Author: Dasha Ptakhovska

IDP Council: what it is, how to create it, and who can join it / United Voices in Action

Between 2014 and 2021, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians moved to another city or region of the country. Back then, Russia seized Crimea and parts of the Donetska and Luhanska oblasts. In 2022, after the full-scale invasion, millions became internally displaced. Some of them will be staying in the new place until they can return home, while others plan to stay long-term.

These people can be full participants in the life of the communities in which they now reside. To do this, the team of the United Voices in Action program has developed and implemented the mechanism of IDP Councils under local and regional authorities. They help IDPs and local authorities to find common ground and cooperate to their mutual benefit, Channel 24 reports.

IDP Councils have already been established in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Chernivtsi, Poltava, Kyiv, Uzhhorod, and other cities and regions. They make the community stronger by helping local authorities to better understand the needs and capacity of IDPs and by helping IDPs to integrate into the local community and defend their rights.

The organizers of the initiative explain how you can initiate the creation of an IDP Council in your community and join an already established council.

Reason for establishing an IDP Council in a community

With the help of this advisory body, IDPs living in a community, city, or region can engage in a dialogue with the authorities and have more opportunities to participate in local life. The Councils suggest how the authorities can help IDPs integrate into the community and provide them with housing and all the basic necessities in an effective manner.

Tetiana Sihayeva, coordinator of the IDP Council in Chernivtsi

The authorities will not solve the problems that you have not voiced. In order for the authorities to understand what you need, you have to voice it. Explain what you need, be ready to work on it yourself, and demand the same from others.

Ideally, all decisions of local administrations or self-government bodies that affect IDPs should be coordinated with IDPs. Since it is impossible to ask each and every person, an IDP Council is a convenient mechanism for such coordination.

So the IDP Councils are just giving advice to the local authorities?

Not only that. They advise international organizations that help Ukraine in general and IDPs in particular, and facilitate cooperation with local administrations and self-government bodies.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, when people fleeing the war have been increasing in number, IDP Councils have been helping IDPs solve their most pressing problems, such as housing and medical care. Thanks to IDP Councils, people are provided with information on accommodation and employment opportunities, access to social services, ways to get involved in community life, etc. However, the main task of the Councils is to develop systemic solutions for the authorities, which will be subsequently implemented, for example, by local municipal institutions and services. Also, they encourage people who have temporarily or permanently lost their homes and suffered from the war to take responsibility for their lives.

Should there be such Councils in every city or community?

Full-fledged councils are needed at the oblast level (under oblast state or military administrations), as well as under local councils in large cities and communities. In small communities with a population of several thousand people, one advisor to the deputy in charge of IDP issues is enough.

Who should make the decision to establish an IDP Council?

IDP Councils work under the authorities, so the decision is up to the head of the administration or members of the local council. This is also a guarantee that there will be one council in the community or region, not several “competitive” ones.

How to create an IDP Council in a community that does not yet have one?

1. First, you need to write a written proposal to the head of the local council or state (military) administration to establish an IDP Council.
2. After that, the authority – the council or state (military) administration – decides to initiate the creation of an IDP Council.
3. Next, an announcement should be published to recruit an initiative group to create an IDP Council.
4. Once the initiative group has been formed, the government approves it and publishes a call to recruit Council members.
5. After that, candidates for the position of IDP Council member hold a constituent assembly and determine the composition of the council.
6. The authority – a local council or state (military) administration – approves the regulations on the IDP Council and its composition.
7. The IDP Council holds a constituent meeting to plan its work.

How many people does the Council consist of?

Typically, a council of an oblast level has 10-15 members. However, the Council’s meetings are open to the public, so anyone who is not a permanent member can join them.

Do IDP Council members have to be IDPs?

Not all members of the council have to be IDPs: lawyers, volunteers, representatives of CSOs that support IDPs, experts, representatives of local self-governments, and others, often join the Councils. For example, in Chernivtsi, about half of the members of the IDP Council are IDPs, and half are local residents.

Who do you need to be to become a member of an IDP Council?

Olha Ivanova, program director of the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services, which, together with IREX, is implementing the United Voices in Action program in Ukraine

To work effectively, you need to want to change, understand the problems of IDPs, and see ways to solve them. It is important not to be afraid of bureaucracy and legal issues.

That is why IDP Councils usually have lawyers or people with civil service experience. They know how to draw up meeting minutes and submit proposals so that they are not rejected because of improper execution.

Are IDP Council members paid a salary?

No. They work on a volunteer basis. Therefore, you need motivation, and a desire to help IDPs and solve their problems in a structural manner.

How can I join an existing Council?

The work of each IDP Council is subject to a separate regulation, which defines the mechanism of participation and the requirements for a potential member of the Council. These documents can be found on the websites of local councils and administrations, for example, the resolution on the creation of an IDP Council under the Zaporizhzhia City Council.

Is this mechanism really effective?

People who work in IDP Councils affirm that this mechanism is effective and worth joining.

Oleksandr Yavtushenko, regional coordinator of the United Voices in Action program, who initiated the creation of an IDP Council in Kyiv and a separate one in the Obolonskyi district of the Ukrainian capital

The main idea behind the creation of IDP Councils is to uphold the principle of ‘no solutions for IDPs without IDPs’. That is why active IDPs, who are leaders of public opinion and representatives of their communities, should join such advisory institutions under the authorities.

He adds that participation in the IDP Council is an opportunity to have a say in decisions and, together with the authorities, create projects that will help solve the daily problems of IDPs.

The mechanism of IDP Councils is most effective when they coordinate their actions and share experiences. This requires that such bodies appear under the authorities of many regions.

Who is responsible for IDP Councils?

The team of the United Voices in Action program, implemented by IREX in Ukraine together with the Charity Foundation Stabilization Support Services and with the support of the U.S. Department of State, helps establish such Councils. The main goal of the program is to bring together IDPs, members of host communities, government officials, and media representatives to integrate IDPs and create a democratic, consolidated society and contribute to the stabilization of Ukraine.

The program’s regional representatives are active and caring people who desire positive changes in their regions. They rally other activists around them, communicate with local authorities, and make efforts to help them understand the importance of IDP Councils.

Read the material on the website “24tv.ua“