Resistance and change – How we support Ukrainian civil society

Advocating for women's rights and combating violence against women

As a member of the "Alliance for a gender-responsive reconstruction," EAF Berlin was able to initiate a professional event on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Germany and Ukraine, which we hosted as an online café in the summer of 2025. Our cooperation partners included JurFem, the Association of Feminist Lawyers of Ukraine, led by President Krystyna Kit, as well as the German Women Lawyers Association and the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ). The German partners were deeply impressed by the determination with which our JurFem colleagues continue to advocate for the cause, even under the harsh conditions of war. Among other initiatives, JurFem is planning to offer seminars on the Istanbul Convention at selected law faculties.

Local democracy

One of the major challenges for Ukraine is how to continue the decentralization process and strengthen local democratic structures under martial law, which has now been in effect for nearly four years. Experts agree that the decision-making powers granted to municipalities since 2022 have been essential to Ukraine's resilience. This was also the consensus at an event hosted by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Centre for Liberal Modernity (LibMod) in Berlin in November 2025. In fact, decentralization has brought more women into positions of responsibility in city councils, mayoral offices, and administration. A key goal of our former project "Together for democracy", conducted in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, was therefore to empower women active in local politics and to foster cross-border networking. Martial law, by contrast, reinforces centralizing tendencies and carries the risk that Ukraine's "old system"—characterized by the close entanglement of oligarchs with the central government and administration—could regain the upper hand. The recent corruption scandal in the energy sector is a testament to this.

A strong civil society

However, this is countered by a very vigilant and engaged civil society with its numerous initiatives and associations, whose role as a "watchdog" cannot be overstated. At the 20th anniversary event of the "Kyiv Dialogue" held in Berlin, Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, gave an impressive account of his perspective on Ukrainian civil society. He noted that it draws its strength primarily from three currents: the traditions of the American civil rights movement, the Western European student and alternative movements, and the discourses of Central and Eastern European intellectuals and dissidents. There was also consensus that direct cooperation with civil society organizations should become a priority of EU policy. This is all the more important given that financial support has been halted under Trump.

In this light, we feel further encouraged to cooperate with organizations like "Diya" in Odesa or JurFem in Kyiv, and to continue supporting dedicated local politicians in places like Dobroslav and Mykolaiv – see our call for donations!