Conference "Cash assistance for internally displaced persons".
Published on 24 June 2024, at 16:16
Rapid development of decisions on coordination, exchange of information on monetary aid provided to victims of Russian aggression against Ukrainians by various state bodies, local self-government bodies, volunteer, charitable, humanitarian funds, as well as international humanitarian organizations - this is the conclusion of the conference "Monetary aid for IDPs". which was organized by the TSC on protection of the rights of IDPs and other persons under the USAID RADA: Next Generation Support Program.
It was emphasized that in the unprecedentedly difficult financial conditions in which Ukraine finds itself, when all of its own revenues to the budget are directed to the security and defense sector, we cannot allow a further decrease in the amount of budget support for IDPs either in this year or in the following years. The situation when, with the constant increase in the number of IDPs, the amount of funds for cash assistance for the accommodation of IDPs decreased from 2 billion dollars in 2023 to 1.5 billion dollars in 2024, cannot be repeated in the future.
In the event of a decrease in financial support for Ukraine from Western partners, our task is to increase the efficiency and targeting of monetary aid - to ensure that it is received by the most vulnerable categories of Ukrainians. We should not allow duplication of its provision, because if someone receives this assistance twice or three times, it also means that someone in need does not receive it at all. And this is an important criterion for international humanitarian organizations to continue payments.
The amount of monetary aid provided to affected Ukrainians by 110 humanitarian organizations that are part of the Cash Working Group, which took part in the Conference, amounted to about 2 billion dollars in 2022, 1 billion dollars in 2023. In this, in 2024, approximately 0.5 billion dollars is expected.
This is a huge financial support that helps internally displaced persons, directly affected persons to survive in extremely difficult conditions. At the same time, international partners emphasized the lack of proper communication with state authorities. As a result, the leading humanitarian organizations face a number of problems and challenges that make it difficult for the smooth process of helping the affected persons.
Therefore, in the near future, our TSC will consider the need to create a digital platform for beneficiaries of state social assistance programs, the expediency of transferring personal data, income information, information from IDP registers, the Pension Fund and others to international humanitarian organizations, analyze the stages of transition from humanitarian programs to social welfare programs protection, measures to gradually increase the level of social assistance payments to the level of inflation, etc.
Verification, synchronization, coordination and digitalization of the processes of providing monetary aid to obtain a complete picture by all subjects of its provision should be only the first step of cooperation between the state, local self-government bodies and international humanitarian organizations. In the future, this experience can be extended to humanitarian aid, assistance in solving housing problems, and provision of social services.
At the end of the conference, a joint statement was issued between TSC and the Cash Working Group, according to which, in order to comply with the principles of human rights and help internally displaced persons, the authorities of Ukraine and international partners unite and agree to cooperate fruitfully, mobilize and expand resources for the provision of cash assistance.
The Conference was attended by members of the Cabinet of Ministers, people's deputies of Ukraine, heads of regional military administrations, heads of territorial communities, all-Ukrainian associations of local self-government bodies, representatives of international and national humanitarian organizations, leading experts in the field of humanitarian response.
Watch the conference video at the link