Rights and Integration of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine
Issues concerning internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine remain highly relevant to Ukrainian society. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes, jobs and businesses and relocate to other regions of the country.
To analyze the problems faced by internally displaced persons and develop mechanisms for addressing them, the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine published the “Strategy for the Integration of Internally Displaced Persons: Medium-Term Policy until 2024.”
The Strategy identified key strategic objectives covering various areas of government policy aimed at ensuring and protecting the rights of IDPs, including:
- housing;
- education;
- employment;
- social protection;
- healthcare;
- access to documents;
- integration into host communities.
The housing component of the Strategy provided for the implementation of various mechanisms, including:
- preferential lending programs;
- provision of housing;
- financing of housing programs in various forms with the support of international partners.
The Strategy also envisaged projects supported by international organizations aimed at improving the living conditions of IDPs residing in collective accommodation facilities, as well as completing existing housing construction projects for internally displaced persons financed by international partners.
Particular attention was paid to employment of internally displaced persons, since stable employment is one of the fundamental conditions for their economic independence and successful integration into local communities. The Strategy proposed addressing employment-related challenges through:
- expansion and development of employment programs for IDPs;
- professional training, advanced training and retraining of internally displaced persons;
- encouragement and support of businesses established or operated by IDPs.
The Strategy also addressed the implementation and protection of the educational rights of internally displaced persons.
The principal measures in the field of education included:
- ensuring IDPs' access to educational documents;
- targeted financial support for children from internally displaced families seeking education;
- recognition of learning outcomes and periods of study for the purpose of obtaining secondary education certificates;
- preparatory courses for internally displaced persons seeking admission to Ukrainian higher education institutions.
At the same time, other important issues affecting internally displaced persons require effective legal and administrative solutions, including pension payments, healthcare, social benefits and access to public services.
Pension provision for internally displaced persons deserves particular attention. Over the years, disputes have arisen concerning the suspension or termination of pension payments, pension arrears and refusals by the Pension Fund of Ukraine to grant or restore pensions. In many cases, IDPs have had to protect their pension rights before administrative courts.
Court proceedings may concern the recognition of decisions or actions of the Pension Fund as unlawful, restoration of pension payments, recognition of pensionable service and recovery of pension arrears. Therefore, persons whose pension rights have been violated should carefully analyze the grounds for the Pension Fund's decision and, where necessary, consider challenging the decision in court.
It should be noted that the Strategy discussed in this article was developed for the period until 2024. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the number of internally displaced persons increased dramatically, while Ukrainian legislation and state policy concerning IDPs underwent substantial changes. Accordingly, current questions concerning housing, social assistance, employment and pension rights should be assessed under the legislation and government programs currently in force.
Nevertheless, comprehensive state programs aimed at providing housing, employment opportunities, education, social protection and access to public services remain essential for the successful integration of internally displaced persons in Ukraine and for protecting their fundamental social and economic rights.
