Dozens of thematic panels, presentations, training sessions, and workshops. Hundreds of guests, partners, and participants. This is what the All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils was like, held in Kyiv on November 1-3.
The ambitious event brought together nearly five hundred people, including 58 international guests from global organizations that advocate for human rights, primarily those of internally displaced persons. There were also representatives of 38 different civic and non-governmental organizations.
The Forum was attended by 157 representatives of all IDP Councils from 24 oblasts of Ukraine. They reiterated that no one but the IDPs themselves knows best what the IDPs need and how to solve their problems and expedite the provision of assistance. In this regard, the local authorities were initially guided by the experience of people who had been displaced back in 2014. The new IDP Councils, of which there are already more than 500 in Ukraine, can become a powerful driving force for change.
The third day of the Forum saw the informal exhibition “Your Power is to Strive for Victory” by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX in Ukraine) and the Opportunities Fair by the United Voices in Action program. Furthermore, a screening of the Forum Theater performance “In a Circle” with an interactive discussion was held, along with a networking event with various Ukrainian charitable organizations sharing their best practices and experiences with each other.
The decisions of the IDP Councils are not legally binding, yet some thought should be given to how to encourage the authorities to respond to these decisions and how to make the Councils a truly capable body. One of the tools that can contribute to the effectiveness of their work is monitoring the implementation of the recommendations provided by the Councils to local authorities. This was emphasized by representatives of the regional IDP Councils.
Paula Gaviria Betancur, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, emphasized that the IDP Councils, which were introduced in Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion, made the voices of IDPs heard at the highest level and now Ukrainian IDP Councils are a model for the entire world.
“You are moving in the right direction. You are engaging the entire society in IDP Councils, this is strategically advantageous as it is not just about internally displaced persons but about all human capital. The public, business, and the non-profit sector are being involved in the Councils. The Councils provide an opportunity for clear and stable cooperation between IDPs and local authorities,” emphasized the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons.
The participants summarized their work and outlined future directions. The Forum’s outcomes will be reflected in a concluding resolution, which participants and partners are finalizing this week.
The Forum was organized by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in partnership with the Ministry for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, with the support of the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR) and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).
