On November 19, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa delivered a statement at the 12th thematic meeting of the Commission for Coordination of Executive Authorities to Ensure Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men, held with the participation of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.  The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

Mariana Betsa informed participants about the measures implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on international platforms to support the advancement of national priorities in ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men. The Deputy Minister paid particular attention to the efforts of the MFA to ensure accountability of the Russian Federation, as the aggressor state, for the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Ukrainian diplomats consistently raise this issue on international platforms, drawing the attention of international organizations and foreign states to Russia’s crimes and the necessity of supporting victims.

Mariana Betsa also emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s participation in the “Biarritz Partnership” initiative, Ukraine’s chairmanship in the Alliance on  Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, the implementation of the National Action Plan on “Women, Peace, and Security,” and the Framework Cooperation Program between Ukraine and the UN on the Prevention and Response to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). Considerable attention is also paid to these and other important issues within the activities of the Council on Human Rights, Gender Equality and Diversity at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Deputy Minister also noted that, thanks to coordinated work among executive authorities and active cooperation with civil society, for the first time the Russian Federation received a warning from the UN Secretary-General regarding Russia’s potential inclusion on the list of persistent violators of CRSV.

In her statement, Mariana Betsa also drew attention to the inclusion of the CRSV issue in the draft updated resolution of the UN General Assembly “The Situation of Human Rights in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol”.

The meeting was also attended by Members of Parliament, ministers, commission members, representatives of regional administrations, the Prosecutor General's Office, international and civil society organisations, and diplomats.