This is a new tool of the SCO Ukraine to acknowledge the best performing initiatives in addressing gender inequalities and empowering women and men in the particular fields of projects interventions. The best cases of the period 2012 – 2014 were presented for consideration.

Three projects, in particular the Energy Efficiency in Vinnytsia, the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre and the IOM project Prevention of Human Trafficking through Community Mobilization (two lasts are located in Kyiv) received the Gender Award certificates and special prizes.

The Energy Efficiency Project located in Vinnytsia got a set of wooden and other modern toys for the children playing room “Smile” at Vinnytsia “Transparent offices” (providing administrative services at the Vinnytsia City Council). The Vinnytsia City Council is a partner of the project and jointly they put efforts to promote energy saving approaches among citizens of Vinnytsia. While the parents look for consultations by the specialists of the “Transparent office” the children get professional care in the playing room under supervision of the social workers.

Another two projects located in Kyiv, namely the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre (RFCPC) as well as the IOM project Prevention of Human Trafficking through Community Mobilization were invited to a city tour in Kyiv with a special focus on the role of women and men at different stages of city development from the historical, political, economic and cultural point of view. The teams of the both projects discovered a lot of interesting facts about their lovely city and had the opportunity once more to discuss about the roles and inputs of both genders in a daily life and at the crucial key points in the history.

After this first exercise, the SCO Ukraine planes to continue to award the best initiatives aimed at promotion of gender equality and special achievement in outstanding performance and role models in Gender Equality and mainstreaming within the Swiss Cooperation Programme in Ukraine.

For more information please follow the links:

1. „Transparent Office” in Vinnytsia got a Gender Award – only in Ukrainian

2. IOM helps tackle gender inequalities in Carpathians

3. Chronik-Fotos – only in Ukrainian

Switzerland held the OSCE Chairmanship in 2014 – for the second time since it first held the post in 1996. In 2015, Switzerland continues at the helm of the OSCE within the framework of the Troika, which comprises the current Chair, Serbia, the previous year's Chair, Switzerland, and the country that takes over the Chair in the following year, Germany. The purpose of the Troika is to ensure continuity in the OSCE's political priorities.

Of prime important for the OSCE is the need to continue in 2015 its efforts to de-escalate and overcome the crisis in Ukraine. Switzerland remains committed to finding a political solution to the conflict on the basis of the Minsk agreements of September 2014 that were negotiated between the Trilateral Contact Group and representatives of the separatist groups from eastern Ukraine. The Trilateral Contact Group comprises representatives of Ukraine and Russia. Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini of Switzerland continues to work in this body as special envoy of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.  Switzerland supports the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMMU) financially and by seconding experts. The SMMU was established on 21 March 2014 under the Swiss Chairmanship and with the agreement of all OSCE participating States.

The Ukraine crisis has brought to the surface a crisis of confidence among the participating States. For this reason Switzerland attaches great importance to cooperative security and restoring confidence within Europe. In close cooperation with Serbia and Germany, Switzerland set up a group of 15 eminent persons mandated to draw conclusions from the Ukraine crisis and to support the OSCE participating States in conducting an inclusive and constructive dialogue on security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region.