particular, the bill allows People's Deputies to be accompanied by their children under the age of two at open meetings of the Verkhovna Rada committees and Temporary Investigating Commissions, as well as to utilize the specially designed Space for Children and Parents. Certain provisions of the document also establish a mechanism for ensuring the participation of People's Deputies with children under two years of age in open plenary sessions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine once martial law is lifted.

The authors of the bill note that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is not only the state's legislative body but also a workplace for People's Deputies who, like other citizens, balance their professional activities with fatherhood or motherhood. At the same time, current legislation lacks provisions that would create adequate conditions for combining the execution of parliamentary mandates with parental responsibilities.

This practice aligns with international experience and European approaches to inclusivity. In particular, PACE Resolution 2615 (2025) calls on member states to create favorable conditions for parliamentary staff and deputies with young children, while the UNICEF and WHO ‘First 1000 Days’ concept identifies children under the age of two as a priority group requiring the establishment of proper conditions.

Alongside the opening of the Space for Children and Parents, an art exhibition titled ‘Barrier-Freeness Is When You Can See the Person Behind the Words’ was presented. The exhibition is part of the all-Ukrainian social change campaign ‘Barrier-Freeness Is When You Can.’

“Ukraine continues to face the challenges of a full-scale war, and today’s event is a powerful reminder that creating a barrier-free society requires a policy of solutions. The Space for Children and Parents is an example of how state institutions can respond to the real needs of families,” emphasized Shamiza Abdullah, Acting UNICEF Representative to Ukraine.

“Today we know that barrier-freeness is when you can work in the Verkhovna Rada together with your child, and when you can see the person behind the words,” noted Tetiana Lomakina, Advisor-Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Barrier-Freeness.

“I am grateful to the leadership of the parliament for making the Ukrainian parliament barrier-free. I sincerely hope it will serve as a model to be emulated across Ukraine. Please, continue talking to your employers so that your workplaces are provided with adequate conditions, ensuring that you do not have to choose between having children, supporting the country's demographics, and economic activity,” concluded Maryna Bardina, Chair of the Subcommittee on Ukraine's Compliance with International Obligations in the Field of Human Rights Protection and Gender Policy of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation.

The project was implemented in partnership with UNICEF, the Advisor-Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Barrier-Freeness, the NGO “Barrier-Freeness,” the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, and Ukrainian artists, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) through the KfW development bank, and with the support of the UK Government.