This year, our team once again attempted to secure the participation of representatives from IDP Councils in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), to be held on July 10–11 in Rome.
On May 7, we announced an open call for applications, received 271 submissions, compiled a list of qualifying candidates, and forwarded it to the Ministry of National Unity as part of our preliminary agreements. We also set aside funds in our administrative budget to cover all expenses for any delegates invited to the event.
As of June 26, not one of the candidates we put forward from the IDP Councils has received an invitation to the conference. We are striving to ensure the voices of IDP Councils are an integral part of the national and international dialogue on Ukraine’s recovery. IDP Councils, along with their host communities, have unique experience and responsibilities in the recovery process that cannot be excluded from decision-making.
We are grateful to every person who applied and who shares our conviction that an inclusive recovery is the only sustainable path forward.
We are not aware of the reasons why our proposed candidates were not accepted by the conference’s Italian organizers. Nonetheless, we will continue working to make the inclusion of IDP Councils an essential part of the international dialogue on Ukraine’s recovery.