Dr. Kateryna Levchenko, the Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy, has been a dynamic member of the Ukrainian government since 2018, and co-founded and served as the first President of the NGO La Strada-Ukraine from 1997-2018. Her versatile career also saw her as a Member of Parliament and a member of the Presidential Commission on Pardons.
Her influence extends globally, as she advocated for Ukraine's participation in Council of Europe conventions focused on human trafficking, children’s rights and violence against women, as well as key international agreements on gender equality. She significantly contributed to the 2022 Ukrainian ratification of the Istanbul Convention, amidst the challenges posed by the war, and through debunking myths about the Convention.
Her enduring cooperation with the Council of Europe spans various roles, from being a member of the Committee on Migration (2009-2010) to an observer on the Ad Hoc Committee for preventing and combating violence against women and Domestic Violence, and later serving as a member of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (2013-2018). Currently, she has been a member of the Council of Europe Gender Equality Commission since 2016, where she also served as Vice-Chair. Dr. Levchenko sits on the Steering Committee of two ongoing Council of Europe projects in Ukraine: Combating Violence against Women in Ukraine and Promoting Gender Equality in Ukraine.
Dr. Levchenko’s impactful contributions resonate not only within the borders of Ukraine but also elevate the Council of Europe’s commitment to advancing gender equality throughout our Member States.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
