Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation at the Women Leading Local Recovery Conference

Yuliana Onishchuk, CEO & Founder of Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, spoke at the international online conference “Women Leading Local Recovery: Entrepreneurship, Empowerment & the Social Economy in Ukraine”, organized by the Centre for European Perspective (Slovenia) and the European Business Association (Ukraine).

The event took place on September 23, 2025, and focused on the role of women in Ukraine’s recovery processes, the development of entrepreneurship, and the social economy. During her speech, Yuliana Onishchuk presented the results of the nationwide study “Barriers and challenges faced by women during their professional transition to the solar energy sector”, conducted by the foundation, and introduced the training program Solar Step, designed to help women gain the knowledge and skills needed to work in the renewable energy sector.

“We see tremendous potential for women in the development of solar energy and in strengthening Ukraine’s energy independence. The Solar Step program reflects global trends: the growing international demand for solar energy professionals, record investments in solar energy in 2024, the active development of renewables in Ukraine under the National renewable energy action plan until 2030, and the government’s focus on retraining women for traditionally ‘male’ professions, supported by the Ministry of economy of Ukraine,” said the CEO & Founder of the foundation. “At the same time, our program addresses the needs of Ukrainian women identified in our study: limited access to practical, specialized knowledge, lack of mentoring support, and a shortage of visible success stories.”

The conference brought together experts and women leaders from Ukraine and Slovenia to discuss ways to strengthen women’s leadership, tools to support small and medium-sized businesses, and the role of women as a driving force in community recovery.