Abstract

The policy paper has been prepared on the basis of a short-term research. It is focused on the analysis and advocacy of increasing the understanding of the status of women in wartime and post-war reconstruction in Ukraine.  With the aim of facilitating European integration negotiations, it provides recommendations in the field of education, learning and economy in Ukraine. Public authorities and civil society organizations (CSOs) should move to act jointly in defending Ukrainian interests before the EU and in developing, if possible, a common negotiating position. Certain geopolitical challenges are presented and attention is paid to the consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The forms of involvement of representatives of Ukraine’s civil society in the negotiation infrastructure with the EU are considered. A brief analysis of Ukraine's 2020-2024 implementation of the final documents of the Fourth UN World Conference on the Status of Women - the Beijing Declaration and Platform (Beijing+30), focused on two areas (a)women in education and training and, (b) women in the economy during this period in Ukraine is also provided.

The research at hand employs two main methods, (a) asynchronous and synchronous online national consultations (conducted by the authors) and two regional consultations with CSOs of Europe and Central Asia, organized by international structures in May - August 2024; and (b) the collection and analysis of secondary information. The issue of analysis has been included in the EU-Ukraine accession Negotiating Framework on cluster "Competences and inclusive growth". Notably, it is important to promote an inclusive approach, taking into account the interests of various strata and groups of society and giving a voice to civic experts.

This policy paper examines in the context of the general system of lifelong learning. Namely, the segment of adult learning and education (ALE) i.e., its policies, governance, quality of programs and teaching, inclusion and financing and, the issue of women's access to adult learning and education, assessment of participation in aspects of retraining and upskilling that are important for adapting to changes in the labor market and economic conditions. The quality of learning & education and the impact of social and economic development on the socio-economic status of women in the country are also considered. The subject of the analysis of the economic block is the analysis of gender gaps in wages, opportunities for starting a business and the level of employment of women, and their participation in the labor market.

The results of the research and recommendations for public authorities and CSOs in Ukraine will be interesting for Ukrainian and foreign civil society organizations dealing with this topic, policy makers and experts at the national and European levels on issues of gender equality focused on women's rights, European integration, women's economic empowerment, education and learning. Furthermore, the academic community, analysts from the public, academic, educational environment working in the specified directions and others.