With the assistance of our Foundation, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the first Coordination IDP Council was created in Chernivtsi! It will operate under the Executive Committee of the City Council.
Why is it important and which functions will this body perform?
Currently, more than 60,000 displaced persons are registered in the Chernivtsi region alone. We believe that these people are not only subjects of assistance: they should influence local politicians and take an active part in the life of the host community, primarily to protect their own rights and freedoms. IDP Councils are instruments for the realization of such rights.
Thus, Chernivtsi became the first Ukrainian city where the IDP council was registered after February 24, 2022. It includes a team member of our Foundation, the lawyer of the “United Voices in Action” project. The first meeting, which took place on July 15, was attended by Yuriy Lesyuk, Deputy Mayor for the Activities of Executive Bodies of the City Council, representatives of the Social Policy Department of the City Council and representatives of charitable foundations: “Stabilization Support Services”, “Right to Protection”, “CrimeaSOS” and others. The regulations governing the activities of the IDP Council were developed by the lawyers of our organization.
“At the meeting, in particular, the sensitive issue of resettlement of places of compact settlement was raised. However, now we can influence similar decisions of the local council and protect the interests of IDPs. Also, our organization plans to join working groups that will lobby for the rights of displaced persons to education and medical care equal to those of the local residents,” explains Artem Musienko, lawyer of CF SSS and member of the IDP council in Chernivtsi.
In addition, it was proposed to create an experimental procedure: representatives of international and non-governmental organizations will be on duty at the Center for Provision of Administrative Services, offering IDP registration services. In this way, we and our partners will be able to promptly assist the displaced persons and be aware of their needs.
We continue to work on the creation of IDP Councils in other Ukrainian cities that actively host internally displaced persons. This project is one of the top priority in the activities of CF “SSS”. We would like to thank our partners — the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the CF “Right to Protection”.
Do you want to contribute to the creation of the IDP council in your region? Write us at [email protected]
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This activity became possible within the framework of the “United Voices in Action” program, implemented by IREX in Ukraine together with the Charitable Organization “Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” and with the support of the U.S. State Department.