On 27 February, a roundtable discussion was held on “Development of Institutional and Human Resource Capacity of Interagency Cooperation on Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence, including Domestic Violence”.
The event was organised by the High School of Public Governance in cooperation with the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy and the National Social Service of Ukraine. The event was supported by the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA).
The military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has not only exacerbated the issue of violence in our society, but also raised the priority of preventing and combating all forms of violence to a new level. “We can solve the issue of violence in Ukrainian society only through joint efforts,” said Nataliia Aliushyna, Head of the NAUCS, during the opening, “today’s event demonstrates the possibility of consolidating the efforts of relevant government agencies, NGOs, educational institutions, international institutions and international technical assistance projects.
Implementation of the tasks and measures of the State Social Programme is impossible without the development of professional competencies in preventing and combating violence among public servants. This was emphasised by Kateryna Levchenko, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy. “Today, we are not talking about the problem in general, but analysing all the issues brick by brick and looking for practical solutions,” said Levchenko. “Professional training on preventing and combating gender-based violence, including domestic violence, is very important in terms of shaping values and attitudes, and the law will not work if these concepts are absent. I am convinced that we will succeed by working together. Unification of approaches will help us find unique messages and approaches that are necessary for each specific audience.”
It should be noted that the NAUCS, within the framework of its powers, coordinates activities to improve the skills of civil servants, local government officials, heads of local (military) state administrations and their first deputies, and local council members, in particular on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men.
Every year, thousands of stakeholders are trained in gender equality and non-discrimination at the High School and regional professional development centres for public servants, local government officials, managers and employees of state and municipal institutions and organisations.
In 2023 alone, more than 10,000 people, including 6,562 public servants and 3,235 local government officials, were trained in general short-term training programmes on gender equality in the public service at 18 regional professional development centres and the High School.
In addition, in 2023, the NAUCS developed and approved a model training programme on Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence, including Domestic Violence.
Thanks to the cooperation of the High School and the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, the National Training Centre for Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence was launched.
In 2023, the National Training Centre implemented 9 trainings, which were attended by 324 public servants, local government officials and social service professionals. At the same time, the High School trained 43 certified trainers in three programmes.
According to Yuliia Lykhach, Head of the High School, successful activities in the field of preventing and combating gender-based violence, including domestic violence, require strengthening interagency coordination, and such a powerful communication event is a good example of coordination between key stakeholders. “I would like to express my hope that in the future, the Higher School and the National Training Centre will be an effective platform for effective communication and efficient resolution of all issues related to the organisation of training for public servants in this area.”
Ulyana Tokareva, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Vasyl Lutsyk, Head of the National Social Service of Ukraine, and Pavlo Zamostyan, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine (UNFPA), also joined the discussion of the national training system on preventing and combating domestic and gender-based violence and proposals for its further modernisation (taking into account the Government’s tasks).
The roundtable was attended by nearly 150 people, including representatives of central government departments, regional military administrations, international partners, educational institutions, and NGOs working on issues of gender-based violence, including domestic violence.
The event also featured the presentation of the results of a national survey of state and local authorities to determine their training needs on combating and preventing gender-based violence, including domestic violence.
