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25.03.21

On March 17, the Kharkiv office of the Right to Protection (R2P) organized an online webinar to discuss problematic issues in working with the «Social Hromada» system.

The event was joined by the representatives of the amalgamated territorial communities (hromadas), Administrative Service Centers (ASC) and the Department of Labor and Social Protection in the Kharkiv region.

During the webinar, officials who have been working with the program for a long time and those who have just joined were given the opportunity to share their experiences and advice.

What is a «Social Hromada»?

The information system «Social Hromada» is a client-server WEB-application, which is designed to bring administrative social services to the residents of the amalgamated territorial communities.

Advantages of the «Social Hromada» program for officials who work in amalgamated communities:

  • Professionals can process information and provide administrative services much faster. This makes a great workflow optimization – information can be processed by only one employee. Without using the «Social Hromada» same amount of work requires multiple employees to handle one particular task;
  • Head of the territorial community and specialists of the social protection service can monitor the processing of applications and carry out a quick search for any required data. This is possible due to the presence of an electronic “log of appeals”.

Advantages of the «Social Hromada» program for the population:

  • No need to go, for example, to a remote district center in order to receive social administrative services;
  • Possibility to track the status of applications online after contacting the “front” office.

Right to Protection (R2P) expresses special gratitude to the speakers of the webinar: Tetyana Shevchenko, head of the department of social protection of the executive committee of Bilozirka village council;  Nonna Turlo, Head of the Department of Automated Documentation Processing and Social Monitoring of the Department of Social Protection of the Chuhuiv District State Administration; Maryna Torbina, a specialist in the social protection department of the Merefa City Council.

R2P actively cooperates with the united territorial communities in order to ensure the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Соціальна громада Social Hromada

 UNHCR Ukraine


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25.03.21

On 11 March 2021, at their 1398th DH meeting, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (Committee) adopted a new decision on Ukraine’s progress in solving the systemic problem of non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of domestic judgments given against the State. In their decision, the Committee exhorted the Ukrainian authorities to take resolute action to resolve the long-standing problem, paying attention to the changes to the 2021 State Budget, which has only distanced Ukraine from comprehensively solving the issue. 

In particular, in 2021, expenditures to finance the State Budget Programme 3504040 ‘Measures for the Enforcement of Judicial Decisions Guaranteed by the State’ have been reduced sixfold compared to 2020, making it impossible for the State to pay its debts under thousands of unenforced domestic judgments. In January 2021, within the communication to the Committee of the state of execution by Ukraine of the ECtHR judgments on the matter, strategic lawyers of CF ‘Right to Protection’ submitted observations with the Committee, emphasizing the critical lack of funding to fully cover the expenditures for enforcement of domestic judgments, including those concerning the payment of pension arrears to IDPs and residents of the temporarily occupied territories.

According to the response of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Government noted the interest of CF ‘Right to Protection’ to the non-enforcement problem (especially, with regard to judgments on pension payments for IDPs and residents of the temporarily occupied territories, as well as conflict-related losses), stressing that the State is focused on finding a long-lasting solution to this problem, which gives hope for the change of the current state of affairs. 

Finally, the Committee deeply deplored the dramatic decrease in funding of the State Budgetary Programme 3504040, adding that it ‘could be seen as an indication of the overall lack of political will to ensure the effectiveness of the system of domestic enforcement of judgments.’

Committee рішення Комітету Міністрів Ради Європи щодо невиконання Україною судових рішень

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22.03.21

On March 16, an online round table «Freedom of movement across the contact line: the problem of fines for violating the special order of entry and exit to and from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine» was held.

The event was held at the level of the Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, National Minorities and International Relations of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Members of Parliament, chairmen of committees and subcommittees, representatives of central and local authorities, international and Ukrainian NGOs joined the round table.

Oleh Tarasenko, Senior Strategic Lawyer at Right to Protection CF (R2P) also took part in an online event.

Particularly, Mr. Oleg pointed to the three current problems:

  • Application of fines for crossing the contact line through uncontrolled areas of the state border of Ukraine: people often have no other way;
  • Application of fines for exceeding the limit of 50,000 hryvnias for moving the cash to and from the occupied territories: most retirees cross the contact line only once in every two to six months to withdraw cash, and the amount of funds in this case may exceed the following limit;
  • Protocols on administrative violations are drawn by the SBGS officers with significant errors: lack of necessary signatures of the person who is being fined, non-issuing of a second copy of the protocol to such a person, etc.
Oleh Tarasenko Олег Тарасенко

 «We believe that such restrictions, at least for the quarantine period, should be reduced.  According to Ms. Noel Calhoun, there are many ways to do this. We should not forget that the Supreme Court of Ukraine has ruled in such cases that the body which brings a person to administrative responsibility cannot focus only on a person pleading guilty. We all understand that a person who has been moving to the state border for a very long time to get to the controlled territory will have no choice but to admit guilt and agree to a fine. But this will not be a voluntary confession. That is why such responsibility must be postponed or abolished.»

– said Oleg Tarasenko during his report.

Recording of a full speech of our colleague is available below. The full video & audio recordings of the round table is also available on the Committee’s website (Both in Ukrainian).

Доповідь Олега Тарасенка під час круглого столу: «Свобода пересування вздовж лінії розмежування»

☝️ Станом на сьогодні, громадяни України, які проживають на тимчасово непідконтрольних територіях зазнають найбільших утисків їхніх прав та свобод. ❌ Представники незаконних збройних формувань постійно блокують роботу більшості пунктів пропуску на сході України. Людям не залишається нічого іншого як перетинати державний кордон у непідконтрольних ділянках на кордоні з РФ. А по в’їзду в Україну на них вже чекає штраф…💵 «Свобода пересування вздовж лінії розмежування: проблема застосування штрафних санкцій за порушення порядку в’їзду на тимчасово окуповану територію України та виїзду з неї» – саме такою була назва теми круглого столу, який відбувся 16 березня у форматі Zoom відеоконференції. 🤝 Захід проведений на рівні Комітету з питань прав людини, деокупації та реінтеграції тимчасово окупованих територій, національних меншин і міжнаціональних відносин Верховної Ради України. До участі долучилися народні депутати, голови комітетів та підкомітетів, представники центральних та місцевих органів влади, міжнародних та українських неурядових організацій. Зокрема, участь у круглому столі від БФ «Право на захист» взяв головний стратегічний юрист Oleg Tarasenko. У своїй доповіді пан Олег зазначив про три наявних наразі проблеми: 🔵 Застосування штрафів за перетин лінії розмежування через непідконтрольні ділянки державного кордону України: у людей часто немає іншого виходу; 🔵 Застосування штрафів за перевищення допустимого ліміту в 50000 гривень на вивезення готівки з та на окуповану територію. Велика частина пенсіонерів перетинають лінію розмежування лише раз на пів року для зняття готівки, а сума коштів у такому випадку може перевищувати зазначений максимум; 🔵 Складання протоколів про адмінпорушення співробітниками ДПСУ з допущенням суттєвих помилок: відсутність необхідних підписів особи, що притягається до відповідальності, невидача другого примірника протоколу такій особі тощо. 💬 «Ми вважаємо, що такі обмеження, принаймні на період карантину, повинні бути зменшені. Як зазначила шановна пані Ноель Калхун, для цього є багато шляхів. Не варто забувати й про те, що Верховний Суд України визначився у подібних справах, що орган, який притягає особу до адміністративної відповідальності не може орієнтуватися на одне лише визнання особою вини. Всі ми розуміємо, що у людини, яка дуже довгий час рухалася до державного кордону, щоб потрапити на підконтрольну територію не буде іншого вибору як визнати провину та погодитися на штраф. Але це не буде добровільним зізнанням. Саме тому, таку відповідальність треба відстрочити або скасувати.» – сказав Олег Тарасенко під час своєї доповіді. 🔗 Пропонуємо Вам переглянути доповідь нашого колеги нижче у відео. Також, Ви можете подивитися повний запис трансляції круглого столу або прослухати аудіозаписом на сайті Комітету: https://cutt.ly/jxtLqOD UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні Управління ООН з координації гуманітарних справ / OCHA Ukraine EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO ACTED Ukraine People in Need Médicos del Mundo España IMPACT Initiatives HelpAge International HelpAge Ukraine – Представництво HelpAge International в Україні Комітет Верховної Ради України з прав людини Людмила Денісова

Posted by Право на захист on Friday, March 19, 2021

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17.03.21

The Interdepartmental Commission for Establishing the Injury or Other Damage to Health Received from Explosives, Ammunition and Military Weapons on the Territory of the Anti-Terrorist Operation* has been holding its meetings since December 2018. 

During this time, despite lots of obstacles and all sorts of incidents, this commission considered 148 applications, made 134 positive decisions and 12 refusals. Some of the applications were postponed due to the missing documents.

The obvious positive moment in terms of the effectiveness of this structure is the presence of the representatives of non-governmental organizations in the commission – those who on a daily basis take care of the issues of people, affected by an armed conflict in the east of Ukraine. 

Activists know very well not the factual but the “human” side of the issues. As a member of this commission, I approach the consideration of each case with full responsibility, because I understand that all of this is not about dry facts and stacks of papers, but about the lives and fates of Ukrainians.

I still remember one of the cases. The guardian appealed to the commission in favor of her granddaughter. An excerpt from the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations (an extract) concerning the case stated: “during the shelling the bomb hit the school, citizen XXX was injured, 2 people died.” But then you read and understand that those two dead people were the girl’s mother and her brother… 

That is why the documents were submitted by the guardian. And at this moment you feel like you’re among the ruins of this school…

You realize how many lives and destinies this war has destroyed. The only thing you can do to help them now is to read these documents carefully and fight for each of those who asked for help.

I also remember another meeting of the commission when the application of a couple was considered. It was already clear that they would be refused as it was not possible to establish in which location the injury occurred**.

Following the monitoring of this situation, the media managed to find out that the couple was injured during the evacuation from the village where they lived. Illegal armed groups occupied the village, but gave the opportunity to leave to those who do not want to stay. The couple and several other people got into a car and headed towards the controlled area, but it turned out that this was not a gesture of goodwill, but a trap: the car was mined. An explosion occurred as the car approached the Ukrainian military checkpoint.

I said this during a meeting of the Interdepartmental commission, and after a lively discussion it was decided to provide a positive decision on this matter, as the territory of the military checkpoint although not being included in the list of Government-Controlled Area settlements, is actually controlled by Ukraine.  

In fact, a precedent was set in the consideration of the cases and identical cases now receive positive decisions as well. Of course, it would have been great if our citizens did not find themselves in such dangerous and horrible situations, but, unfortunately, occupation and military conflict always goes hand in hand with casualties and losses. It is the duty of the state to provide social protection to the victims of this conflict. This protection is provided today by the Interdepartmental Commission. If you have an injury or disability, received during an armed conflict you surely must submit documents and application to the commission. And we will do our duty – will be fighting for everyone of you!

Анастасія Одінцова: про менторський досвід, навчання інших та маленькі кроки для великих змін Anastasia Odintsova tells about her mentoring experience, teaching others and small steps for big changes

Anastasia Odintsova

Advocacy Lawyer

Right to Protection CF

List of the documents needed to be collected before an application is available following this link

*The Commission acts on the basis of the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers № 306 from 04/25/2018 «Some issues concerning the establishment of the connection of a disability with the injuries or other damage to the health» 

**There is a discriminatory restriction on the territorial definition of this resolution. Until December 1, 2014 the status is granted if a wound was received in the area of Anti-Terrorist Operation, after December 1, 2014 only if the wound was received in the Government-Controlled Area or near the contact line.

UNHCR Ukraine


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16.03.21

Today R2P presents the report ‘Crossing the contact line’ for February 2021, prepared by the NGO ‘Right to Protection’. The report is based on data collected during the monitoring of the situation on EECPs. More statistical data is available on the Eastern Ukraine Checkpoint Monitoring Online Dashboard: https://www.unhcr.org/ua/en/eecp-monitoring-2021

HIGHLIGHTS:    

  • During the month, crossing the contact line remained possible only through two EECPs: Novotroitske in Donetska Oblast and Stanytsia Luhanska in Luhanska Oblast, at a level considerably below the pre-COVID period. The number of people crossing the contact line increased in February compared to January by 31 percent: 39,497 and 27,480 respectively.
  • At the end of February, it was still not possible to take free-of-charge rapid COVID-19 tests at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP, despite governmental instructions. PCR tests for COVID-19 could only be done at one’s own expense in three different private laboratories located at the EECP. At Novotroitske EECP, of those who crossed 518 (87%) people took advantage of the opportunity to pass a rapid test for COVID-19.
  • Visiting relatives remained the main reason for crossing in both directions, including for people crossing into GCA. NGCA residents also crossed EECPs for reasons of cash withdrawal, issues of pension or social payments, and documentation issues. In February 2020, visiting relatives was only the third widespread reason for crossing into GCA, after pension recovery and cash withdrawal.
  • R2P monitors facilitated 120 requests for crossing from GCA residents through the fast-track procedure. Also, R2P assisted about 800 persons with installing the “Vdoma” app.
  • During the month of February, 4,483 vulnerable elderly persons were provided with transport support at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP by the NGO “Proliska” e-vehicle.

The report is available in English and in Ukrainian

The report is based on the results of a survey conducted by R2P at the five EECPs to enter the NGCA and administered on a regular basis since June 2017. The survey is a part of the monitoring of violations of rights of conflict-affected populations within the framework of the project ‘Advocacy, Protection, and Legal Assistance to IDPs’ implemented by R2P, with the support of UNHCR. The purpose of the survey is to explore the reasons and concerns of those traveling from the NGCA to the GCA, as well as conditions and risks associated with crossing the line of contact through EECPs. The information collected in the survey helps identify protection needs, gaps, and trends, and provides an evidentiary basis for advocacy efforts.

Report ‘Crossing the contact line’, February 2021

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12.03.21
 

On March 11, the Right to Protection CF organized an online meeting for the amalgamated territorial communities (hromadas) representatives on the practical aspects of working with the «Social Hromada» information system.

More than 100 hromadas representatives from Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions joined the video meeting.

During the event, the specialists from the amalgamated communities who have already started the implementation of the «Social Hromada» software had the opportunity to improve their skills in working with this information system. The participants of the online meeting received all the necessary information so that the further implementation of the software complex will be much easier for them.

The integrated information system «Social Hromada» is a software-based combination of the “front offices” that receive the documents and applications from the citizens (i.e. Administrative Services Centres) with the “back offices” – structural units of the Department of Social Protection of the district state administrations, where the decisions on the provision of services (including the social ones) are made.

Such a system makes it possible to transfer the received electronic copies of documents to the back office on the same day, which in turn significantly speeds up the process of the provision of administrative services. On March 1, all amalgamated communities started working with the «Social Hromada» system.

Online meeting recording is available! All the amalgamated communities representatives are invited to watch!*

*video is in Ukrainian

Онлайн-зустріч «Організація роботи громад в ПК «ІІС «Соціальна громада»

Понад 100 представників ОТГ Дніпропетровської та Запорізької областей підвищили навички в роботі з інтегрованою інформаційною системою «Соціальна громада»🙌 🔍 Онлайн-зустріч, яка була організована БФ «Право на захист», зібрала в одному колі спеціалістів територіальних громад, які почали впровадження програмного комплексу «Інтегрована інформаційна система «Соціальна громада». Кожен учасник виніс для себе ту необхідну інформацію, яка дасть змогу зробити впровадження програмного комплексу в роботу громад простим та зрозумілим. Крім того, ми прагнули залучилися підтримкою представників Департаменту соціального захисту населення Дніпропетровської та Запорізької обласних рад, які готові надавати необхідні роз’яснення та допомогу громадам й надалі. ℹ️ Чому це важливо? Програмний комплекс «Інтегрована інформаційна система «Соціальна громада» об’єднує в єдиному інформаційному середовищі «фронт»-офіси прийому документів від населення, що знаходяться, наприклад, у ЦНАП, з «бек»-офісом у структурних підрозділах соціального захисту населення (СПСЗН) райдержадміністрації, де приймається рішення про надання адміністративної послуги соціального характеру. ✅ Така система дає змогу того ж дня передавати в «бек»-офіс прийняті електронні копії документів, що своєю чергою значно пришвидшує отримання адміністративних послуг соціального характеру. З 1 березня всі громади розпочали працювати у системі «Соціальна громада». Поширюємо запис онлайн-зустрічі, і запрошуємо до перегляду представників інших ОТГ України. UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні

Posted by Право на захист on Thursday, March 11, 2021

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine


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04.03.21

For many years we have been protecting the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people who live on the temporarily occupied territories, including their right to receive pension benefits.

Comparing the current situation with access to pensions with the one in the summer of 2016, it is safe to say that human rights activists have forced the state to improve its policy in this area.  

However, behind every victory there are not only months of hard work, court debates and communication with the authorities, but also human lives. Often people die without waiting for justice, without receiving their hard-earned pension benefits, which were once suspended and never restored. And this money could not only improve the quality of life of these people, but also help them live in difficult times.

Apparently, everyone already knows that Ukraine is a record holder in the number of unfulfilled court decisions in favor of its own citizens. And behind the dry figures, human rights reports, appeals and resolutions of international bodies, there are living people waiting for the legal decision on behalf of Ukraine to be implemented.

The problem of non-compliance with court decisions on the payment of pensions to residents of the occupied territories has been silenced for years. Authorities that are required by law to provide people with pensions have simply “forgotten” about the hundreds of thousands of retirees who have not received pensions for years or cannot receive previously awarded pension arrears.

At the end of 2018, we were approached by Viktor Oleksandrovych’s wife (name changed), who said that her husband, who had a number of serious illnesses at the time and was completely bedridden after several strokes, could not go to the Government-Controlled Territory of Ukraine to register as an IDP and since 2014 he has not received a pension.

After months of hard work, in the summer of 2020, the legal team of the Right to Protection CF managed to obtain a long-awaited court decision on the obligation of the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) to pay a pension to a man. However, the decision was never implemented.  The state violated its own regulations by not ensuring the activities of a PFU body that was to enforce the decision, and in this legal system it is impossible to force another PFU body to pay a pension to a person, although it is the state’s obligation to its own citizens.

The words “the state violated” refer not only to a few specific officials in fancy suits, but also to a whole society that is “no longer interested” in this topic.

In relations to pensioners, the state, unfortunately, behaves like a swindler, who on the one hand loudly declares it’s honesty and care for its own citizens, and on the other by all possible means not only blocks access to pensions but also refuses to comply with court decisions. 

According to officials they are not responsible for the inaction of their own bodies. For example, the PFU head office and the PFU itself are not responsible for the responsibilities of their own district offices. Although it is impossible to pay a pension to a person without the simultaneous work of all these bodies. 

Prosecute for non-compliance with a court decision? Impossible! Because the head of the district administration of the PFU cannot pay a pension to a person without the participation of the highest bodies of his department. Therefore, if the head of a district office starts to enforce the court decision, he will be the only one who will be prosecuted.

So it turns out: a “small” boss is not subject to prosecution, because the fact of payment does not depend on him, and “big” bosses can not be prosecuted because they do not head the body that is the debtor in the case. And all these legal gaps are skillfully used for years, because the police are not interested in such cases, although the article of the Criminal Code on liability for non-compliance with court decisions has not been canceled.  And while officials and police do not want to perform their direct duties, people who are left without money die.

Today I received a call from Viktor Oleksandrovych’s wife, who told me with tears that he had died a few days ago. He died without waiting for anything from the state. It is safe to say that receiving a pension arrears in a few years, even after receiving a court decision, would have allowed Viktor Oleksandrovych to eat better, be treated better, perhaps smile at life once more and live longer.

Over the years, we have not had time to help dozens of people. More than 50 pensioners who received court decisions died without waiting for the execution of these decisions. We are now working with their successors, proving to officials that the Constitution, law and court decisions in Ukraine must be obeyed.

Another name has been added to this list today. The name of a good man whom the state had to and could help to live a life with dignity. But the state didn’t help…

With grief and sympathy to the wife of the deceased,

Oleg Tarasenko

Senior Strategic Lawyer of the Right to Protection CF

04.03.21

On February 26, 2021, Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Compensation to Citizens for Loss of a Part of an Income Due to Violation of the Terms of Their Payment” entered into force. Thanks to updates, the list of the types of income for which compensation will be paid is expanded, as well as the sources of compensation payment are changed.

In the previous version of the Law, incomes were considered to be money incomes of citizens, which are repeatedly received on the territory of Ukraine. The law did not have an exhaustive list of types of income, but was very concise: 1) pensions; 2) social benefits; 3) scholarships; 4) wages (cash security), etc.

In the amended version, the definition of income has not changed, but the list income types is now supplemented and exhaustive:

  • pensions or monthly lifetime allowance (including allowances, increases, supplementary pensions, targeted cash benefits, pensions for special services to Ukraine and other pension supplements established by law);
  • social benefits;
  • scholarships;
  • wages (cash security);
  • the amount of indexation of monetary income of citizens;
  • the amount of compensation for damage caused to an individual by injury or other damage to health;
  • amounts paid to persons entitled to compensation in case of loss of a breadwinner.

Sources of compensation have also changed. From now on, compensations are paid by the Social Insurance Fund of Ukraine (SIFU), formed after the merger of the Social Insurance Fund for Accidents at Work and Occupational Diseases and the Social Insurance Fund for Temporary Disability. The SIFU began operations on August 1, 2017.

Employers of all forms of ownership, as well as the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the SIFU, the Fund of Obligatory State Social Insurance of Ukraine in the event of unemployment, etc., are obliged to pay wages, pensions, social benefits, scholarships and other income on time and in full. But they usually forget or pretend to forget that this legal requirement obliges them to pay compensation for the loss of part of this income due to its late payment.

Compensation for the loss of an income due to late wage payment

Social benefits should mean assistance to families with children; state social assistance to children with disabilities from childhood and children with disabilities; unemployment benefits; financial assistance during training; retraining or advanced training of the unemployed; temporary disability benefits (including care for a sick child); maternity benefits; monthly amount of money in case of partial or complete disability; that compensates the relevant part of the lost earnings of the victim due to an accident at work or an occupational disease; child support; who has a disability from birth due to an injury at work or an occupational disease of her mother during pregnancy, etc.

So we urge you to know and defend your rights!

If you have any questions about the violation of your rights, call the hotline numbers of the Right to Protection CF. It is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00:


UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

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23.02.21

In December 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in the second reading and as a whole the draft Law of Ukraine «On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021». This law has already entered into force. 

So, what exactly changed in the context of protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and victims of an armed conflict? 

Here are the key differences:

  • Funding for the state program for the payment of monetary compensation to victims whose houses (apartments) were destroyed as a result of a military emergency caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation has been increased to UAH 114 million.
  • Subventions from the state budget to local budgets for the implementation of measures to support the territories affected by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine have been increased to UAH 125 million.
  • A new state program has been introduced to ensure proper conditions for entry and exit of persons to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine – UAH 267 million.
  • A new state program has been introduced to ensure the reintegration of young people from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol – UAH 130 million (although such a program appeared only between the first and second readings).
  • There is no funding for the state program «Affordable Housing» (it was reduced by the April changes to the state budget for 2020 and will not be renewed in 2021).
  • There is no funding for subventions from the state budget to local budgets for the implementation of the project «Housing for Internally Displaced Persons».
  • There is no funding for a program to provide mortgage loans to internally displaced persons.

Full details – in the table.


UNHCR Ukraine – Aгентство ООН у справах біженців в Україні

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