Delegation: People-Centered Peace in Ukraine

From L-R: Tawakkol Karman, Leymah Gbowee, Jody Williams and Maria Butler during the 2022 Poland-Ukraine delegation.

Introduction

Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine has entered its fourth year, with devastating consequences: nearly 13,000 civilians killed, 30,000 injured, and over 9 million displaced. At least 20,000 children have been abducted, and millions of people live under occupation marked by terror, torture, and enforced disappearances. Civilian infrastructure continues to be targeted in daily attacks.

Peace negotiations have picked up momentum, but have mainly focused on territorial concessions, mineral, military and political deals. The voices of those who have been most affected by the war – survivors of Russian atrocities, people in occupied territories, women who have held society together – are painfully absent. A just and sustainable peace cannot be achieved without centering the voices of victims and survivors of war, meaningfully including women in all aspects of peace and decision-making and ensuring accountability and justice for war crimes. 

Women have played crucial roles throughout the war. Women-led initiatives have documented war crimes, sustained humanitarian efforts, and ensured essential services. Even before the war, women led half of Ukraine’s businesses, underscoring their centrality to the country’s recovery. Exclusion risks perpetuating inequities and undermining a just and sustainable peace. 

In July 2025, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Leymah Gbowee, Jody Williams and Tawakkol Karman, will join Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, in Ukraine. They will meet with women leaders and engage political stakeholders to highlight the importance of a people-centered approach, including meaningful prioritization of women's voices and rights, in peace negotiations and rebuilding efforts.

Background

In June 2022, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman, and Leymah Gbowee visited Poland and Ukraine to meet displaced women, activists, medics, and more - highlighting women’s vital roles in war. The documentary Oh, Sister, filmed during and after the visit, tells the stories of six women fighting for peace in Ukraine. Following the delegation, United for Ukraine launched the Women Lead program to support women-led recovery projects and businesses in Ukraine, with Nobel Women’s Initiative serving in an advisory role.

Program   

The delegation will start in Krakow, in Poland, and travel to Lviv and Kyiv in Ukraine. Delegates will meet with civil society, and women who played leading roles throughout the war, and engage with political leadership to draw attention to the human dimension of war and women's contributions in fighting for peace and justice. The delegation will advocate for people-centered peace negotiations and inclusive post-war reconstruction frameworks.

Objectives

Key thematic areas explored and raised by the delegation will include: 

• Centering the human dimension in peace-making, including people in occupied territories, survivors of illegal detention, and children abducted by Russia.
• Participation of women in peace negotiations and peace-building, and inclusion of women’s rights as a priority area. 
• The role of women journalists in countering disinformation, the ongoing roles of information warfare and new technological solutions 
• Accountability and justice for survivors of war-crimes, including gender-based violence.
• Gender inclusive recovery plans, including women’s economic empowerment.
• The importance of disarmament, in particular de-mining, to ensuring lasting peace.

Timing   

July 1-6, 2025  

Resources

• Documentary: Oh, Sister!
• "Statement: "Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Outline Conditions for a People-Centered Peace in Ukraine"
• Joint Nobel Laureate Appeal to Seize Frozen Russian State Assets
• 2022 Delegation to Ukraine: Women Leading Peace Together

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