East SOS Advocacy Specialist Yaroslav Taranets Speaks at the Central Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils

On July 2-3, the Central Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils took place in Bila Tserkva. The event brought together representatives of government, hromadas, and international and national organizations, as well as internally displaced people, to develop solutions for the effective implementation of state support programs and to strengthen the voices of people who were forced to flee their homes due to the war.

East SOS Advocacy Specialist Yaroslav Taranets was a speaker at the discussion panel “What Prevents the Implementation of State Programs for IDPs at the Local Level and How Can These Challenges Be Addressed?”

During his presentation, he outlined the key reasons behind the ineffective implementation of state support programs for IDPs at the local level. The e-Recovery (yeVidnovlennia) program, which remains inaccessible to IDPs from temporarily occupied territories, served as the main case study for discussion.

“We understand that, due to a limited budget, the state is unable to compensate for the full value of all housing lost in the temporarily occupied territories at once. However, another form of injustice is particularly alarming – the discrimination in access to the mechanism for recording losses. Citizens whose property has been damaged in territories under the control of Ukraine can already submit applications, document the damages, and join the waiting list for compensation. At the same time, owners of housing lost in temporarily occupied territories are deprived of this opportunity. This is not about immediate payments to everyone but about ensuring that all affected people have the opportunity to record their losses and receive guarantees of future compensation,” the Advocacy Specialist said.

During the forum, participants from Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv oblasts developed recommendations for local self-government bodies and authorities and discussed the following issues:

• How can barriers to implementing state programs and solutions at the hromada level be overcome so that they effectively address the needs of IDPs?

• What is the role of IDP Councils in the recovery and development of hromadas, and how do they influence government decision-making?

• What prevents the implementation of state programs at the local level, and conversely, which mechanisms have proven effective in practice?

The event was organized by the Stabilization Support Services Charity Foundation in partnership with the Bila Tserkva City Council, with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ukraine.

Advocacy activities are carried out as part of the project “Protection and Psychosocial Services for Persons with Limited Mobility and Persons with Disabilities Affected by the War” (SIDA).