The First Kyiv Forum She Leads Ukraine – "Kyiv Women in Leadership: War Experiences and Participation in Recovery"

On June 16 2026, the First Kyiv Forum She Leads Ukraine – "Kyiv Women in Leadership: War Experiences and Participation in Recovery" was held under the patronage of Maryna Honda, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration and Commissioner for Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men in Kyiv.

Organizers: 
‍UN Women Ukraine, the Gender Equality Management Office of the Department of Social and Veteran Policy of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) and the NGO "New Social Vector".

Key objectives:
·  To enhance the visibility of women, their role and participation in sustaining Kyiv during the war and post-war recovery;
·  To share the experience of women leaders in crisis response and adapting to.

Security challenges:
· To establish ongoing dialogue, coordination and cooperation among women in local government, civil society and international organisations to integrate a gender and inclusive approaches into sectoral policies and peacebuilding;
· To ensure public attention is focused on women's equal participation in European integration and all spheres of public life.

Participants:
‍100 women leaders from Kyiv – representatives of state authorities, local government, social institutions, education, healthcare, security and defence, telecommunications, civil society organisations, as well as international and national experts.‍

The First Kyiv Forum was opened by Maryna Honda, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Commissioner for Gender Equality in Kyiv, and Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine:
‍‒ The Forum has become a platform uniting women leaders from politics, business and civil society. This is exactly how change happens: through professional dialogue, openness to new approaches, and the willingness to take and bear responsibility.‍

Welcoming remarks were delivered by:
·  Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine;
· Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy.‍

The First Panel Discussion 
‍“Women's Political Participation in Decision-Making: Responding to Security Challenges, Strengthening Resilience and Community Cohesion in Kyiv”

Participants:
‍Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze – Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the European Union, Member of the European Solidarity parliamentary faction;
‍Alla Shlapak – Member of the Kyiv City Council (Batkivshchyna party), First Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Budget and Socio-Economic Development, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Innovative Development at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University;
‍Myroslava Smyrnova – Member of the Kyiv City Council, Chair of the parliamentary faction of Vitali Klitschko's UDAR party;
‍Olena Govorova – Member of the Kyiv City Council for the Servant of the People party, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Olympic medallist;
‍Olga Aivazovska – Leader of the Civil Network OPORA, expert on electoral processes at the national and international levels.

The Second Panel Discussion 
‍“Women in Leadership during Crisis Response: Experiences Shaping the Future of the State” 

Participants:
‍Nataliia Bohdanova – Deputy Head of the Department for Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men, Combating Trafficking in Persons, Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence at the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine;
‍Viktoria Itskovich – Director of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies at the Kyiv City State Administration; 
‍Tetiana Mostipan – Director of the Department of Health at the Kyiv City State Administration;
‍Oleksandra Soia – Director of the City Support Centre for Combatants, Veterans and their Families “Kyiv Military Hub";
‍Nataliia Liashchenko – Director of the KYIV24 TV channel;
‍Yanina Levkivska – Head of the Kyiv Branch of the NGO Samaritan Union of Ukraine.

KYIV24 TV Channel Media Platform 
‍Stories of Effective Leadership and Participation in Decision-Making During the War 

Participants:
‍Daria Fuhalevych (call sign ‘Dara’) – a veteran whose experience stands as a symbol of resilience, service to the community, and women in leadership during the full-scale war;
‍Hanna Starostenko – Member of the Kyiv City Council and Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration;
‍Olesya Zubrytska – Member of the Kyiv City Council, Director of the Department of Public Communications at the Kyiv City State Administration;
‍Olena Fidanian – Director of the Department of Education and Science at the Kyiv City State Administration;
‍Mariia Aleksandrova – Deputy Head of the Solomianskyi District State Administration in Kyiv;
‍Viktoriia Mukha – Member of the Kyiv City Council, Chair of the Standing Committee on Culture, Tourism and Public Communications;
‍Nataliia Berikashvili – Member of the Kyiv City Council, First Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Family, Social and Veteran Policy.

Forum Thematic Groups 
‍“AI and Digital Skills in Public Administration: Case Studies and Insights” 
‍Vasyl Oryshchuk and Maksym Valin, AI and digital skills trainers, developers of training programmes and AI courses.

“Political Communications, or How to Amplify the Voices of Women in the Capital”
‍Valeriia Pustovit, Trainer at UN Women and the Projector Foundation.

“Leadership Resilience and Mental Support”
‍Tetiana Melnychuk and Yaroslava Popovych, international experts, trainers at the Kyiv Resilience Centre, practising psychologists.

Following the discussions and presentations, the Forum participants:
· emphasised the need to implement systemic continuous education to foster women in leadership and political participation, through the further development and institutional strengthening of the Kyiv Academy of Women's Leadership;
· highlighted the importance of developing a mutual support network for women leaders in the capital;
· called for the integration of a gender perspective into the city's recovery processes;
· stressed the need to strengthen women's participation in post-war electoral processes;
· formed a request to establish a permanent platform for professional dialogue, training, and experience sharing.‍

Tetiana Huzenko, Head of the Gender Equality Management Office of the Department of Social and Veteran Policy of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA):
‍‒ The war has done more than merely change us and our priorities. It has driven women to take on active leadership roles, and encouraged men to recognise the value of equal partnership. The First Forum “Kyiv Women in Leadership: War Experiences and Participation in Recovery” demonstrated how partnership, trust, and collaboration shape concrete administrative decisions and forge new professional connections. Supported by Maryna Honda, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, UN Women and the NGO "New Social Vector", the Forum has emerged as a new platform for dialogue among strong women leaders who ensure the city's resilience and social stability.

Useful links:
Women's leadership as a factor in the capital's resilience: Kyiv hosted the large-scale "She Leads Ukraine" forum
‍She Leads Ukraine forum held: "Kyiv Women's Leadership: War Experiences and Participation in Recovery"
‍Women are confidently taking on new roles‍