On June 2, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa began a working visit to the Kingdom of Spain to take part in the Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy in Madrid.

The Deputy Minister spoke at the high-level plenary session “Peace and Democracy in the Face of 21st Century Challenges: Feminist Foreign Policy,” dedicated to the role of gender equality as an important element in strengthening democracy, maintaining peace and enhancing societies’ resilience amid current security challenges and armed conflicts.

In her remarks, Mariana Betsa emphasized that for Ukraine today, the feminist approach is above all a pragmatic tool for survival and resilience in wartime. “Amid ongoing russian aggression, Ukrainian women have become active leaders of resistance,” the Deputy Minister said.

The diplomat noted that more than 75,000 women serve in the Defense Forces of Ukraine, women’s representation in parliament has reached a historic high of 21%, and 22% of Ukrainian ambassadors are women leading strategic diplomatic missions around the world.

The Deputy Minister drew attention to the fact that this year, in his annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, the UN Secretary-General for the first time included the Armed Forces and security forces of the Russian Federation and affiliated groups on the list of parties credibly suspected of committing systematic acts of sexual violence in conflict — the so-called “list of shame.”

“Russia systematically uses sexual violence as a tool of terror and a tactic of war against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war. Russia and its war criminals must be held accountable. This is a key condition for restoring justice,” Mariana Betsa stressed.

The Deputy Minister called on the international community to increase the supply of weapons to Ukraine, ensure the full isolation of and sanctions pressure on the aggressor state, and engage inclusive women’s leadership in the country’s reconstruction.

On the sidelines of the conference, Mariana Betsa met with Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation Eva Granados Galiano, UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nowais, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

Bilateral meetings with representatives of other international organizations, foreign states and civil society are also planned for the Deputy Minister.