On 26-27 October, as part of the advanced professional development in “Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence, including Domestic Violence”, a training was held at the Zakarpattia Educational and Research Institute of the Western Ukrainian National University in Svaliava.

The event was attended by representatives of ASCs and local government officials from territorial communities of the Zakarpattia and Kherson Oblasts.

The peculiarity of the training was the combination of traditional theoretical knowledge with many years of practical experience. Yuliia Savelieva, a senior lecturer at Sumy State University and an expert on gender issues, and Tetyana Lysenko, a municipal consultant with the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, ensured an effective exchange of information and created a special atmosphere for enhancing interpersonal communication among the participants.

A successful example of building a system for combating and preventing gender-based violence was presented by a guest speaker, Liudmyla Akimova, Regional Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine in Odesa region.

It should be noted that the training was conducted according to the standard short-term training programme approved by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service of 01.09.2023 No. 139-23.

The purpose of this programme is to raise awareness of public servants and local government officials on the prevention, detection, response and counteraction to gender-based violence, including domestic violence, and to improve skills in applying a comprehensive integrated approach to responding to cases of gender-based violence.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants received a state-issued certificate.