Ukraine will change approaches to infrastructure reconstruction: the government strengthens the principles of gender equality

Ukraine plans to introduce new approaches to infrastructure reconstruction that will take into account the needs of women and men, people with disabilities and other population groups. In particular, this concerns the design of roads, transport hubs and public spaces with safety, accessibility and equal opportunities in mind.

What will change in infrastructure reconstruction

During the conference “Gender Audit as a Tool for Gender-Responsive Recovery”, Deputy Minister Ihor Reva presented the results of the gender audit of the department, conducted with the support of UN Women in Ukraine and the U-RESTORE project.

According to him, the results of the study will become the basis for changes in the work of the ministry and the implementation of infrastructure projects.

“For us, gender audit is not a formality, but a practical management tool. We have clear data on what needs to be changed in the work of the Ministry and in infrastructure projects so that the reconstruction of Ukraine is truly inclusive and effective,” Ihor Reva emphasized.

The department explains that people’s needs when using transport and public spaces can differ significantly depending on age, gender, health status, family responsibilities and place of residence.

That is why during the reconstruction, they plan to pay more attention to the accessibility and safety of infrastructure for different categories of the population.

New requirements for transport projects

The ministry plans to integrate gender indicators into the National Transport Strategy.

It is also planned to develop special checklists for infrastructure projects. They will help take into account the needs of different population groups at the design stage of roads, transport hubs and terminals.

It is expected that such an approach will contribute to the creation of a more accessible and safe transport environment.

What the ministry’s audit showed

The audit also revealed the need to improve internal personnel policy.

In particular, some employees do not officially report cases of discrimination or mobbing, which indicates the need to increase trust in the mechanisms for protecting employees’ rights.

Among the planned changes:

creating safe and confidential channels for complaints about discrimination;
introducing transparent career advancement criteria;
defining measurable indicators of gender equality in strategic documents;
expanding professional development opportunities for women and men.

At the same time, the ministry already has mentoring programs in place and ensures equal access to training for employees.

Women will be involved in the transport industry

Special attention is being paid to expanding employment opportunities for women in professions that have traditionally been dominated by men.

In particular, the She Drives initiative, aimed at training and employing women as bus and truck drivers, is being scaled up.

It is planned to begin training new groups of participants in the near future.

The ministry emphasizes that the implementation of equality principles should become a practical tool for improving the quality of Ukraine’s reconstruction, and not just a formal implementation of international recommendations.