Natalya Kalmykova, the Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister, mentioned this while meeting with Government Commissioner for Gender Policy Kateryna Levchenko.

Participants discussed the Defence Ministry’s implementation of the National Action Plan to Implement UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 on Women, Peace and Security by 2025.

Additionally, attention was given to enhancing and building upon the capacity of the institutional mechanism for gender policy.

“It is important for the Defence Ministry to advocate for the adherence to international agreements concerning gender equality in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is crucial to strengthen and reinforce the network of gender advisors in the defense sector. Such an institutional mechanism would enable us to fully implement the principle of gender equality in the military, prevent problem situations, and quickly react to service members’ rights violations,” Nataliia Kalmykova said.

For her part, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy Kateryna Levchenko emphasized the need for the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to engage in joint activities with the Office of the Government Commissioner to develop a training program for security and defense civil service officials.

Nataliia Kalmykova and Kateryna Levchenko also agreed on the need to update the methodological recommendations for integrating gender approaches into the system for training security and defense-related professionals and to realize the Plan for Implementation of the Framework of Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations on the Prevention and Response to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.