On the Occasion of the Kyiv Security Forum April 2026

23 April 2026

We, Nobel Peace Prize laureates of Nobel Women’s Initiative, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and with the women whose leadership, resilience, and courage are sustaining communities and shaping the path toward justice.

At a time when Ukraine continues to endure relentless attacks, we write to express our unwavering support and solidarity. We unequivocally condemn Russia’s ongoing aggression and the grave violations of human rights and international law that have accompanied it.

As discussions about Ukraine’s future continue to unfold, one point must be made clear: the human dimension must be restored to the center of decision-making, grounded in the lives, rights, and dignity of those most affected. Too often, these discussions are reduced to territories, resources, and geopolitical arrangements.

When people are forgotten, when occupied territories are spoken of as empty spaces, the reality of this war is obscured. Occupation is not a neutral condition; it is a continuation of violence, marked by repression, fear, and constant threat. Ignoring these realities leads to flawed approaches that cannot deliver a just or lasting peace.

There can be no just or lasting peace without accountability. Justice is essential, and those responsible must be held to account.

Ukrainian civil society has made this clear from the beginning. And across Ukraine, women have been at the forefront, sustaining communities, documenting war crimes, supporting survivors, and demanding justice. They are leading in occupied territories, in detention, in displacement, and in communities rebuilding under constant threat.

Ukrainian women are not waiting to be included. They are already leading. Yet too often, their voices, and the voices of those most affected, remain excluded from political and security decision-making. This must change.

Women must have equal and meaningful participation in all peace negotiations, including in key decision-making spaces and forums such as the Kyiv Security Forum. The commitments of the Women, Peace and Security agenda must be upheld, not only in principle, but in practice.

This must be matched by sustained and flexible funding for women-led and feminist civil society organizations, whose work is essential and too often under-resourced in efforts toward justice, recovery, and lasting peace.

We also recognize that this war is fought not only on the battlefield, but in the information space. The manipulation of truth and the erosion of trust are part of the strategy of war. Defending truth is part of defending democracy, and part of defending Ukraine.

To the people of Ukraine: we honour your courage, your resistance, and your determination to defend your future. We see the leadership of women who continue to hold communities together and demand justice in the face of immense pressure. We stand with you.

And we will continue to insist that all paths to peace must begin with the people of Ukraine and remain accountable to those whose lives, rights, and futures are most affected.

Nobel Women’s Initiative is led by eight women Nobel Peace Prize laureates - Jody Williams (USA), Shirin Ebadi (Iran), Tawakkol Karman (Yemen), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala), Narges Mohammadi (Iran), Maria Ressa (Philippines) and Oleksandra Matviichuk (Ukraine).

Women are crucial to attaining lasting peace, and yet in times of war and conflict they are seen as victims, and too often excluded from formal peace-building processes. The laureates know the importance of women peacebuilders, and the challenges they face firsthand. At NWI they work together to use the platform and access that the Nobel Peace Prize offers to elevate the voices and support the work of women peace activists around the world.