On December 2, 2021, as part of the opening of the Strategic Program for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a panel discussion was held at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School with the participation of representatives of the Canadian Armed Forces and Canada's Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security Jacqueline O'Neill. The Canadian Armed Forces were represented by Chief of the Defense Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces General Wayne Eyre, Chief Warrant Officer of the Canadian Armed Forces Gilles Gregoire, Head of the Individual Training Group of the 12th Rotation of the Canadian Armed Forces under Operation "Unifire" Celine Best.

On February 24, 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 "Women. Peace. Security", one of the goals of which is to improve conditions for the integration of women into the security and defense sector of Ukraine. According to armyinform.com.ua 2021, currently, 31,757 women serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which constitutes 15.6% of the total number of military personnel – compared to 2014, the number of women in the military has doubled. To continue the successful implementation of the resolution in Ukraine, the panel with Canadian experts discussed the experience of the Canadian military in implementing norms and practices regarding gender equality in the Armed Forces. The practice of partners from the Euro-Atlantic alliance is an important benchmark, as the Canadian Armed Forces currently have the most proportional share of women in the military: among four Canadian military personnel, one will be a woman.

Canada's Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security Jacqueline O'Neill emphasized the importance of identifying specific needs for the comfortable presence of women and men in the Armed Forces: "It is extremely important to recognize and consider the differences in talents and capabilities of women and men when we talk about the Armed Forces. They must be meaningfully included in the programs and conditions of military structures. For this, we conduct GB+ (Gender-based Analysis Plus) - a method of identifying differences that provides an understanding of how to adapt the military sphere to make it as comfortable as possible for both genders. We have been conducting such analysis for over 25 years, and it is a mandatory procedure for government-funded projects."

Chief of the Defense Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces General Wayne Eyre commented on the importance of integrating women into the Armed Forces: "For the resilience of the army, we need to consider the characteristics of different population categories to mobilize the maximum number of talents. From a strategic perspective, this is extremely important for Canada. The second important point is the cognitive diversification of the army: the more people with different experiences, characteristics, capabilities, and worldviews, the greater cognitive advantage we have. The third aspect is the ability to interact with a wide range of populations in different countries and situations in which Canada is involved. Therefore, there is a strategic, operational, and tactical advantage in involving women in the Canadian Armed Forces."

Head of the Individual Training Group Celine Best spoke about the perception of women in the army: "Both men and women have the right to family, to express emotions, to femininity and masculinity. We should not let these criteria become a measure of professionalism. Women and men do not have to be masculine or feminine, they have to be themselves."

Chief Warrant Officer of the Canadian Armed Forces Gilles Gregoire emphasized that the state must consider the needs related to the family status of military personnel: "We should not penalize a woman for wanting to have a family. On the contrary, we must help women and men combine service and family. For example, creating institutional conditions in the state for combining work and family, which will allow more women to be involved in the army and promote diversity. Diversity makes us stronger."

One of the emphasized values of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School is the subject and its capabilities. Any system is subject to transformation if different people, aware of their capabilities, their positive boundaries, and their unique qualities, work in and with it. The world is changed by specific people, men and women. "The roles of women and men in the security and defense sector are equally important. The main thing is a high level of expertise, awareness of responsibilities, and love for one's work. The experience of our partners, their vision, and the model of implementing the "Women.Peace.Security" resolution will contribute to the integration of new leaders in the defense sphere, which will qualitatively enhance Ukraine's strategic role on the international stage," – emphasizes the Head of the Strategic Program for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Helena Savruk.

For reference: The Kyiv-Mohyla Business School was the first in Ukraine to launch educational programs for the country's senior military leadership. Since 2017, with the support of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the Office of the President of Ukraine, and with the support of the Governments of Canada and the United Kingdom, the school has been running the "Strategic Leadership in the Security and Defense Sector of Ukraine" program, aimed at developing a modern comprehensive vision of national security in its various interconnected and interdependent areas.

Women. Peace. Security.