II All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils: how initiative IDPs unite to help themselves and their communities

Today, 869 IDP councils at the regional, district and local levels are officially registered in Ukraine. Most of them were established over the past year. They have evolved from ordinary advisory bodies into a powerful tool for influencing local policy on IDPs' rights protection. The first successes of their work, as well as social support, housing and employment promotion for IDPs were discussed in Kyiv during the second All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils, UNN reports.

The two-day event brought together more than 300 participants, almost half of whom were representatives of councils from all regions of Ukraine. The forum was also joined by 50 guests representing other countries and international organizations, as well as the same number of members of Ukrainian NGOs working with displaced persons.

The first IDP Councils appeared in Ukraine before the full-scale war, thanks to the efforts of the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) in Ukraine and the charitable foundation Stabilization Support Services. Today, almost 5 million internally displaced persons are officially registered in Ukraine. The urgent needs of these people remain unchanged: housing, employment, social support, benefits, adaptation and integration into new communities. The IDP Councils are called upon to help resolve these issues.

Uliana Bakh, IREX Project Director in Ukraine, says that it is good to see the network of Councils growing, but there is still work to be done.  

"We continue to provide support and are happy to see how these Councils are working and changing the lives of their communities. For example, we help the Councils to hold strategic sessions. Unfortunately, the war often adjusts even the best plans. However, without strategizing, the Councils cannot be effective. Another focus is developing advocacy and leadership skills among IDPs. Mental health support is also important, and in the new program "Uniting for Action 2.0" we will also focus on employment. We are glad that the government supports this tool. We are glad that communities and regions have already realized its value," emphasized Uliana Bakh.   

Today, the Councils unite more than 20 thousand active IDPs. One of the objectives of the Forum was to exchange experience between representatives of IDP Councils. This was noted by Sarah Elliott, Senior Community Protection Specialist at the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Ukraine. 

"This conference gave me the opportunity to hear new ideas and to implement them on the ground. I know that joining the IDP Council and representing your community, changing it for the better, requires a lot of time and effort. But only IDPs themselves know best what they need. Therefore, IDP Councils are a unique advocacy tool that has no analogues in the world. It is an important lever for the well-being of displaced people," said Sarah Elliott. 

Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine and UNHCR, an interactive map of IDP Councils across Ukraine has been created. This was announced by Valeria Vershinina, Executive Director of the Stabilization Support Services charitable foundation. Another important outcome of the event was the creation of a coordinating body of IDP Councils. This is the public organization "Congress of Councils on Internally Displaced Persons."

"Back during the first Forum of IDP Councils, more than 300 participants spoke in favor of creating a single coordination mechanism. This idea was not lost. Then we had meetings to discuss what it should look like and what it should do. Most of us said that we needed support in sharing experiences, organizing training, and joint advocacy campaigns. I am glad that in the end, proposals were developed, and the forum became the first birthday of the Congress of IDP Councils," said Valeriia Vershynyna.  

The Congress was founded by regional IDP councils, however, the organization is open to other levels of IDP councils.

The event was organized by the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine with the support of the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR) and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX in Ukraine).