VIII Women’s Congress
Feminist Ukraine: a new geopolitical sisterhood
The eighth Women’s Congress in Brussels focused on Ukraine, war, democracy and on how a feminist perspective can change the way we think about security, community and European solidarity.
3 December 2022
Doors open: 9:30
Start: 10:00
K1 KANAL – Centre Pompidou
Avenue du Port 1
1000 Brussels
What the VIII Congress was about
Russia’s war against Ukraine was and remains also a cultural war — directed against human rights, democracy and shared European values. The Congress looked at how propaganda masks colonial aggression and how the role of women is changing in Ukrainian society, the military, politics and the economy.
The idea of Feminist Ukraine asked what Europe could learn from Ukraine’s response to the war. Protecting the rights of women, LGBT+ people and minorities can be not only a response to authoritarianism, but also a way of strengthening democracy and civil society.
In the programme
Four debates
Conversations about war, democracy, women’s rights, Europe and a feminist response to violence and authoritarianism.
Workshops and Cafe Forum
A space for practical work, conversation and exchange of experience beyond the main Congress stage.
Bookshop and fair
A meeting space for books and social initiatives accompanying the VIII Congress.
Accompanying events
Debate at the European Parliament
On 1 December, the debate “The Feminist Ukraine” took place at the European Parliament.
Evenings dedicated to Ukrainian women
Two evenings dedicated to Ukrainian women took place on 1 and 2 December.