Ukrhydroenergo is an ambassador of state-owned companies in implementing the gender equality and women's empowerment program

The month is part of the Transformative Approaches to Achieving Gender Equality in Ukraine Project initiated by UN Women and funded by the Government of Sweden.

Throughout August, the company will hold a series of workshops to help Ukrhydroenergo's team learn more about promoting gender equality in the workplace, the impact and consequences of violence on the company's operations, the benefits of applying the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), as well as develop initiatives, implement specific practical developments and, if necessary, develop documents to build the corporate culture further and work effectively on gender equality, women's empowerment, inclusiveness and diversity.

The program of the month has already received support at the highest level. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko will coordinate it.

The event opened with the participation of Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Daria Gaidai, Deputy Head of the Office the Vice Prime Minister's European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Julia Broussard, Deputy UN Women Representative in Ukraine, Valentyn Gvozdiy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ukrhydroenergo, and Natalia Mykolska, member of the Supervisory Board of Ukrhydroenergo. Specialists from the Company's branches are invited to participate in the month's opening.

Yulia Svyrydenko noted that the state is actively working on the National Strategy for Overcoming the Gender Pay Gap in Ukraine until 2030. Thus, with the support of First Lady Olena Zelenska, the strategy's implementation plan envisages overcoming stereotypes and gender discrimination, improving legislation on equal pay, and creating conditions for a convenient combination of family and professional responsibilities.

"After the victory, we must build a country without prejudice - an innovative, people-oriented, open state. And the National Strategy for Overcoming the Gender Pay Gap is one of the tools for our society's transition to new standards. We have to motivate our women to return home, we have to find a place for former servicewomen and servicemen to feel adapted to civilian life, and we have to make every Ukrainian woman understand that her contribution to building Ukraine is significant!" said Yulia Svyrydenko.

The Vice Prime Minister also thanked the company for implementing measures to achieve gender equality and noted that Ukrhydroenergo is a role model for other organizations in implementing the gender equality and women's empowerment program.

Tetyana Berezhna focused on the specific steps and strategic goals of the National Strategy implementation and outlined further actions at the state level.

Daria Gaidai noted that the right to equal pay between women and men had been a fundamental principle of the European Union since the Roman Charter ,and gender equality is at the heart of all European policies. In addition, the Deputy Head of the Deputy Prime Minister's Service for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration emphasized that gender issues and work on the issue of remuneration are a movement towards the European Union and an investment in the development of a democratic country.

Julia Broussard thanked for the ongoing cooperation on gender equality and women's empowerment. The UN Women Deputy Representative in Ukraine also noted that the war had caused the largest refugee crisis since World War II, and the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was another terrible consequence. In addition, Julia Broussard noted that the attack by russia had reduced gender gaps in Ukraine. Still, the war has had the most significant negative impact on women, children, and people with disabilities.

Valentyn Gvozdiy noted that the initiative to hold the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Month was not a coincidence and emphasized that the workshops during the month would have a practical result, including the development of documents and policies to be implemented in the company:

"This is a logical continuation of the vision and work of the Supervisory Board of Ukrhydroenergo. Gender equality and women's rights have been our priorities for a long time. Women's leadership and the role of women in our business is a component of success. Representing both genders in the company ensures balanced decision-making and guarantees progress. Ensuring gender equality does not mean we all must become the same. It means that every person working in the company should enjoy equal rights and opportunities regardless of who they were born as, whether female or male, for all. Everyone - from blue-collar workers to executives - should be aware of this. The Supervisory Board, acting in the shareholder's interests, sends a strong message that this is our core cultural value, on which the relevant company policies are based."

"I am very pleased that we have moved from internal discussion to actions that will give meaning to our employees. Gender equality is not about slogans but about the benefits for the company. It has been proven that companies with different types of thinking and women in leadership positions are more stable and successful. The companies that implement gender equality become champions not only in their field but also in the economy of countries. And this is very important for the future reconstruction of Ukraine," said Natalia Mykolska.

The opening ceremony was followed by a seminar on "Alliances in the Observance of Gender Equality in the Workplace." Iryna Tytarchuk, National Consultant on Supporting Private Sector Partners in Implementing Women's Economic Empowerment Initiatives, spoke in detail about the role of women and men in ensuring equality and approaches to creating a safe work environment. In particular, Iryna focused on what steps each person can take to ensure gender equality and what measures an employer can take today.

The next seminar within the framework of the Month dedicated to gender equality and women's empowerment at Ukrhydroenergo will be held on August 10. The topic of discussion will be Diversity & inclusion trends. Participants will learn about what is happening worldwide and international companies in this area and discuss critical cases and examples of successful campaigns.

For reference:

In 2022, UN Women, with the financial support of the Government of Sweden, in cooperation with the Office of the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, launched the Project "Transformative Approaches to Achieving Gender Equality in Ukraine," which aims to use transformative approaches to promote gender equality and empower women through the cooperation of all key partners: government, parliament, civil society organizations, the private sector, and the media.

Among other strategic goals, the project aims to engage companies in implementing programs that will promote gender equality and women's economic empowerment in the workplace, supply chain, and community.

UN Women sees the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as one of the tools to support private companies to contribute to women's economic empowerment in their businesses, supply chains, and war-affected communities.

It is important to note that since the beginning of 2023, five Ukrainian companies have signed the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs).