Supporting Ukrainian women who have suffered violence is priority for Latvia's development cooperation - Foreign Ministry

RIGA - Supporting Ukrainian women who have suffered violence is one of Latvia's priorities in the context of development cooperation, Foreign Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica (New Unity) said during a meeting with representatives of the Women's Informational and Consultative Centre, an organization for the protection of Ukrainian women’s rights.

The organization's experts work with the issues of women’s rights in the context of war and provide support to victims of sexual violence in Ukraine. A week-long study visit to Latvia is taking place as part of a development cooperation project financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by Latvia's Marta Resource Centre for Women.

At the beginning of the conversation, Kalnina-Lukasevica condemned in the strongest terms the missile strikes on civilians and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine launched by Russia. 

"Russia will be held accountable for its war crimes. They cannot go unpunished. At the moment, the West needs to increase deliveries of weapons to Ukraine so that it could protect its people and stop Russia," Kalnina-Lukasevica said.

During the meeting, Kalnina-Lukasevica noted that assistance to victims of war was one of Latvia’s priorities for its development cooperation in Ukraine. At the same time, it is vital that all possible evidence be documented in order to ensure that Russia is held to account for its actions. 

The parliamentary secretary highlighted the partners’ selfless efforts and cooperation between Latvian and Ukrainian organizations, and she underlined that Latvia was prepared to further strengthen cooperation through providing every kind of support for Ukraine.

The Ukrainian organizations gave a presentation on their work to update the national plan of Ukraine for the implementation, under war-time conditions, of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1,325 on women, peace, and security. Sharing experience in those matters is a vital part of the Ukrainian partners’ visit. In the course of the conversation, several issues were identified on which assistance to civilians in Ukraine should be continued or expanded.