Geneva, 2 March 2023 -- TIME named ILGA World Board member Olena Shevchenko to the 2023 TIME Women of the Year list, recognising 12 extraordinary leaders fighting for a more equal world.

The full list and related tributes appear in the March 13 / March 20 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, March 10, and now at time.com/women-of-the-year. Follow @TIME for updates about the list on Twitter and Instagram and at Facebook.com/TIME.

Olena Shevchenko co-founded the Kyiv-based non-profit Insight in 2017 to support women and LGBTQI communities, and has been a Board member of ILGA World since 2019.

ILGA World congratulates Olena for this outstanding recognition, and continues to be in solidarity with her work, and with our communities worldwide who keep overcoming specific, immense hardships during times of conflict. 

TIME’s 2023 Women of the Year list comprises 12 women who have made significant impact in their respective communities and fields, from activism and government to sports and the arts. “In Ukraine, where Olena Shevchenko has spent years advocating for women’s and LGBTQI rights, Russia’s war has made marginalised groups even more vulnerable and Shevchenko’s work all the more urgent”, the media outlet points out.

Olena Shevchenko was named to TIME's 2023 Women of the Year list
recognising extraordinary leaders fighting for a more equal world>/em>

Marking one year since the start of the war in Ukraine, a group of organisations – including ILGA-Europe, our region working on Europe and Central Asia – issued a joint statement praising the Ukrainian LGBTIQ community for all it has accomplished: “During this very difficult year, the community has helped thousands of people survive, while also strengthening the movement and maintaining its visibility.”

The United Nations has identified LGBTI people as a group specifically affected by the war in Ukraine. Working alongside ILGA-Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Refugee has published recommendations for humanitarian actors working with LGBTI people affected by the war in Ukraine.