IDP Councils Should Play a Key Role in Protecting the Rights of Displaced Persons – Decision of the Parliamentary TSC

Published on 14 August 2024, at 14:21

 TSC on Protection of IDPs’ Rights 

The TSC on the Protection of IDPs’ Rights has made an important decision regarding the activities of IDP Councils – effectively approving a roadmap to strengthen the role and influence of IDPs in decision-making and policy development at both the state and local levels.

At an off-site meeting in the city of Odesa, held with the support of the "USAID RADA Program: The Next Generation," the TSC decided to establish the legal foundations for the activities, powers, and responsibilities of IDP Councils in a separate section of the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of IDPs.

The TSC appealed to the head of the Government with a proposal to take measures to enhance the coordination of all IDP Councils established under both regional and district military administrations as well as territorial communities.

At the initial stage, such coordination may be carried out by the relevant Deputy Prime Minister, but in the future, the role and influence of the IDPs themselves should be strengthened and become decisive.

Each military administration and local government body should take into account the recommendations of the IDP Councils established under their authority, avoid coercion in forming their composition, inform about their activities, provide financial support, and ensure necessary material and technical resources, including premises for meetings, computer equipment, and protocol support for their operations.

In turn, IDP Councils need to more vocally assert their activities, hold regular meetings, inform the public about their work, exchange experiences, coordinate activities, assist each other in solving issues, submit proposals, and monitor their consideration at all levels of state, regional, and local authorities.

Displaced persons should have convenient access to information about the activities of all 1,000+ IDP Councils established in Ukraine, including information on their composition, decisions made, meeting schedules, and work reports. To this end, the TSC proposed that the Prime Minister of Ukraine facilitate the creation of a national interactive map with such data and ensure its administration.