In Ternopil, experts of the United Voices in Action program, implemented by the international organization IREX together with the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” and with the support of the U.S. Department of State, have presented a large-scale study of local policies and programs that illustrates the respect for the rights of IDPs and their involvement in the life of new communities.
The lawyers have examined a total of 193 legal regulations in 25 communities of 15 oblasts of Ukraine, including Ternopilska Oblast. The study was carried out in several stages. The lawyers analyzed the documents and responses to requests on official websites and then held expert interviews with representatives of local authorities.
It was established that IDPs have restricted opportunities to participate in local decision-making and cannot access some social benefits. This is due to gaps in the community statute, legal regulations, and local targeted programs, which contain a definition of a “registered place of residence”. This was told by Yana Sovyk, the regional lawyer of the United Voices in Action program in Ternopilska Oblast.
“Most statutes do not provide for IDPs to be members of territorial communities, so they are not covered by local targeted programs. Also, IDPs cannot participate in general meetings, public hearings, vote on participatory budgeting projects, or use other tools of local democracy,” she said.
The researchers also came across successful practices. IDPs receive most of the services provided by the Ternopil City Territorial Center for Social Services on an equal footing with local residents. All they need is a certificate of IDP registration.
In February, an IDP Support Council was established in Ternopil, and today, such Councils have been established in 12 communities of the oblast. They are involved in solving issues related to IDPs: assistance, improvement of living conditions, and adaptation in communities. This was stated by Oleh Voronka, deputy director of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Ternopilska Oblast Military Administration. At the same time, IDPs are involved in community life through the Council for Internally Displaced Persons at the Ternopilska Oblast Military Administration.
“The main problems of IDPs are housing and employment. The work of the IDP Council should be aimed at solving these issues. In addition, a comprehensive targeted program for 2023-2025 was adopted to support IDPs in the oblast. It provides for the creation of jobs for IDPs, professional retraining, and the involvement of IDPs in social and cultural life. It also provides for repairing and reconstructing buildings that could become housing for IDPs,” said Oleh Voronka.
As of today, almost 28 thousand IDPs are officially registered in the Ternopil City territorial community. This was reported by Ihor Hirchak, Secretary of the Ternopil City Council. According to him, the city authorities are already processing the recommendations provided by the researchers and are trying to respond promptly to the requests of local associations of IDPs. The issue of housing remains the most pressing, as there is a lack of accommodation in the community.
“We have several Collective Centers for IDPs, which are college dormitories. With the help of international partners, we have organized another CC in the village of Malyshivtsi, and all the rooms are already occupied. The city of Ternopil has also won a €9.5 million grant from the European Union, which will be used to build three multi-story buildings for IDPs. There will be 157 renovated apartments with furniture and appliances,” said Ihor Hirchak.
He also added that the main social support program is currently the Turbota. Although it is intended for registered residents of the community, IDPs in difficult life circumstances can also benefit from it.
Yana Shkuratova, the regional coordinator of the United Voices in Action program in Ternopilska Oblast, said that some of the issues are shared by different oblasts, but at the same time, experts are preparing specific recommendations for the Ternopilska community. She expressed hope that these recommendations would be taken into account.
“The particularity of our oblast is that before the full-scale war, Ternopilska Oblast had the smallest number of IDPs, so creating separate programs was impractical. Problems were solved promptly according to requests. However, now the number of IDPs in the city and the oblast has increased tenfold, so as an IDP, I would like to see a separate program for us in the oblast and the city,” said Yana Shkuratova.
The research team has developed recommendations for local authorities to improve local policies and programs. This includes possible amendments to community statute, as well as to local targeted programs and legal regulations that determine the procedure for benefit assignment and support for certain categories of the population.
Aside from Ternopilska Oblast, these findings will be presented in the 14 other studied oblasts. The United Voices in Action program will send a summary of the recommendations to the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories and other relevant national and local authorities.
This activity was made possible as part of the United Voices in Action program, implemented by the international organization IREX together with the Charitable Organization “Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” and with the support of the U.S. Department of State.