The minutes of an IDP Council meeting must be prepared in accordance with current legislation. What should the structure be, and what information is mandatory to include?
The answers to these questions and a sample of a completed document can be found in our practical guide. It will help you quickly prepare the minutes without any unnecessary difficulties.
What are the Minutes of an IDP Council Meeting?
Meeting minutes are the official record of an IDP Council meeting. They capture the course of the meeting, key discussions, adopted decisions, and proposals made.
Purpose of the minutes:
- record the sequence of decisions and statements;
- assign responsible persons and deadlines;
- ensure transparency and accountability to the community and public authorities.
Note: Meetings are the primary form of work for an IDP Council*.
Every meeting must be documented in minutes, which are published on the website of the authority hosting the Council**.
* Based on para. 18 of the Model Regulation on the IDP Council, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 812 of 04.08.2023.
** In the same document, para. 23.
General Formatting Requirements *
Form: full or brief, depending on the meeting’s content.
Paper: official letterhead of the collegial body (if available) or plain A4 paper.
Heading: must state the document type (“Minutes”) and the name of the collegial body.
Numbering and date:
- The date of the minutes matches the meeting date.
- The minutes number is the sequential number of the meeting.
- Numbering is maintained within the calendar year (January 1–December 31).
Indicate the locality where the meeting took place.
* In accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 55 of 17.01.2018.
Introductory Section Content
The opening section of the minutes must include:
- Document title: “Minutes of the Meeting of the IDP Council.”
- Number, date, and location.
- Full name of the chairperson or presiding officer.
- Full name of the secretary.
List of attendees:
First, Council members (alphabetically, with initials).
Then, invited guests (with position and institution, if relevant).
If there are more than 15 attendees, indicate the total number and attach a separate list.
Agenda formatting:
Type “AGENDA:” aligned to the left, followed by a colon.
Leave two line breaks below.
List agenda items, numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), and indicate the presenter for each.
Main Body: Course of the Meeting and Discussion
The main text is structured as: HEARD — SPOKE — RESOLVED (or DECIDED).
HEARD
Typed in uppercase with no left indentation.
Preceded by the agenda item number.
On the next line: initials and surname of the presenter (in the genitive case in Ukrainian; in English, use standard name order).
After the name — an en dash, followed by the report content in direct speech, starting with a capital letter.
SPOKE
Record all speeches and questions.
Name in the nominative case, position in parentheses.
Text in the third person singular, starting with a lowercase letter.
Questions and answers are recorded in the same way.
If a written text is provided, note “The text of the speech is attached to the minutes.”
RESOLVED
Placed after two line breaks from the previous section.
Must state: what will be done, by whom, and within what timeframe.
Structured into points (1, 2…) and subpoints (1), 2)…).
Voting results must be indicated: “FOR — ___ / AGAINST — ___ / ABSTAINED — ___.”
Attachments to the Minutes
Attachments may include:
- speeches, theses, reports;
- draft regulations;
- analytical reports, plans, and decisions discussed and approved.
In the minutes, specify: “The text of the speech/report is attached to the minutes” or name the attached document.
If a document is approved, it must be attached to the minutes, and the document itself must bear the note: “Approved by Minutes No. __ dated __.”
Note: If IDPs or local residents are present at the meeting, their number and the issues they raised must be recorded.
This publication was made with the support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the Charitable Organization “Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” and does not reflect the views of UNHCR.