On November 14, Ukrinform agency hosted an online presentation of the most comprehensive information manual for internally displaced persons. It consists of 12 sections and includes detailed information on public services and mechanisms for providing assistance under quarantine and martial law.
In the frames of the United Voices in Action program, lawyers of Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services in coordination with IREX team have analyzed more than 80 regulations and compiled guidelines related to social benefits, provision of public services and granting special statuses, children’s rights, payments to pensioners, housing issues and many topical issues. The document can be used by IDPs themselves, as well as by representatives of NGOs or public authorities working directly with IDPs – for example, specialists of Center for Provision of Administrative Services or Social Protection Departments.
The Manual was prepared in partnership with the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The compilation was presented by CF SSS lawyers together with the legal expert of the Foundation Valeriia Vershynina. They acquainted the audience with the content of each of the 12 sections and stressed that the document will be regularly updated, because the legislation is constantly changing under martial law. In particular, the compilation’s second section, which concerns the assistance to IDPs, will be the one to be updated most frequently. Since the assistance was launched by the government after the martial law introduction, the payment procedure is still changing, including through the social sphere digitalization.
Mykola Kuzhelnyi, the Head of the Service of the IDPs Commissioner at the Ministry of Reintegration, stressed the importance of the manual, as Ukraine is currently facing the largest internal displacement in the history of Europe since the Second World War. According to various estimates, about a third of Ukrainians have left their homes and moved to safer regions of the country. The displacement is chaotic, so it is important to support it at the legal level.
Tetyana Dementieva, Head of the United Voices in Action program in IREX in Ukraine, shared her thoughts on the need for comprehensive support for IDPs and ways in which international organizations can be helpful. In particular, United Voices in Action program is aimed at connecting IDPs to much needed resources (informational, legal, psychosocial, etc.) to help them feel empowered as they relocate from one place to another, advancing local level integration, as well as increasing host communities’ and IDPs’ social cohesion.
“Unfortunately, the problems of IDPs will remain relevant for Ukraine for many years to come. But we will continue to implement programs focused on solving both systemic and individual problems. As an internationally funded program, it is very important for us to work side by side with our government partners and, most importantly, to respond to the needs of the people of Ukraine. Ultimately, IREX works for the people to ensure a positive impact for them.”
This is what Oleksandra Dehtiariova, the Head of the Department for Network Development, Improvement of the Administrative Services Provision Quality and Maintenance of the Administrative Services Register of the Department for Systemic Development of Administrative Services Provision of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, says about the importance of the manual:
“Each story of the internally displaced persons is unique and often sad. They lose not only their past life, but also documents confirming their identity or place of residence. This hinders the procedural receipt of administrative services. In order to maintain a balance between compliance with the law and assistance to citizens, we held regular consultations for Centers for Provision of Administrative Services, explained how to resolve controversial issues – for example, how to issue an IDP certificate to a child who moved to a safe place not with the parents, and not even with relatives.
At first, Centers for Provision of Administrative Services lacked clear instructions, a sort of questions and answers compilation, so we tried to compile them. It’s based on such instructions, as well as webinars on the provision of internal displacement-related services, held together with CF SSS representatives, that this IDPs manual was created. We are happy to share it on all our resources”.
A compilation of useful information for IDPs can be downloaded here.