We continue to tell you about the activities of UNHCR regional offices in Ukraine and our partnership.
The second interviewee of our special project is Kateryna Savytska, Head of the UNHCR Chernivtsi Field Office in Ukraine. This hub is in charge of the Chernivetska Oblast, which has hosted over 100,000 IDPs. Our Foundation started cooperation with this field office in February 2013. The joint plans for this year include equipping 12 workplaces in the social security departments of the oblast.
On supporting the social protection system as a priority for UNHCR in Ukraine
Social protection departments are among the key partners in the regions. Cooperating with them and coordinating our work is important for achieving shared results in helping IDPs and host communities.
On the workload of social protection departments in Chernivetska Oblast
Since February 24, 2022, Chernivetska Oblast has hosted almost 110 thousand people. For the region, which had a population of about 890 thousand people as of the beginning of 2022, accommodating so many IDPs was a major challenge. Documentation, psychosocial support, and legal assistance were among the priorities.
On the level of IDP integration into communities
Based on the monitoring of the current situation, the integration of IDPs into communities is generally quite successful. There are examples of NGOs and initiative groups created with the participation of IDPs and local residents.
An IDP Coordination Council Issues was established under the Chernivetska Oblast State Administration, which is a platform and tool for addressing current issues and finding joint solutions to the situation of internal displacement, with the participation of the Oblast State Administration, national and international humanitarian organizations.
On the Field Office’s support to the region’s DoSPs in 2023
At the local level, UNHCR’s field office in Chernivtsi is involved in the work of the IDP Coordination Council under the Chernivetska Oblast State Administration. We also participate in the work of the IDP Coordination Council under the Chernivtsi City Council. In 2023, five UNHCR implementing partners will work in Chernivetska Oblast: Right to Protection, NEEKA, Rokada, Crimea SOS, and Stabilization Support Services. The partners provide legal aid, psychosocial support, community engagement, individual case management, and work with regional communities and IDPs on the ground.
On setting up UNHCR’s work in Ukraine
We operate in various locations. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, everyone has been helping people who were forced to leave their homes. These include cities, urban-type settlements, and villages… The Chernivetska Oblast hosted significant numbers of IDPs compared to the oblast’s area and population before February last year.
On the specifics of the Chernivtsi Field Office and an impressive story
I would like to note the good level of cooperation with the Chernivetska Oblast State Administration and Chernivtsi City Council on IDP-related issues. Joint coordination enables the provision of appropriate assistance to vulnerable IDPs and support to host communities.
The story that impressed me? This is the story of how the oblast responded to the emergency situation related to the massive influx of IDPs from the very first day, on February 24, 2022. This was about a hotline that worked around the clock to accommodate new arrivals: they would find a room for temporary accommodation depending on their individual situation (adults, children, people with disabilities). This was the work of volunteers because during the day, the locals were on the job, and in their off hours, including nighttime, they worked: cooking, arranging accommodation, and so on. Perhaps this is the story of every person who, in those days, as well as now, joined in helping those in need.
On the cooperation of the Field Office with CF Stabilization Support Services within the framework of the project “Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons”
In Chernivetska Oblast, CF Stabilization Support Services has been UNHCR’s implementing partner since February 2013. Currently, several areas for cooperation have been identified. We will be able to discuss the results of the partnership a little later.
This article was developed by the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services with funding from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The content presented in this publication is exclusively the responsibility of the CO CF SSS and should not be interpreted as representing the viewpoint of the Agency.
