On Friday, 7 March 2025, the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine hosted events dedicated to the International Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.

The event was organised by the Centre for Public Diplomacy of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in cooperation with the Ukrainian Diplomatic Spouses Association, the Women’s Diplomatic Club of the MFA of Ukraine, the International Women’s Club of Kyiv (IWCK) with the partner contribution of the Directorate-General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions, the TseGlynaArt community and the Kyiv Classic Orchestra.

Among the attendees were representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps, spouses of Ukrainian diplomats, renowned Ukrainian doctors, scientists and artists.

The day’s events began with a roundtable discussion on gender medicine. Expert presentations on the topic Women’s Health: Raising Awareness of Cancer Prevention were delivered by Tetiana Znamenska, Doctor of Medicine, Full Professor, corresponding member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) of Ukraine, Deputy Director General of the All-Ukrainian Centre for Motherhood and Childhood of the NAMS of Ukraine, Head of the Neonatology Department, President of the Association of Neonatologists of Ukraine, Tetiana Tatarchuk, Doctor of Medicine, Full Professor, corresponding member of the NAMS of Ukraine, Deputy Director General of the All-Ukrainian Centre for Motherhood and Childhood of the NAMS of Ukraine, President of the Association of Gynaecologists and Endocrinologists of Ukraine, and Idil Bilgen, a researcher in radiation oncology, Miss World Türkiye 2024.

Tetiana Sybiha, founder of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Spouses Association and Head of the Centre for Public Diplomacy at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, opened the roundtable with a welcoming speech. In her address, Ms Sybiha thanked the co-organisers of the event and stressed the importance of discussing the current issues of women’s health and maternity, which have become more acute in the context of war:

‘This is an extremely important topic, especially now, when women take care of their families and our country but forget the most important thing — to take care of themselves.’

During the roundtable, medical experts presented comprehensive information on the key challenges that Ukrainian women currently face, including reproductive health, maternity and cancer prevention in the face of constant stress amid the war.

As part of the event, the guests also viewed an exhibition by Ukrainian artist Tetiana Cherevan entitled Women Warriors: Defending Ukraine, Shaping the Future. In 12 portraits, the artist depicted Ukrainian servicewomen who stood up to defend their homeland. Moreover, attendees also got acquainted with new sculptural works by Ukrainian ceramic artists from the TseGlynaArt space.

The event concluded with a wonderful musical gift on the occasion of International Women’s Day from the Kyiv Classic Orchestra conducted by Herman Makarenko, People’s Artist of Ukraine, conductor of the National Opera of Ukraine, Ambassador of Ukrainian Culture, UNESCO Artist for Peace.

The guests were delighted to witness a surprise gift from artist Tetiana Cherevan: a portrait of Ukrainian defender Lesia Ganzha was presented to her mother and godmother before the concert.

Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine Hennadii Nadolenko addressed the audience with a welcoming speech before the concert. He noted that International Women’s Day is not just a holiday, but a historical testament to the longstanding struggle for equal opportunities for women:

‘Thanks to this struggle, today women work in all professional fields and make an invaluable contribution to science, culture and society.’

The Kyiv Classic Orchestra performed musical pieces by prominent composers from around the world, such as Wolfgang Mozart, Myroslav Skoryk, Astor Piazzolla, Allah Rakha Rahman, Leroy Anderson, Oleksandr Zlotnyk, and Antonio Vivaldi. The concert was followed by informal networking.