What Are IDP Councils?
Following Russia’s invasion of Crimea and parts of Donetska and Luhanska oblasts, 275,695 Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes and settle in other parts of the country. Since February 24, 2022, the number of internally displaced persons has increased rapidly. According to the Ministry of Social Policy, as of December 20, 2023, there were 4.9 million registered IDPs in Ukraine. The majority of them are women, and approximately 40% are men.
The main issues that IDPs in Ukraine face include restoring lost documents and gaining access to benefits, difficulties integrating into a new environment, the need for psychological assistance, and finding housing and employment.
The Councils for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP Councils) help IDPs deal with these and other problems.
The Councils on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP Councils) are advisory bodies under the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Kyiv city, Sevastopol city, oblast, and raion state (military) administrations.
The IDP Councils are established following a respective decree. Their task is to implement regional policy in the field of ensuring and protecting the rights and interests of internally displaced persons. In addition, the IDP Councils support the activities of local communities and help develop effective mechanisms for the adaptation and integration of IDPs.
The first five IDP Councils were established in 2019 with the support of the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services. As of December 2023, there are more than 750 of them.
Finding the right IDP Council is easy with our interactive map.
Why Do IDP Councils Exist?
Here are just a few of their primary objectives:
- Supporting the realization of civil and political rights of IDPs, involving them in the development and control of regulations, submitting proposals and recommendations for the development of public-private partnerships to address the issues of adaptation and integration of internally displaced persons in territorial communities;
- Supporting and protecting the rights and interests of IDPs on social protection, housing and employment, psychosocial, medical and legal assistance, and other issues;
- Supporting the work of territorial communities and the development of effective mechanisms for adaptation and integration of IDPs;
- Supporting the attraction of domestic and foreign investors, public and international associations, and charitable organizations to the development of infrastructure and capacities of territorial communities.
The full list of objectives of the IDP Councils can be found here.
How Were IDP Councils Established?
The establishment of IDP Councils is a difficult multi-year process that began in 2018.
After the end of the active phase of hostilities, most specialized organizations that helped the affected population began to realize that it was time to involve them in solving their own problems and give them a voice at the community level. What experts call participatory democracy tools and accountability mechanisms were defined by IDPs as their need to be heard and feel part of the community, not its problem.
When a certain group of people cannot benefit from local programs or participate in local decision-making, it is not only unfair but also inefficient. Unaware of the needs and opportunities of IDPs, communities often made wrong decisions and wasted budget funds on things that IDPs did not need.
That is why the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services team developed the concept of IDP Councils, which gave impetus to the development of the first Model Regulations and the search for regulatory justification for these bodies.
The first five IDP Councils were established by the CF Stabilization Support Services as part of the project “Strengthening the Participation of Internally Displaced Persons in the Democratic Processes of Local Self-Government”. In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic and changes in government priorities, the process of establishing IDP Councils slowed down but picked up speed again the following year. By submitting proposals to the IDP Integration Strategy until 2024, we launched advocacy work to establish Councils across the country.
Situation Following the Full-Scale Invasion
After the outbreak of full-scale war (2022), the drafting of the Model Regulations on the IDP Council and the updated State Policy Strategy on IDPs began.
In August 2023, the Model Regulations on the IDP Council were approved.
This year, with our support and initiative, 102 IDP Councils were established in 21 oblasts of Ukraine. We created 25 IDP Councils within the United Voices in Action project framework, which aims to bring together IDPs, members of host communities, the government, and the media to resolve conflicts at the local level. By the end of the year, we plan to establish 6 more IDP Councils.
For years, our Foundation has been strengthening the network of councils, training new participants, and developing methodologies that will help the Councils to develop and work effectively in the interests of the affected population.
We aim to further develop high-quality communication between IDP Councils across Ukraine and provide them with mentoring and institutional support.
Several large international organizations, such as UNHCR or IREX, are currently working with IDP Councils.
Legal and Regulatory Framework
The work of the IDP Councils is regulated by the Model Regulation on the IDP Council, approved in August 2023. This regulation defines their composition and tasks and recommends that state (military) administrations and local governments establish such Councils to integrate IDPs into communities.
Other relevant documents include the State Policy Strategy on Internal Displacement until 2025 and the Operational Action Plan for its implementation in 2023-2025.
Composition of IDP Councils
The Councils should consist of up to 30 people, half of whom should be IDPs.
It is now important to clearly define the composition of IDP Councils, with due regard for the interests of internally displaced persons, to expand the list of documents for candidates, and to agree on cases when the powers of Council members are terminated early.
Projects to Support and Develop IDP Councils
The project brings together IDPs, host community members, government, and media to address local conflicts, promote IDP integration, and support the development of local and national plans for IDP integration and stabilization in Ukraine.
The United Voices in Action program is implemented by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX in Ukraine) together with the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services with the support of the U.S. Department of State.
It is being implemented in 25 communities in 15 oblasts of Ukraine. The main audience of the program is IDP children aged 6-18, IDPs aged 30+, members of host communities, government officials, and the media.
Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons
This project aims to help the social protection system overcome the consequences of the hostilities and military occupation.
Since June 2022, we have been researching the needs of social protection departments and providing them with the necessary technical equipment to register IDPs, conducting educational webinars and workshops, advocating for the rights of IDPs, and providing them with consultations. Starting in 2023, the project will be scaled up to support social protection institutions and professionals from all 24 oblasts of the country in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
Key Events
First Forum of IDP Councils “Changing Ukraine!”
On August 17-18, 2023, our Foundation held a congress of IDP Councils in Poltava with the participation of local authorities, IDPs, and civil society activists.
The two-day event brought together 11 speakers, 7 charitable organizations, and representatives of initiative groups for the establishment of IDP Councils from four oblasts — Poltavska, Sumska, Kharkivska, and Luhanska. Over the course of two days, the participants of the IDP Councils, human rights defenders from the civil society sector, and local authorities discussed ways to address the immediate problems of IDPs and their long-term adaptation to host communities.
Second Forum of IDP Councils “Changing Ukraine!”
On September 6-7, 2023, our Foundation organized the second large-scale Eastern Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils, “Changing Ukraine!” in Dnipro.
The event was attended by 22 speakers: representatives of charitable and civic human rights organizations and IDP Councils from Dnipropetrovska, Zaporizka, Donetska, Khersonska oblasts, and local authorities. During two days of panel discussions, they discussed the challenges of internal displacement in the regions and long-term solutions to facilitate the integration of IDPs into communities.
More than 100 people joined the event. Representatives of IDP Councils, authorities of Dnipropetrovska, Zaporizka, Donetska, and Kherson regions, experts, and representatives of charitable and civil society organizations met at the same venue.
Third Forum of IDP Councils “Changing Ukraine!”
In October 2023, the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services held the Third Forum of IDP Councils “Changing Ukraine!” in Lviv. Representatives of government and local authorities, NGOs and charitable foundations, IDP Councils, and initiative groups from Volynska, Ivano-Frankivska, Lvivska, Rivnenska, Ternopilska and Chernivetska oblasts met at one venue.
All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils
In early November 2023, the first All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils was held. It was attended by almost five hundred people. The Forum has become a powerful platform for dialogue between representatives of IDP Councils, the government and civil society sectors, and international human rights organizations.
Starting from Scratch: How IDPs are Supported in Zakarpattia
As part of the United Voices in Action project, we held a regional forum in Uzhhorod called Starting from Scratch: How IDPs are Supported in Zakarpattia.
It was attended by activists, IDPs, and representatives of local authorities. Specifically, they discussed the main challenges related to meeting the needs of internally displaced persons, their adaptation, and socialization in host communities in the new location.
On June 20, as part of the United Voices in Action program, a regional forum, “IDP Integration in Dnipropetrovska Oblast: Challenges, Solutions, and the Influence of the IDP Council,” was held in Dnipro.
During the forum, representatives of local authorities, civil society, charitable foundations, relocated businesses, and IDPs discussed the main challenges faced by IDPs. Another topic was the adaptation and socialization of internally displaced persons in new communities, as Dnipropetrovska oblast ranks first in Ukraine in terms of the number of IDPs.
Together We Will Succeed: Efforts of Communities and IDPs for the Development of the Region
The event’s main topic was the employment of IDPs in Chernivetska oblast. The event was attended by representatives of local and state authorities, including Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU, who emphasized that professionals who have moved to other regions have significant human resources potential.
The event participants signed a resolution to participate in developing and approving an updated strategy on IDPs.
Useful Links
Facebook platform for IDP Councils
Model Regulations on IDP Councils
United Voices in Action project
Сторінка в Facebook
