Poltava oblast is one of the regions where communities are actively involved in the creation of IDP councils. So far, we have helped to form 4 councils in Myrhorod, Lubny, Bilotserkivka, and Kotelva communities. By the end of July, local authorities are to decide to establish councils in Opishnia, Novi Sanzhary, and Zinkiv.
The communities of the region not only support the proposals of our team, but also take the initiative to launch advisory bodies dealing with IDP issues. We are happy to help them implement all the ideas designed to facilitate the integration of IDPs.
Roman Shyrokykh, the project’s regional coordinator, told us about the peculiarities of creating IDP councils in Poltava oblast.
About working with initiative groups: “Usually, we make an online announcement, for example, on the website of a city or village council, about the gathering of an initiative group to create IDP councils, with a link to a Google questionnaire. In the course of two weeks, we form the group and hold a meeting to talk about the concept of an IDP council and how it works in other communities. Then we adapt our model regulations to the realities of the community. After that, the initiative group writes a letter to the local authorities about the need to create an IDP council. If the authorities immediately support this initiative, no such letter is needed.”
About community activity: “When we started working with the target communities to establish IDP councils, particularly in Myrhorod and Lubny, other communities in the region asked for our help, as they also wanted to form such advisory bodies. We held a series of meetings with regional and district leaders and managers and agreed on a format of cooperation with these communities. We are currently checking both their regulations on IDP councils and their composition — and recommending ways to improve their work. In addition, we can provide communities with a template for the regulations so that they can work on these topics themselves. Totally, the project has established 35 advisory bodies in the region that deal with IDP issues: working groups, public councils, and IDP councils are among them.”
About the involvement of IDPs: “The situation varies from community to community. For example, the IDP community in Myrhorod is quite active. The evening after the announcement about the initiative group was published, we received calls asking what an IDP council is and how they can join it. The local IDP council consists exclusively of IDPs. Contrariwise, the Novi Sanzhary community is smaller, there are fewer IDPs in it, and they are less active. That is why we work there on a targeted basis with those we know. We also consider the recommendations of our partners regarding initiative IDPs who can be involved in joint work on the council formation.”
About the first results of the councils’ work: “A month of work of the IDP council is not enough for a specific result. Moreover, in a number of communities, the councils are still waiting for strategic sessions. However, on July 5, the IDP council in Kotelva already held its first meeting for the participants to know each other. At the meeting, they presented the Program for Support and Integration of IDPs in the Kotelva Territorial Community for 2023-2025, developments on the IDP social passport, and grant programs for starting a business that can be accessed through Diia app. Additionally, they discussed the problem of employment and the lack of teachers in the field of nature sciences.
The proposed initiatives include encouraging IDPs to sign declarations with local doctors, conducting door-to-door visits, surveying IDPs about their needs, and asking whether they plan to stay in the community. Such data is important for employers: they already face the risk that IDPs do not stay in their jobs for long and return home.”
We are helping to establish IDP councils in target communities as part of the project “Supporting the capacity of the social protection system to register internally displaced persons” funded by the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.