The educational programme "Change Makers" promotes the implementation of gender equality principles in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and facilitates experience exchange with NATO partners. Within this initiative, representatives of the Ministry of Defense participated in an international event in Brussels, where the integration of women into the military sphere was discussed.
"Change Makers" brought together Ukrainian and foreign experts, gender advisors, politicians, and practitioners in the field of humanitarian security. They worked on enhancing knowledge and skills in gender integration, which will align the policies and practices of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with NATO standards and the UN Security Council resolution "Women, Peace, Security."
“The 'Change Makers' programme provided a unique opportunity for exchanging experiences with NATO partners. We not only adopted best practices but also shared our own developments in wartime conditions. This will help us implement alliance standards more effectively, optimally utilizing the potential of both women and men in various areas of defense,” noted Major Diana Kopanytsia, Head of the Humanitarian Support Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
After returning to Kyiv, participants of the event will present the knowledge gained to their operational leadership. In particular, they plan to conduct a gender analysis and identify institutional barriers to implementing equality programmes.
Participants included representatives from the Canadian Armed Forces, the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations (Sweden), defense ministries of the European Union, as well as leading international organizations working to ensure equal rights and opportunities for men and women.
"Change Makers" is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the PROTECT2 project, funded by the Canadian Ministry of National Defense and executed by Alinea International. Its goal is to support the Ukrainian government in building the capacity of institutions and departments in the defense sector.
