Supporting Emerging Women Leaders

This project aims to improve the lives of Ukrainian women and girls through more inclusive and representative policymaking. It seeks to address individual barriers by training women candidates for elected office organizing leadership training and mentorship opportunities and encouraging women to advocate for change within their parties. The project aims to tackle socio-cultural barriers by launching a public relations effort targeting Ukrainian citizens. This campaign would support developing a consolidated platform to educate the public and encourage greater gender equality. It would also address the public and opinion makers through multiparty and cross-sectorial advocacy. The project works directly with political party leaders to help them better understand the concerns and priorities of women and other marginalized groups and to incorporate those concerns into the policymaking process. It does so while encouraging them to institutionalize gender equality mechanisms within individual parties. In response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 they adapted certain project activities address new immediate needs and protect previous development gains. Canada’s development partners in Ukraine pivoted project activities to respond to the evolving context in several ways such as providing emergency supplies equipment and services mental health support transportation and accommodation. The beneficiaries scope expected results and geographic location of project activities may have changed from the original description.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased women’s political agency particularly their ability to run for office and influence policies as party members candidates and elected officials; (2) improved effectiveness of national regional and local alliances and networks advocating for gender-sensitive policy change and implementation in Ukraine; and (3) increased responsiveness of Ukrainian parties movements and coalitions to the priorities and concerns of women and other marginalized groups as constituents and party members.