You Are Important 2024

You Are Important is a worldview educational programme for women with military experience who want to take an active part in social and political processes, aspire to fulfil themselves in the field of public administration and public service, or see themselves in other areas.

This year, we selected the first participants, with more than 30 female servicewomen and veterans taking part in the programme.

At the opening of the educational programme, Svitlana Matviienko, Executive Director of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives and USPS director, welcomed the first group of the new project and thanked the participants as the example of everyone who stood up to defend their homeland can teach something all of us.

Participants discussed the role of servicewomen and female veterans in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine with Ella Libanova, a researcher in socio-economics, demography, and labour economics and director of the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Servicewomen will have to take on leadership roles. First, they showed this readiness when they voluntarily joined the Ukrainian defence forces. Second, they have a greater potential for public trust — they do not fit the image of a typical thieving official, and they were directly involved in preserving statehood.

The main vision of the post-war reconstruction should be based on the fact that we will need to build a prosperous, secure and just country. After all, prosperity is also about the country’s ability to produce weapons to defend itself, which is critical for us, given the neighbourhood of imperial Russia with much greater mobilisation resources.

Why is the parity representation of women in Ukrainian politics an integral part of modern politics? Because there are definitely many qualified and professional women who can represent communities and regions. They can be leaders both in parliament and in any other field. This was emphasised by Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, with whom the participants discussed the importance of women’s leadership at various levels, proposals that would help support servicewomen and female veterans on this path and facilitate their active participation in the political process and public life.

When old political structures are collapsing, and global political processes are full of aggressively masculine, marketing, right—or left-of-centre populist trends, it is critical for every female leader to choose a proactive role, developing the qualities required for modern life and the ability to meet the challenges of the time. In fact, if we compare the indicators since the first decades of its independence, Ukraine has made significant progress in certain aspects: the number of women among MPs in the Verkhovna Rada is now 21% (37% at the local level), and in terms of representation in the army this is generally one of the best figures compared to many NATO countries.

So what will the Ukrainian politics of the future look like, and what place will servicewomen take in it? The answer must be sincere, professional, and fair—the kind of answer society will need from the new generation of female leaders.

Participants of the You Are Important programme discussed Ukraine’s place in the modern world with Pavlo Klimkin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2014–2019).

After WWII, a new system of rules emerged in the world, which was supposed to prevent new large-scale wars and facilitate the countries’ cooperation. However, this system no longer works. Each country interprets the rules and declared principles that should have been common in its own way.

Pavlo Klimkin is convinced that we need allies, not partners, today. The essential difference between the two is that partners decide when and how to help, while allies provide mutual support and the help we need when we need it.

This year marks 10 years since the occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Today, as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion, almost 18% of Ukrainian territories have the status of temporarily occupied territories (TOT).

Tamila Tasheva, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, emphasises the importance of maintaining a firm attitude— we will never surrender Crimea’s territory. There can be no compromises or discussions about a “neutral status.”

The state is already working out priority steps after the de-occupation of territories. They include restoring public authorities, bringing to justice people who facilitated the occupation, restoring educational and medical services, communications, and infrastructure, and expelling foreign nationals who are staying in Ukraine illegally.

However, the most difficult and probably the longest stage of de-occupation will be “cognitive demining.” A whole generation of children has already grown up in Crimea who do not know what Ukraine is. For 10 years, our citizens have been living in a completely different reality. Another important task for the Ukrainian government and society is bringing people back, establishing communication, and restoring trust.

According to the Ministry of Defence, as of October 2023, the number of women in the Armed Forces increased to 62,062, including 43,479 servicewomen. In terms of percentage, this is even higher than in some NATO member states. The position of women in the army was discussed together with Nataliia Kalmykova, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

Discussions about women’s mobilisation are also rooted in social stereotypes. Many people see women only as caretakers and mothers who should stay at home with their children. Misogyny and prejudice against women who join the army only intensify such issues. Society is less ready for women in the army than the army itself.

We need to work in a comprehensive manner to improve gender equality in the army. It is important to talk to servicewomen and change society’s general attitude towards women in the army. Servicewomen and female veterans present an example of being able to be leaders. They had their hearts set on defending their country and deserve at least the same respect as men.

Has the value of human life increased in Ukraine? Has the war changed it?

Kateryna Bulavinova, a doctor and a medical expert at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF Ukraine), spoke to the participants about what is currently important and, at the same time, requires much more attention in the healthcare sector.

It is absolutely logical and necessary that people’s attention is focused on the army, particularly military medicine. But we also need a demand for a high-quality discussion on seemingly more “niche” issues, such as the functioning of the perinatal care system, understanding the importance of vaccination, and mental health support.

All these issues are aimed at fighting for every life. And for every opportunity for a new life to begin. Being aware of this, especially in times of war, is a key task for all of us.

The victory and reconstruction of Ukraine are important focus areas of UK foreign policy. This includes defence, humanitarian, and social support for the Ukrainian people — something we feel and appreciate very much

Participants discussed with Helen Barnes, Head of Programme, British Embassy in Ukraine, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), and Rachel Keane, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the importance of gender equality for security and the challenges of achieving it in conditions of the full-scale war. Iryna Svavolya, the Gender, Peace, and Security Adviser at the UK Embassy in Ukraine, moderated the discussion.

It is also necessary to talk about gender equality in times of war since everyone has different characteristics and needs. Women also need to speak up about their experiences and concerns to bring their voices together and make them more efficient. Moreover, the opportunity to become leaders and acquire the necessary skills in the long term will be the key to the country’s sustainable recovery, economic capacity and the development of social inclusion in society.

Together with independent journalist Kristina Berdynskykh, participants of the You Are Important programme discussed the image of servicewomen and female veterans in the media, as well as the prejudices they face when communicating with journalists.

Journalists are responsible for high-quality coverage of events in the country. In times of war, they have additional responsibility since they must work with sensitive topics requiring excessive fact-checking and empathy — will a particular story harm a hero? Will it raise a new wave of fear in a traumatised society?

“Ukraine is working so that Ukraine could fight,” says Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine and USPS alumnus of 2019.

One area the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is currently focused on is reducing the gender pay gap. According to the State Statistics Service, the difference between men’s and women’s salaries was 18.6% as of 2021, not in favour of women. On average, women work for free for 6.5 years in their lifetime, precisely because they are paid less than men.

Another important focus area for the Ministry of Economy today is to build an architecture of programmes and opportunities that will facilitate employment and entrepreneurship development among female and male veterans. It is too early to talk about the demobilisation of the military and their return to civilian life, but it is extremely important to show the prospect that the state is creating opportunities and preparing for them.

The educational programme has been implemented by the Ukrainian School of Political Studies and enabled by the support of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland within the framework of the project Women, Peace, and Security: Response to the Challenges of War, which is being implemented by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund.

To support the project, the USPS also enlisted the support of Guzema Fine Jewelry and created a charity brooch, KVITKA, in collaboration with the jewellery brand. The proceeds from brooch sales go to the You Are Important programme.