On June 11-12, 2024, in Berlin, Liza Kuzmenko, the head of the NGO “Women in Media,” attended the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024), which brought together leaders from the governments, financial institutions, international organizations, businesses, and civil society.
The key goal of the URC2024 was to mobilize continued international support for recovery, reconstruction, reform, and modernization of Ukraine. This includes providing emergency assistance for immediate needs, implementing rapid recovery projects and creating attractive conditions for businesses to unlock the private sector investments in Ukraine, and civil society to actively engage in the reconstruction process.
During the conference, the Alliance for Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery in Ukraine was launched. The Alliance was announced by the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze and the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna.
The Alliance aims to ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction efforts. So far it brings together fifteen governments, major IFIs, UN agencies, the EU, numerous partners from civil society and the private sector.
“Women in Media” also received an invitation to join the Alliance and have already applied for participation. “We are grateful to the Ukrainian Women’s Fund for providing a travel grant, which allowed us to attend the conference,” said Liza Kuzmenko, head of the NGO “Women in Media.”
The significant commitments that Alliance signatories agree to include:
- Integrating Gender Perspectives into Funding and Resources: Increasing the share of funding for projects that advance gender equality and protect women and girls, applying the OECD DAC’s gender policy marker, and ensuring transparent monitoring and reporting of fund allocations.
- Ensuring Women’s Participation and Representation: Supporting the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and women’s rights organizations in decision-making processes at all levels, including in the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform (MDCP) for Ukraine and future Ukraine Recovery Conferences.
- Prioritizing Women’s Rights and Needs: Delivering financial and technical assistance that addresses the specific needs of women and girls, utilizing tools for gender-responsive planning and budgeting, and financing projects identified in the Ukraine Plan and the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA).
The Alliance will work closely with the Platform for Gender Mainstreaming and Inclusive Recovery and the CSO Consultative Panel to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive approach in the run up to the next URC to be held in Rome.
Recently, “Women in Media” conducted a study on how the media covers the topic of Ukraine’s recovery. We surveyed 117 journalists from 94 Ukrainian newsrooms. As gender-sensitive recovery aims to address the needs of various groups of women and men, including ensuring their equal participation in rebuilding war torn regions and communities, it’s crucial to assist Ukrainian media in presenting materials about reconstruction with appropriate perspective.