On September 12, 2020, Ukraine received the official status of a member of the Biarritz Partnership, an international initiative of equal rights and opportunities.

‘Ukraine's accession to the Biarritz Partnership, initiated at the last G7 summit, is a step towards mobilising our efforts to achieve equality in ensuring rights and opportunities for men and women. It is important for us to implement the best international practice both in the legislative sphere and at the level of execution. We want the announced plans to be implemented, and Ukraine to be among the leading countries in achieving equality’, said Marina Bardina, MP, Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, Chairperson of the Sub-committee on Ukraine’s Compliance with International Commitments in Human Rights Protection and Gender Policy.

In the framework of the Partnership, Ukraine, as a participant enjoying full rights, undertakes commitments in five areas: development of a barrier-free public space, friendly to families with children and groups of people with reduced mobility; teaching children the principles of equality between women and men; prevention of violence; reducing the salary gap between women and men; creating greater opportunities for men to take care of children.

Barriers-free space, not only physical accessibility of premises, facilities and structures, but also in terms of access to education, training, adapted working conditions, promoting the full integration of people with disabilities into public life are guaranteed by the European Social Charter and should be policy priorities for the Council of Europe member States.

Ensuring gender equality is a priority in establishing equal rights for women and men in all spheres of life. Therefore, within one of the above mentioned areas, the Council of Europe Project "Promoting social human rights as a key factor of sustainable democracy in Ukraine" in April 2020 prepared an Analysis of the compliance of the draft laws on labour issues with the European Social Charter on ensuring gender equality on the example of wages and the right to leave. It was sent to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights and the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.

You can read the results of the analysis here.

"This analysis provided not only specific recommendations for certain draft laws, but also general guidelines for amendments to legislation to ensure gender equality in the field of social policy. Therefore, we are pleased to see that our recommendations are taken into account in the draft laws on, in particular, ensuring the right to parental leave. Recommendations in action are the best result of work!”, said Siuzanna Mnatsakanian, Senior Project Officer of the Council of Europe Project "Promoting social human rights as a key factor of sustainable democracy in Ukraine".

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The Council of Europe project "Promoting social human rights as a key factor of sustainable democracy in Ukraine" Project is being implemented since 1 August, 2019 for two years in sphere of the promotion and protection of social human rights, namely persons with disabilities (Article 15 of the European Social Charter (Charter), older persons (Article 23 of the Charter) and children (Articles 7, 15 of the Charter).