Women Leading Change: Training in Kyiv Focuses on Leadership and Participation of Women with Disabilities in Humanitarian Response and Recovery

In June, Kyiv hosted the training "Humanitarian Response and Recovery: Strengthening the Leadership of Organizations of Women with Disabilities", organized by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine, funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine. The event brought together activists, representatives of civil society organizations, experts, and women with disabilities from across the country.

The training focused on key issues such as the rights of women with disabilities, their participation in decision-making processes, protection from gender-based violence (GBV), and overcoming barriers in access to services, education, and employment.

Trainers Yevheniia Pavlova, Yuliia Naida, and Svitlana Petrusha facilitated deep discussions on inclusive safety, psychosocial support, advocacy, and the development of policies that reflect the lived experiences and needs of women with disabilities. Special attention was paid to gender-based violence, which disproportionately affects women with disabilities and often remains invisible due to a lack of accessible shelters, distrust in the system, and barriers to seeking help. 

Participants and trainers also addressed challenges in education and employment, where gender stereotypes and structural barriers limit opportunities for women with disabilities to access decent conditions and fulfil their potential.

Importantly, the event was not limited to gaining knowledge. Participants also developed concrete action plans. They worked on advocacy initiatives, discussed ways to enhance participation in policymaking, the development of inclusive services, and building networks of support.

Women with disabilities can and must be recognized as experts in developing national strategies, as representatives in ministerial and local working groups, and as initiators of change in their communities—whether through public budget proposals or the creation of new inclusive services.

Their presence is not only about fairness—it is about effectiveness. Women with disabilities know where policies fail and what needs to be improved.

In post-war Ukraine, there will be a need for new approaches—barrier-free, inclusive, and sustainable. Women with disabilities must be among those shaping these approaches. Their experience is not just valuable—it is essential to rebuilding a country where every person has the right to a full life.

This training was another step toward ensuring that the voices of women with disabilities are heard louder. And another proof that change is possible when those affected are at the center of it.

The project “Humanitarian Response and Recovery: Strengthening the Leadership of Organizations of Women with Disabilities” is implemented by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine, funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine. The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.

This publication has been prepared with the financial support of the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), which does not imply that the views and contents expressed herein are officially endorsed or recognized by the United Nations." 

The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is the only global financing mechanism exclusively dedicated to supporting women’s participation in peace and security processes and humanitarian action. Governed by a diverse group of civil society, government, and UN representatives, WPHF is a multi-partner trust fund that mobilizes urgently needed funding for local, women-led organizations and works alongside women on the front lines to build lasting peace. Since 2016, WPHF has provided funding and strengthened the capacities of over 1,000 local women’s civil society organizations advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda and delivering humanitarian action in 41 crisis-affected countries.

Oleksandra Perkova, Communication Manager of the Project project communication manager