The President of “Voice of Romni” continues her work in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting 2026.

On September 23, she participated in the Ukraine Action Network Working Session, focused on international support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war and on how to help communities not only withstand the challenges they face today, but also recover and continue to develop.

For “Voice of Romni,” it is essential that international assistance and funding reach those working directly with people and communities. Local organizations have a deep understanding of the needs of their communities, have earned people’s trust, and can respond quickly to changing circumstances. That is why they need greater direct access to resources, flexible and long-term funding, and a meaningful role as full partners in decision-making.

It is equally important to highlight women’s leadership. During the full-scale war, Ukrainian women have taken on significant responsibility: supporting people, leading organizations, working within communities, and developing new solutions. Roma women are part of this movement as well, playing an important role in Ukraine’s women’s movement and leading change in their communities.

The NGO “Voice of Romni” has followed this same path — from a local initiative in Zaporizhzhia supporting Roma women to an organization with offices in four regions of Ukraine, three of them operating in frontline regions. During this time, we have supported more than 116,000 people, including internally displaced people, residents of frontline areas, Roma communities, military families, large families, and other vulnerable groups.

For us, it is important that the needs and priorities of Roma communities, internally displaced people, and other vulnerable groups are reflected in Ukraine’s broader recovery and development processes, and that their needs are taken into account in national and international support programmes.This is what Anzhelika Bielova, together with other strong Ukrainian civil society organizations, is advocating for at the Clinton Global Initiative: bringing the experience of civil society to international discussions and contributing to conversations about Ukraine’s future and the country’s recovery — a recovery that must be fair, inclusive, and long-term.International support should not only respond to today’s needs. It should also invest in local capacities, women’s leadership, and community resilience, creating the conditions for sustainable recovery and development in the long term.