In 2025, the Support to the Capacity of Government Institutions and Local Hromadas to Strengthen Social Protection Systems in Ukraine project operated across 23 regions, combining assistance to people affected by the war with the development of hromada and state institutional capacity. The project was implemented with the support of the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
The year demonstrated that a resilient social protection system is built when support for individuals goes hand in hand with the strengthening of social services and local policy.
Strengthening the Capacity of Local Social Services
The project supported facilities, institutions, and executive structural units of the social protection system, as well as other institutions providing social services in target hromadas.
Over the course of the year, 4,033 social sector professionals upgraded their qualifications in crisis counselling, case management, burnout prevention, and other topics. This contributed to improved quality of social services in 154 institutions.
A dedicated area of work was material and technical support: hromadas received 264 sets of workplace equipment, mobile workstations, equipment and furniture for social service training centres.
Social workers also received 223 bicycles to provide home care services. In frontline and remote hromadas, this enabled improved regular social outreach to elderly people and people with disabilities.
Forums for the Social Sphere and IDP Councils
An important area of the project’s work was forums that brought together representatives of the social sphere, civil society, local authorities, and IDP Councils to share experiences and develop joint solutions.
Throughout the year, 7 regional Social Sphere During Wartime forums took place (Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Poltava, Lviv), as well as the Southern Ukrainian Forum “Cities of Solidarity“ for hromadas of Mykolaivska, Odeska, and Khersonska oblasts. Professionals from social protection institutions discussed practical challenges of working under martial law, new approaches to social service delivery, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation between hromadas.
With the project’s support, the National Forum of Social Service Providers “Caring Communities” was held. The event brought together representatives of state institutions, hromadas, and international partners to discuss the development of the social protection system at the local level.
IDP Councils received dedicated platforms for cooperation. During the year, 4 interregional IDP Council forums were held (Eastern Ukrainian, Central Ukrainian, Western Ukrainian, and Southern Ukrainian), uniting 304 representatives from 156 councils. During these gatherings, participants exchanged successful practices, developed partnerships with local self-government bodies, and worked on initiatives to strengthen IDP participation in hromada decision-making.
In autumn, we held the III All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils. The forum was attended by 252 members from 116 IDP Councils, as well as representatives of civil society, government, and international organisations, who together reflected on the role of IDP Councils, their influence on recovery and integration processes within local self-government systems and national policy.
During the event, CF SSS presented the Declaration of Intent entitled “Sustainable and Quality Reconstruction: Involving Councils on Internally Displaced Persons in the Reconstruction Process.” The national award “For the Future” — a recognition for the most active IDP Council members — was also presented for the first time.
Protecting the Rights of Persons Affected by War
Legal assistance remained one of the project’s key areas of work.
In 2025, over 14,100 individual legal consultations were provided on document restoration, social payments, compensation for destroyed housing, and the rights of IDPs and war-affected populations.
94% of people reported that the consultations helped them resolve their issues.
Over 1,100 people attended seminars that helped them become better informed about exercising their rights and freedoms.
In addition, 31 informational materials were produced during the project to help people navigate complex social protection procedures independently.
IDP Councils as Part of Local Policy
The project systematically supported IDP Councils as new participants in local policy.
Through training, strategic sessions, and consultations, over 3,000 IDP Council representatives were engaged. As a result, IDP councils were able to systematically represent the interests of displaced persons, participate in the development of local support programmes, and advocate for housing and social solutions.
An IDP Council mapping was conducted, and a Map of IDP Councils of Ukraine was created, encompassing 882 IDP Councils. The register united these initiatives into a shared network and strengthened their interaction with local self-government bodies.
Hromadas Making Data-Driven Decisions
Project teams assisted hromadas in updating social passports — a tool for assessing the population’s social service needs. Through this collaboration, 35 hromadas developed social passports.
98% of hromadas integrated this data into decision-making processes, and 70% are using it to create new local support programmes for IDPs and vulnerable population groups.
Advocacy for Systemic Change
Together with hromadas and IDP Councils, the project participated in advocating for changes in housing policy and social protection.
Through amendments to local regulatory acts and the development of new documents, 409 IDPs and other war-affected individuals received additional social protection and support. The total amount of funds additionally allocated from local budgets amounted to 2,605.7 thousand hryvnias. Hromadas also earmarked 11,597.0 thousand hryvnias for the continuation and expansion of relevant social activities in 2026.
Results in the area of IDP housing rights: thanks to the mechanisms introduced, 121 IDPs were registered for housing from temporary accommodation stocks; 6 properties were included in such stocks; 12 people received temporary housing. In addition, hromadas allocated 1,405.2 thousand hryvnias from local budgets for the development of design and estimate documentation for 2 properties, with a further 6,142.0 thousand hryvnias earmarked for their reconstruction in 2026.
2025 confirmed that support for people must go hand in hand with institutional development. A resilient social protection system is built where hromadas, the government, and civil society work together.
This is precisely where the project sees its role — helping to build an environment in which every person can receive assistance, and hromadas have the resources for development and recovery.
We will continue to help improve the functioning of the social protection system. All of these initiatives are implemented through the Support to the Capacity of Government Institutions and Local Hromadas to Strengthen Social Protection Systems in Ukraine project, carried out with the support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.