We continue to organize educational events for representatives of IDP Councils, focusing on enhancing knowledge of legislative policies in the field of the protection of the rights and interests of internally displaced persons. Last week, our regional team conducted a workshop for 15 participants of the IDP Council in Nadvirna, Ivano-Frankivska Oblast. The workshop’s theme was “Communication Between the IDP Council and Government Bodies Through the Lens of Ukraine’s Laws ‘On Access to Public Information’ and ‘On Citizens’ Appeals’.”
During the event, participants acquired practical skills in drafting and submitting information requests and citizens’ appeals. A range of topics was thoroughly discussed, including:
- The principle of openness of information
- Definition and characteristics of public information
- Main ways to exercise the right to access public information
- Access to information that has not been created
- The requesters and holders of public information
- The difference between a request and an appeal
- Whether the IDP Council should pay for public information if the holder demands it, and the grounds for refusal to provide information
- Appealing refusals in access to information
Svitlana Demyanchuk, the regional coordinator of the Foundation in Ivano-Frankivska Oblast, explained, “It is crucial for the IDP Council to be able to find and obtain information in a form and manner that is convenient since submitting a public information request and receiving a response provides such a legal opportunity. Additionally, members of the IDP Council can familiarize themselves with information published by government bodies and local authorities in official sources and attend meetings of collegial bodies (executive committee meetings, local council sessions, or various commission meetings in government bodies and local self-government bodies). You can also use information provided by open data information services.”
The workshop was packed with useful information and provided participants with the necessary knowledge about access to public information. After the event, one of the participants took the workshop materials, stating she would use them as a cheat sheet at home. She mentioned that it was the first time she learned that information could be obtained from officials in such a short time frame and that it was their duty, not a matter of goodwill.
We hold educational events for representatives of IDP Councils as part of the Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons project, funded by the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
