The Gender Equality Management Office of the Department of Social and Veteran Policy of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) was established in July 2020. The main areas of activity of the Office include implementing state policies on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in Kyiv and coordinating the activities of KCSA structural units in applying gender-sensitive approaches during the analysis and assessment of state/municipal policies’ impact on women and men, strategic planning, organization, and activity monitoring.

The Head of the Gender Equality Management Office is Tetiana Huzenko, Ph.D. in Social Communications. 

Institutional Development for Gender Equality Policy Implementation

A systematic and high-quality analysis of statistical data is an effective tool for studying the level and quality of life of Kyiv residents. The Kyiv Gender Profile, developed in 2019, revealed certain gaps that pointed to uneven budgeting and the low effectiveness of measures implemented at that time. For example, data analysis on social services for children with disabilities identified a demand for services such as "social taxi," personal assistants, and mediation.

In November 2019, Kyiv joined the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. In line with the commitments under the Charter, the following were developed:

• The First Action Plan (2020-2023) for implementing the Charter’s provisions, supported by the National Democratic Institute (NDI);
• The City Target Program "Kyiv - City of Equal Opportunities" (2022-2024);
• The Second Action Plan (2024-2023) for implementing the European Charter’s provisions.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and the KCSA, an Institutional Capacity Assessment on Gender Equality and Human Rights Compliance was conducted in 2021-2022.

To address challenges in implementing KCSA’s powers on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men, an Expert Council on Gender Integration was established in 2021. 

For the first time, the Kyiv City Development Strategy for 2025-2027 includes the operational goal of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in all spheres of life and the development of the city community.

Key Objectives:
strengthen institutional capacity to achieve gender equality in urban policies and initiatives. Integrate gender-sensitive and human rights-based approaches into local policies and public services.

Positive Actions to Eliminate Discrimination in KCSA Units

An analysis of 12 collective agreements of KCSA structural units was conducted to propose changes aimed at ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in labor relations, in accordance with the Ministry of Social Policy’s Order No. 56 of January 29, 2020.

Key Results:

• Organized training sessions on "Combating Discrimination in the Workplace and Professional Relations" for HR professionals in KCSA and Kyiv City Council units.
• Developed recommendations for including a dedicated section on "Equality and Non-Discrimination" in collective agreements, considering the specifics of labor relations in each unit.
• Added a "Equality and Non-Discrimination" section to the Collective Labor Agreement between the administration and the staff of the Department of Social and Veteran Policy (2022-2027), serving as a model for other units.

Gender Competency Development

Adopting the principle of gender equality as a component of municipal policy requires enhancing practical training programs for KCSA professionals.

Based on the KCSA Gender Portrait, developed with support from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’s Department of Sociology, training programs were created to address gender issues and build relevant skills:

• "Gender Policy in Public Administration in Ukraine and the EU"
• "Women, Peace, and Security" in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1325"
• "Combating  and Prevention of Discrimination in the Workplace"
• "Women's Leadership and Decision-Making"

Over 2,000 civil servants from KCSA and Kyiv district administrations have completed gender competency training since early 2021.

Tetiana Huzenko, Head of the Gender Equality Management Office:
‒ "Gender sensitivity must become an integral part of every civil servant's work. Insufficient skills in integrating gender aspects into daily activities, stereotyping, and perceiving gender issues as abstract lead to incomplete consideration of diverse needs, limiting opportunities, and reducing the quality of public services for Kyiv residents."

Strategic Partnerships

July 1, 2020: KCSA and UN Women in Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop local development policies based on human rights and gender equality (valid until March 2023).

January 25, 2023: Kyiv and the Israel Trauma Coalition signed a Memorandum on creating a high-quality psychological assistance system.

August 1, 2023: Kyiv and the Ukrainian Women's Fund signed a partnership Memorandum, focusing on psychological support for women and girls during wartime and post-war recovery.

October 4, 2024: KCSA and the MH4U (Mental Health for Ukraine) project signed a Memorandum to improve access to mental health services in Kyiv (2025-2028).

Gender Equality Management Office
044 230 93 94
Website: https://dsp.kyivcity.gov.ua/henderna-polityka 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geo.kmda 
1/2-A Baseina Street, Kyiv

Useful Links:
‍The Kyiv City Council approved the Action Plan for Achieving Equality and Implementing the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men.
The Kyiv City Council adopted a new municipal target program, "Kyiv – City of Equal Opportunities."
Kyiv and the European Charter for Equality: How the capital sets the trend for other cities.