The United Voices in Action program organized the international forum titled Integration of Internally Displaced Persons in the Ternopilska Oblast: Effective Tools and the Role of the IDP Council. The main objective of the forum was to discuss various approaches to improve the living standards of IDPs, create job opportunities for them, and provide them with social, psychological, and legal support. The forum was attended by representatives from government authorities, charitable foundations, international orgamizations, and IDPs themselves.
According to Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, IDP Councils have become a crucial tool for facilitating cooperation between the community and the government:
Iryna Vereshchuk
I would like to emphasize the new approaches that the Ternopilska Oblast has already applied and will continue to do so. For example, this is the IDP Council, which is being created under the oblast military administration. Such manifestations of the self-organization of Ukrainians are absolutely necessary and relevant. They will help people to avoid feeling isolated. They will help the authorities to hear the problems of IDPs. They will help coordinate efforts with our international partners.
Vereshchuk has prioritized two key areas of work with IDPs for this year, namely temporary integration into the community and employment. She has assured local authorities of the full support of the government in these efforts.
Maryana Hulevych
IREX has been working on social cohesion and promoting integration via implementing programs with a specific focus on IDPs since 2016, so we have a deep understanding of how the situation has changed and during these years we have developed many methodologies for work in this direction.
emphasized Maryana Hulevych, Program Officer (Advocacy Lead) of the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX in Ukraine)
Valeriya Vershynina, advocacy manager of the United Voices in Action program, has emphasized the importance of holding meetings like these to develop a shared vision for improving cooperation between the authorities and the community.
Valeriya Vershynina
A year ago, everything changed. We received a new impetus, a new need to find solutions because instead of 1.5 million IDPs, we received almost 10 million. It is very important to apply the experience, knowledge, and practice that have already been gained in the regions to do even more and better.
Currently, the Ternopilska Oblast is home to 80,000 people from different regions of Ukraine who were forced to leave their homes. The government is supporting them financially and has already paid UAH 2.7 billion, said Volodymyr Trush, head of the Ternopilska Oblast Military Administration. He emphasized that not a single IDP who came to the Ternopilska Oblast would be unattended to. Work is also underway to provide employment for IDPs.
Volodymyr Trush
Our businesses have created 380 jobs for IDPs so far and received appropriate compensation from the Ukrainian government… Almost 200 doctors and 380 teachers have found jobs in the Ternopilska Oblast. 58 companies that relocated to the region have partially arrived with their employees. There are different businesses: starting from 2-3 people, i.e., private entrepreneurs. There was a case when a company with 400 employees moved to the region. This is a work platform for our people as well.
The Ternopilska Oblast was the first in Ukraine to create an online Coordination Platform for IDPs’ humanitarian needs, which can be accessed by international organizations. In addition, two humanitarian hubs are working to address the problems of IDPs.
The event was held within the framework 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.