During the second day of the Forum, participants discussed the initial successes of the IDP Councils, which are amplifying the voices of displaced persons in communities and initiating new programs. Topics included social support, housing provision, and employment assistance for internally displaced persons.
This large-scale event in Kyiv served as a platform for discussions and the development of joint solutions aimed at supporting and protecting IDPs while also ensuring their opinions are considered at both local and national levels.
Matthew Johnson, Stabilization Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, emphasized that Ukraine has come a long way—from seeking foreign experience to developing its own, which it can now share.
He stated, “You can talk about how to start an IDP Council as a pilot project, then adapt it to different communities, and later scale the work with the support of the government and international organizations. Last year, a representative from Colombia shared their experience at the Forum, but I am confident that soon the world will be listening to Ukrainian speakers. This is thanks to the civil society sector working with international organizations, like the UN, and the IDPs themselves who are active in communities.”
One of the main objectives of the Forum was the exchange of experiences among IDP Council representatives. This was highlighted by Sarah Elliott, Senior Protection Officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ukraine.
She remarked, “This conference provides an opportunity to hear new ideas and implement them locally. I know that taking on such a role, joining the IDP Council, and representing your community requires a lot of time and effort. But only the displaced people themselves know best what they need. Thus, IDP Councils are a unique advocacy tool that exists nowhere else in the world. They are an important lever for the well-being of displaced people.”
Currently, over 800 IDP Councils are registered in Ukraine at the oblast, district, and local self-government levels, with more than 20,000 active members. Each Council is different—some have experienced experts, while others are working on advocacy and community issue analysis for the first time. Therefore, the Forum also aimed to discuss with experts the challenges faced by both IDPs in Ukraine and the IDP Councils, as stated by Olha Ivanova, Program Director of the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services”.
“This Forum is a logical continuation of the work on developing the IDP Council network, which we started back in 2019. Of course, the main phase occurred last year when over 500 IDP Councils were established almost simultaneously across Ukraine. Last year, we outlined priority tasks, and today we continued working on them with experts, including international ones. This Forum is also about networking and building connections. After several years of lockdowns and active displacement due to the full-scale war, we realized how important it is to meet and talk in person,” Olha Ivanova noted.
Oksana Savytska, Leading Lawyer of the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services,” added that, as planned by the organizers, most of this year’s Forum participants were representatives of IDP Councils.
“Most members of the IDP Councils had not had the opportunity to participate in such large-scale events alongside other Councils and representatives of regional and national authorities. To ask specific questions, hear answers, and learn about future plans. The event also provided a platform to share successes, ideas, and challenges.”
One of the key outcomes of the Forum was the agreement to establish a new civil society organization—the Congress of IDP Councils, which will take on a coordinating role and provide methodological support.
The event was organized by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in partnership with the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, with support from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Ukraine and the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX in Ukraine).
