UNDP is committed to making gender equality, a basic human right and a necessity for a sustainable world, a reality. Women's empowerment and gender equality are vital to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which envisions a world “of universal respect for human rights and human dignity” in which “every woman and girl enjoys full gender equality and all legal, social and economic barriers to their empowerment have been removed.” 

While being a stand-alone goal (SDG 5), gender equality cuts across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is reflected in 45 targets and 54 indicators for the SDGs. The SDGs cannot be attained if half of the world's population are denied access to resources and opportunities for education, employment, and decision-making. Thus, gender equality and women's empowerment are central to the mandate of UNDP for delivering positive development results.

The UNDP Ukraine Gender Equality Strategy 2019-2022, the first such strategy of the country office, provides a road map to elevate and integrate gender equality into all aspects of UNDP's work to reduce poverty, build resilience and achieve peace in communities and territories, helping to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda.