From support for internally displaced persons to the reintegration strategy for the temporarily occupied territories: The Ministry of Development presented key results and plans after the expansion of functional powers.
On 28 April, the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform hosted a briefing on ‘100 Days of New Powers of the Ministry of Development: Internally Displaced Persons and Temporarily Occupied Territories’. The event was attended by Deputy Ministers of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksiy Ryabykin and Natalia Kozlovska, MP Pavlo Frolov, advocacy coordinator of the Right to Protection CF Ksenia Gedz and advocacy director of the ZMINA Human Rights Centre Alyona Lunyova.
Oleksiy Ryabykin, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development, stressed the importance of updating the data on the number of internally displaced persons. He noted that almost 19% of Ukraine’s territory is currently temporarily occupied, and it is crucial to establish the real number of people who have moved from the TOT: how many have moved to other communities and how many have gone abroad.
‘Correct data is the basis for good policy. That is why, together with the Ministry of Social Policy and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, we are working on updating the registers and developing a strategy for the future. We must remember that people are behind every policy. We need to provide IDPs with access to education, healthcare, employment and help them preserve their identity. Internally displaced persons are a great potential for Ukraine. That is why we are preparing a draft comprehensive support programme for internally displaced persons that will be effective and understandable to people. The programme is at the final stage of development and will include housing programmes, economic support, employment, educational and retraining opportunities, medical care, social protection and the development of a unified digital system of services for IDPs,’ said Oleksiy Ryabikin.
Addressing the housing needs of IDPs remains one of the priorities of the Ministry of Development. According to Nataliia Kozlovska, the Ministry is actively working on reforming housing legislation, including the adoption of the framework law ‘On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy’, which should replace the Housing Code, which is outdated and ineffective in today’s conditions. Numerous support programmes are also being implemented: ‘eRestoration’ to compensate for damaged and destroyed housing, soft loan programmes, and the development of municipal rental housing.
‘We estimate that about 1.3 million internally displaced families are in need of housing. We are working to ensure that this need is met through various instruments: compensation, preferential mortgage loans, rental subsidies, as well as the construction of municipal and social housing. The adoption of the relevant legislative changes will allow us to systematically solve the problem of providing housing for internally displaced persons,’ said Natalia Kozlovska.
She also noted that the Ministry of Development, with the support of the EIB, plans to implement a pilot project to create a fund of municipal rental housing for IDPs in 15 territorial communities in 2025.
In his turn, Pavlo Frolov, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, drew attention to the need for effective control over the implementation of housing programmes and innovations.
‘We are focusing our efforts on parliamentary control, in particular on solving the housing problem of IDPs. The law on the inventory of properties that can be used for IDPs’ accommodation was adopted. We expect that this inventory will be launched soon, and people will be able to see the available facilities, their technical condition and apply for accommodation,’ said Pavlo Frolov.
Ksenia Gedz, advocacy coordinator of the Right to Protection CF, outlined the priorities that the state should work on, according to civil society. She stressed that coordination of efforts of the state, the public sector and international organisations is one of the key factors for the success of IDP policy.
‘It is necessary to ensure coordination of processes between all stakeholders, organise effective evacuation, communicate transparently with IDPs, and build policies based on their needs. It is also important to create an inclusive strategy that takes into account the voices of IDPs themselves. IDPs must remain a priority at all levels. Reconstruction is about people, communities and our future,’ emphasised Ksenia Gedz.
Special attention was paid to the problems of residents of the temporarily occupied territories. According to Aliona Lunova, Advocacy Director of the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories are the result of a deliberate policy of the Russian Federation. She stressed the importance of assessing this policy and understanding the mechanisms of its implementation.
‘We need to talk more about the people who remain in the temporarily occupied territories and create conditions for their safe departure. Particular attention should be paid to young people: it is important to develop policies that encourage and support their return to the government-controlled territories,’ said Alyona Lunyova.
The participants of the briefing stressed that support for internally displaced persons and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories should remain among the top government priorities. The priorities of the Ministry of Development include improving the legislative framework, developing digital services and coordinating efforts between government agencies, the public sector and international partners.
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